Hempstead Town makes it easier to complain about potholes and snowy roads

Complaining just got easier in Hempstead.

Town Supervisor Laura Gillen has introduced a new interactive road map residents will be able to use in the coming snow season to identify potholes that need filling and roads that need to be plowed.

The map is displayed on the Town of Hempstead website, Gillen said in a news release.

To report an issue, residents use the map to search for an address within the town. Once the address is identified, users will be informed of which government body to contact with a question or concern regarding road maintenance.  

"The Town is often the first call for residents who have questions, concerns or complaints about their roads, but the problem is that with many different layers of government, overseeing many different types of roads, finding the right answers can often not be easy," Gillen said in the release.

About 40 percent of residents who call the town get redirected to a different agency, officials said.

The Town was able to build the mapping program through a shared services agreement with Nassau County, in which the county gave the town access to its Geographic Information Systems mapping software, officials said. 

"Having passable streets that emergency vehicles can navigate during emergency events is of the utmost importance, and our town residents are on the front lines of informing us whenever there is a problem," Gillen said. 

Residents can access the map at www.hempsteadtownny.gov/map.