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With pothole season looming, the New Jersey State Senate is preparing to vote on a bill aimed at increasing the Department of Transportation’s accountability for pothole repairs. The proposed legislation would mandate an annual count of potholes on state roads and require the DOT to log damage claims filed by drivers.
Potholes, depressions in road surfaces caused by traffic and water weakening the underlying soil structure, can cause significant damage to vehicles and pose a risk to road safety. Despite this, the DOT has not released a report on road conditions since 2020. The last available report, based on 2019 data, revealed that over 35 percent of state highway roads were considered deficient, while only 40 percent were deemed to be in good condition.
The new bill seeks to address this issue by not only requiring the DOT to keep a record of potholes and related damage claims but also making this information publicly available.
New Jersey spends a significant amount of money on maintenance of state roads annually with the cost to maintain a mile of road reaching upwards of $208,736 per year.