I live in the Town of Islip. Pond Road, between the LIRR and Peconic Street, has not been maintained except for one or two repair spots since I’ve lived here, going on 25 years. But if you drive one block north into the Town of Brookhaven, many streets in Lake Ronkonkoma have had new blacktop - some more than once. Why won’t the Town of Islip pave my street?
-- Kevin Cunningham, Ronkonkoma
Town of Islip officials say based on an evaluation of Pond Road, isn’t in bad enough shape for resurfacing yet.
“This road exhibits no major issues, only normal wear and tear, and did not meet the criteria for paving as per our annual evaluation,” town spokeswoman Catherine Green said. In 2006, the town paved more than 40 miles of roadway. Figures for last year were unavailable.
Photo by Howard Schnapp
The town uses a one-to-10 evaluation system based on the severity and frequency of potholes, cracking and road-base condition. Roads with a one-to-five rating in poor condition are repaved. Roads that rate six-to-seven or fair-to-good are patched or receive other maintenance measures. Roads in the 8-10 range are not scheduled for repair.
Pond Road is rated six. Green said town streets are reevaluated once a year. Residents who feel their road is due for paving can contact the town’s Central Service Unit at 631-224-5600 or email the Department of Public Works at dpw@townofislip-ny.gov.
Also related to this topic:
*NY Department of Transportation, Pothole Reporting
*NY DOT Current Projects, including L.I.
*Lake Ronkonkoma Civic Association
