05/23/2026
Highway departments will be required to maintain their local road inventories and manage their 2026 paving schedules with the same state aid baselines as the previous year. This necessitates that municipalities absorb the ongoing increases in asphalt, fuel, and equipment costs.
New York State lawmakers did not approve the requested funding increase from Highway Superintendents statewide this year.
The cost of asphalt is currently near record highs, resulting in an approximate 18% increase in road paving costs this year.
Considering a road network of 54 miles with a 10-year lifespan expectancy, this translates to an average of 5 miles of road requiring maintenance annually.
The Hurley Highways budget has remained at $300,000 for the past 20 years and was subsequently reduced by 10% to $270,000 for the current fiscal year.
Consequently, only 2 miles of roadway are projected to be resurfaced this year.
The public will observe a more rapid deterioration of roads as a direct consequence of budgetary reductions and accelerated inflation.
We will continue to do more with less at Hurley Highway but at some point State Lawmakers will need to address this issue unless the plan is to go back to Horse and Buggy dirt paths...
Mike Shultis
Hurley Highway Superintendent
