Pothole Reporting

HomePothole Reporting

Everyone hates potholes. They can turn a wonderful route into a miserable experience. They cause blown tires and damaged wheels. Every year club members are injured and hospitalized by pothole encounters.

Fortunately, all towns have a process to report potholes, and most of the time they will make repairs within a few days of a complaint.

So its up to us to file reports to have any chance of seeing this situation improve, especially with potholes that are dangerous to cyclists but not cars, such as deep narrow trenches, potholes in shoulders, broken up pavement, etc.

Reporting a pothole takes a combination of preparing and documenting the issue, knowing who to report it to, and filing a complaint.

PREPARATION AND DOCUMENTATION

When you’re on a ride and encounter a pothole which creates a dangerous situation, do the following:

Stop the bike
Note the location of the pothole
1. Street name
2. Nearest intersection, or house number, or utility pole number
3. Town you’re in – if not sure use phone to pin location so this can be looked up later
4. Take pictures if possible of the pothole and surroundings.

WHO TO REPORT TO

If you're not sure what town the pothole is in, search for the location on Google Maps to find out. In general you should file a report with the town (Huntington, Smithtown, Oyster Bay, Islip, etc.)

If the town is not the proper jurisdiction for the repair, they will normally inform you of this. Sometimes an incorporated village (Huntington Bay, Lattingtown, Brookville, etc.) will need to be contacted.
Some roads are State Roads or County Roads (Route numbers like 106, 25, 25a are usually state roads, and route numbers like CR 17, CR 105 are county roads. Ride With GPS is pretty good at identifying these roads. If the location is a State or County maintained road, go to the 'NY State and County Contact Info' tab for instructions

FILING THE COMPLAINT

Every municipality has its own way of filing complaints. Use the tabs below for specific instructions for submitting your complaint.

The last section shows some examples reports that have been filed previously to give you some ideas about how to do this.

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Town of Huntington

Huntington has an online system for reporting and tracking pothole repairs. The first time you use this you can set up an account which will enable you to track the status of the repair and access the history of all potholes you have reported.

Here are the steps to take to report a pothole in the Town of Huntington

     1.     Go to "www.huntingtonny.gov"
     2.     Under Popular Links on the left side click on Highway Dept
     3.     Scroll down and click the Report a Pothole link
     4.     Follow the instructions and enter the Address, Comments, and attach pictures

It helps in the comments to describe why the pothole is dangerous to pedestrians, children, motorcycles, cars, etc. Be respectful and add a thanks at the end.

In my experience, Huntington has repaired potholes in 2 to 3 days after being reported this way.

If the location you reported is a State or County road, you should get an email informing you. Then go to the NY State and County Contact Info tab for instructions.

If the location is in an Incorporated Village, then you'll need to go to their website to determine who to contact.

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Town of Smithtown

In the Town of Smithtown we need to deal directly with the Highway Department. Their phone number is (631) 360-7500, but the best way to contact them is by email at "highway@tosgov.com" as follows:

     1. Subject of email something like "Pothole on Primrose Lane"
     2. Include detailed location of pothole
     3. Describe why it's a hazard to pedestrians, children, cyclists, autos, etc.
     4. Attach pictures if possible
     5. Be respectful and thank them for their assistance.
     6. Send the email

You will receive a response in about a day or so telling you the email and pictures have been forwarded to the foreman. In my experience Smithtown will fix the pothole in a few days.

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Town of Oyster Bay

The only way to report a pothole in the Town of Oyster Bay is by phone - (516) 677-5757.

Some roads that we use in Nassau county are maintained by the county and some are maintained by the State, so browse the following lists determine who you should call, then follow the instructions at the bottom of this page.

Nassau County roads include:

Bayville Avenue & Road

Berry Hill Road

Buckram Road (Locust Valley)

Central Avenue (Bethpage)

Jerusalem Avenue

Manetto Hill Road

Merrick Road

Motor Avenue (Farmingdale)

Newbridge Road

Old Country Road

Plainview Road

Round Swamp Road

South Oyster Bay Road

Stewart Avenue

Syosset/Woodbury Road

Underhill Boulevard

W. Main Street (Oyster Bay)

Woodbury Road

Go to NY State & County tab for contact info

NYS maintained roads include:

Long Island Expressway (495)

Hempstead Turnpike (24)

Oyster Bay Road (106)

Jericho Turnpike (25)

Hicksville Road (107)

Northern State Parkway

Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway (135)

Sunrise Highway (27)

Southern State Parkway

Go to NY State & County tab for contact info

Once you determine who to call follow these instructions

     1. Call
     2. Indicate that you wish to report a hazardous pothole.
     3. Get the name and title of the person who answered the phone.
     4. Confirm that the location you're reporting is in their jurisdiction.
     5. If not, ask who you should contact. If confirmed, continue
     4. Try to get an email address for follow up correspondence
     5. If only able to report by phone, get a case # or reference #
     6. Ask for a direct phone number or extension to call for follow-up.
     7. Thank the person for their assistance.

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Town of Islip

Here's how to report a 'Concern' to the Town of Islip:

1. First make sure the location is a road maintained by Islip by clicking on this link
Roads Not Maintained by Islip

2. If road is a State or County road go to the NY State and County Contact Info tab

3. If an Islip maintained road go to this link
Islip Report a Concern

4. Under 'Hamlet' scroll down to Not a Town Resident if you don't live in the Town of Islip

5. Under 'Concern Type' select Road Concern

6. Fill out summary with all details - location, description, thanks, and if you have pictures tell them you can send them if they want since there is no provision here to attach pictures

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NY State and County Contact Info

for NEW YORK STATE ROADS

Call NYSDOT at 1-800-POTHOLE or 1-800-768-4653. This number is reachable 24x7

for SUFFOLK COUNTY ROADS

Use the Suffolk County Highway Service Request System
Suffolk County Service Request
1. Category - Pothole
2. Nature of Request - Fill in all details
3. Upload photos if available
4. Check off 'Not a Robot'
5. Submit

for NASSAU COUNTY ROADS

Call Road Maintenance Department at 516-571-6900

EXAMPLES

Here are some examples of actual pothole reports and responses that may give you ideas about how to document your own report.

Huntington Report Examples

Smithtown Report Example

Islip Report Example

Islip Response Example

View some before and after pothole repair pictures.