“We can’t wait till 28” was the rallying cry Friday as dozens of residents, elected leaders, police and fire officials, and civic and business representatives called on the state to fix Route 25, a main Suffolk thoroughfare that has fallen into dangerous disrepair.
The statement refers to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to defer improvements to the state road to 2028. “We’re sending a clear message to Albany and the New York Department of Transportation: fix Middle Country Road now,” said Suffolk Legislator Nick Caracappa, organizer of the rally. “It’s dangerous. We’ve had car accidents every single day. In the last two days we’ve had two rollovers, including this morning and yesterday afternoon.” To exemplify the Legislator’s point, a collision occurred across the street from the event just as it ended. “It was ironic,” he said, “but it happened.”
The heavily-traveled route has once again made New York’s “Top 10 Worst Corridors List,” a distinction it has carried for more than 10 years. “For this stretch of roadway to still be on the list after over a decade, you think they would do something about it,” Caracappa continued.
He described nearly 200 potholes between Routes 83 and 347, “some of them crater-size like the moon.” Drivers, he pointed out, are forced to swerve abruptly. “Left takes you into oncoming traffic or onto vehicles waiting to make a turn. Right takes you into another vehicle in another lane, up onto the sidewalk where pedestrians are,” Caracappa explained. “It’s a disaster. It’s dangerous. It’s deadly, and it has to be addressed.”
County Executive Ed Romaine pointed to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—the bipartisan federal infrastructure bill supported by Long Island’s congressional delegation—saying funds have been held up in Albany for more than two years. “The residents of Suffolk County deserve their fair share from trillions of dollars promised to us for critical infrastructure projects to our region,” Romaine stressed.
The Long Island officials called for immediate pothole repairs and long-term improvements, including a total resurfacing, medians to restrict dangerous left turns, synchronized traffic lights, additional lighting, lit pedestrian crosswalks, and upgraded LED streetlights to replace aging high-pressure sodium fixtures.
“This is a four-lane highway. We should bring traffic to a halt when someone’s trying to cross the street,” Caracappa said, noting residents have to dash across with strollers or food carts after exiting buses. “We can’t wait till 28. That’s gonna cost lives.”
He invited Gov. Hochul to see the conditions for herself. “I invite the governor to come down here and take a nice little drive on 25,” he said. “She should wear a mouthpiece because her teeth will be chattering. It’s like an amusement ride as you go over the potholes.”
“Middle Country Road is not just a line on a map: it’s a lifeline for families, small businesses, first responders, and commuters along the spine of Suffolk County,” said Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano. “This is a major state roadway, and it demands immediate attention—not studies, not excuses, and not delays stretching years into the future.”
Senator Dean Murray added, “Public safety cannot wait. This road needs to be fixed now and permanent upgrades to start long before 2028 rolls around.”
Among those attending the rally, hosted at Cella Bagels by Centereach businessman John Rose, were Assemblyman Doug Smith, Legislators Dominick Thorne and Leslie Kennedy, Suffolk Comptroller John Kennedy, County Clerk Vincent Puleo, Brookhaven Clerk Kevin LaValle, Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro, the Farmingville and Coram Fire Departments, and Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services.