The end of winter brings melting snow and moisture that damages roads, prompting reminders from transportation officials that responsibility for repairs — and where to report problems — depends on who controls the road.
In northeast Dutchess County, that authority is split among multiple agencies, meaning drivers may need to contact the state, county, town or village depending on the road’s classification. The situation can be especially confusing in the Town of North East, where town crews maintain roughly half of the county routes.
U.S. Routes and state routes — such as Route 44, Route 22 and Route 82 — fall under the authority of the New York State Department of Transportation. Damaged pavement and potholes on those roads may be reported by dialing 1-800-POTHOLE.
County routes — marked by blue signs with gold figures — comprise about 213 miles of road across North East, Pine Plains, Stanford, Washington and Amenia. Those roads are the other numbered routes in the county, consisting mainly of two-lane highways, although they often have formal names such as Smithfield Road, McGhee Hill Road, Hunns Lake Road and Shunpike.
Damaged county roads should be reported to the Dutchess County Department of Public Works by calling 845-486-2900.
Local municipalities are responsible for a majority of the roads across northeast Dutchess County, totalling 474 miles of road mileage. Reporting procedures vary across the area, but most highway superintendents said potholes could be reported directly to them at their public email addresses or phone numbers.
One exception is the Village of Millerton, where Public Works Superintendent Joe Olenik said residents should report potholes to Village Clerk Lisa Cope, who logs complaints and forwards them to the road crew.
Olenik said the village crew had already patched more than 100 potholes since the start of this year. He said more repairs were expected as moisture from melting snow and changing temperatures put stress on the pavement.
Who to call for potholes
On state roads and federal highways —
New York State Department of Transportation
1-800-POTHOLE
On Dutchess County routes —
Dutchess County Department of Public Works
Highway Division
845-486-2900
On town roads in North East —
Town Clerk Tilly Strauss
518-789-3300 ext. 603
On village roads in Millerton —
Village Clerk Lisa Cope
518-789-4489 ext. 103
On town roads in Amenia —
Highway Superintendent Megan Chamberlin
845-373-9922
On town roads in Washington —
Highway Superintendent Joseph Spagnola
845-677-3419 ext. 110
On village roads in Millbrook —
Highway Supervisor Ethan Kelly
845-677-3022
On town roads in Pine Plains —
Highway Superintendent Carl Baden
518-398-6662
After Hour Emergencies: 518-965-1876
On town roads in Stanford —
Highway Superintendent Jim Myers
845-868-7804
