Lawmaker pushing legislation that would require NJDOT to provide stats on potholes to state government
MORRIS COUNTY, N.J. -- We may not be in that traditional pothole season just yet, but in a few months, as we approach spring time, drivers will be dealing with the roadway nuisance.
One New Jersey lawmaker is trying to stay ahead of potholes by sponsoring a bill that would put the state Department of Transportation in the spotlight.
Garden State highways look flat now, but come March drivers will have to steer their way over annoying potholes.
"I think it's a problem. I think they should fix it because it cost all of us a lot of money for repairs on our vehicles," Mountain Lakes resident Salvatore Frassetto said.
"I once had a tire blown out by a pothole," added Doug Owen of Morris Plains.
State Sen. Anthony Bucco said the cost of repairs is what drove him to sponsor legislation that would require the state DOT to provide pothole stats in its yearly road condition report to the Legislature and the governor's office.
"The number of potholes on state roadways, the cost for the state, for the state to fix those potholes, and the cost associated with vehicles being damaged as a result of hitting those potholes," Bucco said.
The NJDOT hasn't had a road condition report since 2020. Bucco said the public has the right to know because the Garden State has a bad track record when it comes to potholes.
"New Jersey is constantly ranked worst in the nation for potholes on its roadways and it causes a tremendous amount of damage to vehicles and inconvenience for our residents," Bucco said.
The NJDOT said it does not comment on pending legislation, but officials said their roads are in better condition than they have been in years. In fact, driving around highways, CBS New York saw a lot of patches.
An NJDOT spokesperson says since January, crews have repaired more than 124,000 potholes on state highways, and last year, between January and December, 157,000 were repaired.
"The mild winter last year was one of the factors in having fewer potholes to repair," the department said in a statement.
Some residents said if the bill is passed, the state may need to hire more workers.
"Is that a way to use taxpayer dollars to provide all that information?" driver Robin Howe said.
"It's a good issue to deal with, but I don't see it as a being a major issue of things we need to deal with these days," Owens said.
"When their car is in the shop because they have to have their front end aligned or they have to put a tire on, and the cost associated with that, it's at the top of their list," Bucco added.
The pothole bill has made it through a Transportation Committee, but it would have to be passed by the state Senate and Assembly and signed by the governor to become law.
