Potholes? Blame them on highway funding

Imagine one’s tooth decay if the person decided to forego daily brushing and annual dental visits. Now imagine treating our highway infrastructure with similar neglect.

That neglect is now taking place. Newsday’s editorial "Roads of ruin" [May 16] points this out. The horrific potholes scarring Long Island’s road network exemplify the abandonment of routine maintenance. Try driving the Long Island Expressway without hitting a cavity capable of damaging your car’s alignment or shredding a tire.

The New York State Department of Transportation’s desired goal is to maintain a 12-year pavement cycle for its roadways. Yet, annual budgeting from Albany lawmakers does not permit the department to meet its timeline. Potholes are its proof.

The LIE’s 16-mile stretch from Exit 57 to 62 was last paved in 2010, with no resurfacing scheduled. The same for even older sections. The 13 1⁄2 miles between Exits 51 and 57 were last paved 13 years ago. The list goes on.

The paving neglect isn’t limited to state highways. Our counties, towns and villages typically secure 30-year municipal bonds to fund their road pavement projects to cover the pavement life span. The streets of most of Nassau County and the area of Suffolk County’s Southwest Sewer District were last replaced in 1980.

Pothole prevention measures are further compounded by limited state support for local highways. Last year’s annual state funding for Long Island’s road maintenance was slashed due to pandemic-related cutbacks. Our localities were advised to expect a 20% reduction in the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program.

If getting more information on when poor road conditions will be addressed makes you feel like you’re pulling teeth, consider reaching out to your congressional representatives about funding priorities in the current federal infrastructure plan negotiations.

Highway funding is the root of the problem.

Marc Herbst, Melville

Editor’s note: The writer is executive director of the Long Island Contractors’ Association.

Recently, I was slaloming on the Long Island Expressway trying to steer around cavernous potholes when I missed avoiding one. Some $226 later, I had a new left front tire. This was not an isolated incident.

Over the years, there has been a steady deterioration of the country’s roads, bridges and tunnels. The current Biden administration proposal for infrastructure spending is well needed, but financing will be formidable.

One method for this funding, first introduced in 1932, was the federal gasoline excise tax. The one-cent-per-gallon user tax was designed to maintain surface transportation facilities. It was not indexed to the cost of living but was gradually increased to 18.4 cents per gallon in 1993 and has remained there for the past 28 years.

Adjusting for 80% inflation and 146 billion gallons of gas consumption, the added revenue would be $21 billion. A similar analysis for diesel fuel results in the excise tax increasing from 24 cents per gallon to 44 cents per gallon. The increase in revenue on 47 billion gallons of diesel fuel would be $9 billion.

Updating the federal excise tax to the current cost of living is a fair way to assist in financing the proposed infrastructure spending bill. Users should pay their fair share of this cost.

Bill Domjan, Melville

Your editorial "Roads of ruin" said the condition of our roadways is like those in a Third World country. I have one thing to say to that: You were too kind!

Joseph Boccio, East Patchogue