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Q&A
Road resurfacing quality and oversight after utility work
2:55:42
ยท
167 sec
Council Member Gale A. Brewer raises concerns about the quality of road resurfacing after utility work. DOT officials explain their oversight process and the challenges of maintaining road quality in a dense urban environment.
- DOT invests over $300 million annually in resurfacing over 1,100 lane miles
- The department has over 100 inspectors to check backfill and restoration work
- DOT encourages reporting of poor quality resurfacing and can track work permits
- New York City faces unique challenges due to its density and constant construction
Gale A. Brewer
2:55:42
Okay.
2:55:43
In terms of just one more question.
2:55:46
On road resurfacing, I know that, once Con Ed and the cable companies and everybody else has done their putting supposedly the street back.
2:55:57
It does seem to me that the I mean, I am on the subway in a cab.
2:56:01
I don't have a car.
2:56:02
But it seems like the street resurfacing does sometimes feel like a third world country, if there is such a thing.
2:56:10
Because it doesn't seem like they've been put back in a quality fashion.
2:56:13
Who does the oversight and who does the testing to see if the streets are returned to the, level of sophistication for the driver that they should be?
2:56:24
It does seem to me they are certainly not resurfaced correctly.
Ydanis Rodriguez
2:56:29
Yeah.
2:56:31
Council member, as you can look at the photo behind you and Eric can be given the testimony.
2:56:37
I know in your previous role as a Manhattan Borough President and previous council
Gale A. Brewer
2:56:42
Who's better than two?
Ydanis Rodriguez
2:56:43
And today, I can say that there's no another city in this nation that keep this street in the state of good repair as New York City.
2:56:51
We always have to remember all of us that New York City is a more density city that we have in this nation.
2:56:57
It's only three three hundred fifty square mile.
2:57:00
There's always construction going on.
2:57:02
There's a lot of heavy truck there.
2:57:04
Everyone that we get from electricity, water, internet access is happening on the ground.
2:57:11
And when we go through the milling process, we give time for the utility company for them to do the job.
2:57:17
So again, Margaret and Eric can add more detail.
2:57:20
But I can say there's no another city as we go to any place that have the infrastructure in the state of the repair as we do in New York City.
Margaret Forgione
2:57:29
So thank you for the question.
2:57:31
I think you're talking specifically about and the commissioner says we invest over 300,000,000 a year in resurfacing over 1,100 lane miles.
2:57:40
And as we mentioned, we have fewer potholes now than ever before because our streets are in much better condition.
2:57:45
But I think you're raising the question of when utility companies and others do work and how well do they backfill and then top off the street properly.
2:57:54
So we have well over 100 inspectors.
2:57:59
We call them highway they're Highway Inspection Quality Assurance Division inspectors, and they are all over the city.
2:58:05
They are not able to get to each and every backfill and restoration.
2:58:11
We do check a great number of those, so we also encourage you if you're seeing work happening or even after the fact if you have seen
Gale A. Brewer
2:58:19
something I'll give you a list.
Margaret Forgione
2:58:20
Yeah.
2:58:21
That's great.
2:58:21
And we'll go out there because even if it was a month ago, we know who is doing work because we issue almost a million permits a year.
2:58:27
Can track exactly who is doing work.
Gale A. Brewer
2:58:29
I meant that's fine.