Buffalo, NY (WBEN) An annual study by Washington-based non profit TRIP finds Western New York drivers miss out on $2,200 per year because of poor road conditions.
Jamie Dussing is Clarence Highway Superintendent and President of New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways. He says while he appreciates the TRIP study, he's still perturbed. "As an elected official from Erie County, it infuriates me that here in West New York, our poor roads are costing our drivers the second most annually, and as mentioned previously, that's over $2,200 per driver. These costs are a direct result of poor roads and bridges in Erie County, our local system is huge," says Dussing. He says it's time WNY gets funding from Albany to address infrastructure needs, including improving bridges. "We have more bridges than any other county in the state, and more lane miles of local roads than any county in upstate New York. We also have the most efficient bridges and miles of poor roads in any county in the entire state," explains Dussing.
In West Seneca, Highway Superintendent Brian Adams says it's been a long January. "Our crews have been out nonstop, treating roadways, plowing, salting, keeping up with everything. Now is the time where you really starting to see some potholes, no pun intended, pop up due to the deep freeze and thawing as we get warmer weather," says Adams. He says he has crews that do cold patch throughout the winter to get the town through until the spring months where they can do a more permanent fix and full road paving.
But overall, Adams feels West Seneca is in good shape. "We do try and address issues as soon as they come up, and that's with every agency as well. I know the county's out there with cold patch, the state's out there," says Adams. He notes there have been no complaints from residents But if there's an issue, drivers can reach out to the highway department. "They can email, fill out a report online, just notifying us of these issues. So even if it's not a town road, we can send it to the county or the state for them to look into and address as well."
Come springtime, Adams says the town has had an efficient routine in patching and repairing roads.