New York's state highway crews have passed a milestone few agencies ever reach. On October 22, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has filled more than one million potholes on state roads so far this year, using more than 39,500 tons of asphalt. The governor marked the occasion by joining a crew near the Meadowbrook Parkway in Hempstead, on Long Island, to fill the millionth hole herself.
"Last winter took a heavy toll on our roads," Hochul said, crediting highway crews who "stepped up to the challenge."
A statewide effort, region by region
Every part of the state contributed. According to the governor's office, the North Country led with 178,000 potholes filled, followed by Long Island at 156,000, the Hudson Valley at 150,000 and the Southern Tier at 121,000. The push started in earnest in April, when crews filled more than 250,000 potholes in a single month.
Patching ran alongside the most ambitious resurfacing season in NYSDOT's history. The state invested more than $600 million in over 180 extra paving projects, covering almost 2,150 lane miles, for a total of more than 4,000 lane miles of renewed pavement, including stretches of the Adirondack Northway and Interstate 81.
Why the count keeps climbing
The state's own explanation of potholes is a good reminder of why the number gets so big. Water gets into the pavement through cracks. When it freezes, it expands and lifts the surface. When it thaws, the surface drops back, leaving the material weaker. Each freeze-thaw cycle repeats the damage, and heavy traffic finishes the job.
In a state with long winters and countless swings around the freezing mark, that cycle never really stops. Which means the real question for winter isn't only how many holes crews can fill, but how many of those repairs are still in place when the thaw comes.
Where the material makes the difference
A million repairs is a huge amount of labor. Every patch that fails and has to be redone takes a crew back to the same spot, often next to high-speed traffic.
EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt is engineered for exactly the conditions New York's crews describe. It goes into wet holes and holes holding water, bonds to both asphalt and concrete, and is ready for traffic as soon as it's placed and compacted, with no mixing and no tack coat. It's thermally resilient, built to hold together through the temperature swings that pop lesser repairs loose, and it can be stockpiled for months, so yards can be stocked before the first storm.
Getting ready for the next winter
- Stock up early. Having enduring repair material on hand before the first freeze keeps crews moving.
- Seal cracks while you can. Keeping water out is the cheapest pothole prevention there is.
- Measure repeat visits. The best patching programs track how few holes need a second fix.
New York has shown what a sustained push can do. With performance-proven materials like Ambient®, next year's count can reflect new damage, not old repairs. Learn more at ezstreetasphalt.com.
Source notes: New York State Governor's Office (October 22, 2026).
