Suffolk Republicans press state to fix potholes on Route 25

Elected officials, community leaders and fire officials called on the New York State Department of Transportation to urgently begin repairs to a busy state roadway they say is riddled with dangerous potholes.

Flanked by community members holding signs with messages like “SOS Save Our Streets,” officials gathered Friday afternoon in a Selden parking lot along Middle Country Road, known also as State Route 25, to decry the road’s poor condition and urge the state to prioritize its repair as an emergency.

“We’re all fed up,” said Suffolk Legis. Nick Caracappa (C-Selden).

Officials said years of neglect have left the road prone to problems like potholes, particularly after a frigid, snow-heavy winter such as this year's. The potholes lead to increased accidents and slower response times from first responders and put people’s lives at risk, officials said.

State Sen. Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue) said he spoke on Friday to the DOT's regional director , and Murray recalled  the director telling him he is “doing everything he can” to move up a paving project into an emergency status.

Murray said while the DOT will fix potholes when notified, the larger paving projects can only be done from late spring to early fall. He said the state has already gone out to bid for 2026 and those projects are set.

The soonest work could begin is 2027, he said.

A statement by DOT spokesperson Glenn Blain said the department “understands the importance of Middle Country Road to the local community and is working at an expedited pace to commence the design on a resurfacing project on this roadway.

“In the meantime, NYSDOT crews are working to address potholes as they develop and perform maintenance as needed.”

The governor's office has said 250 pavement projects are planned in 2026 across the state to resurface 4,000 lane miles at a cost of nearly $1.2 billion. 

Newsday reported this week how Brookhaven Councilman Neil Manzella and an aide counted 117 potholes on the stretch of highway between County Road 83 in Selden and the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove.

Officials and residents on Friday held signs urging residents to dial 1-800-768-4653 to report the jarring pits on state roadways or by visiting www.dot.ny.gov/programs/pothole-rpt.

Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, who was at the news conference, recalled how “proud” Gov. Kathy Hochul was after repairs to the Long Island Expressway in 2022 when she announced an $80.1 million resurfacing project had been completed.

“Governor, how about Route 25?” he asked.

The governor's office deferred comments on county officials' request for emergency repairs to the state DOT.

Dan Losquadro, the highway superintendent for Brookhaven Town — which has around 3,700 miles of roads — said Route 25 is prone to damage by the volume of traffic, the amount of salt used to keep it safe during wintry conditions and freeze-thaw cycles. The main stretch of Route 25 officials discussed Friday is located in Brookhaven Town.

He said his department “plowed quite a bit” on local roads this winter, which can contribute to damage like potholes.

“But we haven’t seen really a significant uptick in the volume of complaints that we see in any other year,” he said, without citing specific numbers.

Any issues on local roads in Brookhaven can be reported to 631-451-8696, he said.