I
n my 15 years of representing you, I’ve seen a full spectrum of concerns, but none spark as much frustration and conversation as our roads. That’s no surprise to anyone who has navigated the Southern State Parkway, Hillside Avenue, Hempstead Turnpike or Glen Cove Road.
Nearly everyone on Long Island relies on our roads every single day. It’s one of the few things that actually unites Americans across the country: our dependence on infrastructure that has been left to deteriorate in more places than not. The condition of our local roads is a public safety hazard, making the frustration I hear regularly from residents both understandable and warranted. Every year, my colleagues and I hold news conferences in Albany and around the state to call for greater investment in our roads. But it remains an uphill battle.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and her administration continue to throw money at misguided priorities, while inflation in the highway construction industry, outdated and flawed state funding formulas and the unequal distribution of aid stack the deck against suburban neighborhoods like ours. Time and again, other Long Island representatives and I have made clear that our region is not getting its fair share.
It’s outrageous that Long Islanders, who are taxed more than most New Yorkers, also endure some of the worst roads. It’s not merely anecdotal; the numbers back it up. Long Island’s local roads rank among the worst in New York, with 42 percent rated in “poor” or “fair” condition, compared to 35 percent statewide. Despite the fact that we spend more money on roads than any other region except New York City, our heavy traffic volume and dense population mean those dollars don’t stretch nearly far enough.
This year, Long Island received only about 8 percent of Department of Transportation Capital Plan funding, far below our share of local lane-miles (12 percent) and population (15 percent). Western New York, by comparison, received about 40 percent. Long Island ranks near the bottom in aid per capita and dead last in aid per lane-mile, even though we have the second-highest taxable property value per lane-mile in the state.
We can all see that Long Island’s roads are aging. What deserves equal attention, but is far less visible, are the outdated funding formulas meant to repair them. Each year in Albany, lawmakers divide money into five “formula programs” that make up the bulk of local road aid. Four of them rely on factors like lane mileage, vehicle registrations and government type, while the fifth — added in 2021 — applies only to a select few municipalities with specially designated “state touring routes.”
The problem is that many of these formulas are decades old, built on precedents from as far back as 46 years ago, when demographics and driving patterns looked nothing like they do today. These stuck-in-the-past formulas don’t reflect today’s realities. They also fail to account for New York’s diverse weather conditions, like the heavy rainfall and flooding that regularly hit Long Island. Updating these formulas is essential if Long Island is going to get the funding it’s owed.
There are additional ways to help secure Long Island’s fair share of road funding. One option is to restore the Long Island Suburban Highway Improvement Program, which once targeted funding specifically to suburban communities. It was discontinued after 1997, but the need for dedicated suburban highway funding has only grown since then. I’m drafting a bill to direct the DOT to study current funding streams to gauge regional fairness. Only with a dedicated review can the system finally be improved. The goal is to determine whether reinstating SHIPS, or a similar program, is necessary to ensure that our roads are properly funded.
The cost of inaction and deferred maintenance is too large to ignore. In 2023, Nassau County reported 39,104 crashes resulting in 650 serious injuries and 61 fatalities. Pedestrian accidents alone increased by 2.2 percent from 2022, with 875 incidents in 2023, including 24 fatalities — an increase of 9.1 percent. The frustration we feel over potholes, faded lane markings and inadequate drainage systems is nothing compared with the accidents they actively contribute to. Proactive investment is critical, and it depends entirely on proper funding.
Ed Ra represents the 19th Assembly District and is the ranking Republican on the Ways and Means Committee.
