City to spend $242M to repave 2,500 miles of city streets

The Suffolk County Jail in Riverhead is see here on Feb, 2, 2006. Photo Credit: Linda Rosier

The city will budget $242 million to pave the way for 2,500 miles of better roads without cracks and potholes, the mayor announced Thursday.

The money will cover pavement of 1,200 lane-miles from July to June 2016, then 1,300 lane-miles for the 2017 fiscal year, according to city officials.

Mayor Bill de Blasio touted the road fix as the biggest since 1991.

“These especially cold winters have been hard on New York City’s streets, and we need to invest big to get them back in good repair,” de Blasio said in a statement. “The commitment we’re making is the biggest in 25 years, and it’s something every New Yorker who walks, drives or bikes will see and feel firsthand.”

De Blasio went to Staten Island for the announcement, drawing praise from lawmakers who have long complained about road conditions in the borough of drivers.

“I have been beating the ‘pave, baby, pave’ drum so often during the last several months because it will take nothing less than an extraordinary commitment to road resurfacing to give us any hope of an improvement,” said Staten Island Borough President James Oddo in a statement.

The city repaired 327,000 potholes since December and the DOT is nearing its 1,000-mile street resurfacing goal for the fiscal year, according to officials.(Dan Rivoli)