$3.5M Headed To Huntington Road Repaving Projects

HUNTINGTON, NY — The Town of Huntington is set to receive $3.5 million in federal funding for townwide road repaving projects, U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota said Wednesday morning alongside Supervisor Ed Smyth, Highway Superintendent Andre Sorrentino and State Sen. Mario Mattera.

The money was secured through the federal Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process and is expected to support additional paving work in 2027, town and federal officials said at the Town of Huntington Highway Department in East Northport.

LaLota’s office said earlier this year that the Huntington Townwide Road Repaving Project was among five Suffolk County projects signed into law.

His Community Project Funding page lists the project as “Town of Huntington Townwide Repavement,” sponsored by the Town of Huntington, with a requested amount of $3.5 million.

LaLota’s official said the Huntington project will fund milling and paving of nearly 25 miles of roadway throughout the town.

The funding will help one of the town’s most visible local government responsibilities — maintaining roads.

“As supervisor, there are four issues that I stay focused on: parks, beaches, roads, and garbage,” Smyth said. “Those are the four pillars of good government in Huntington.”

Smyth said he believes “close to 80 to 85 percent” of the town’s roads have been repaved over the last five years.

LaLota said Sorrentino told him Huntington’s annual repaving budget is about $9.5 million. The congressman said the $3.5 million federal allocation would represent a major boost to the town’s paving program.

“It doesn't work without a team,” Sorrentino said. “We're not going to let you down.”

The $3.5 million is expected to be used primarily for paving, officials said. LaLota, who represents New York’s 1st Congressional District, said the money should arrive around October.

The announcement also touched on how Long Island road projects are funded.

Mattera said state highway aid has not kept pace with local needs, even with programs such as CHIPS, New York’s Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program. The state program helps municipalities pay for local street and highway improvements, with funding calculated by formula using factors such as local highway mileage and motor vehicle registrations.

Mattera said the issue is not just road conditions, but whether Long Island gets back enough of the money its taxpayers send to Albany.

“We here on Long Island do not receive our fair share,” Mattera said. “Everything is going to New York City, and we're not receiving what our taxpayers here — over 3 million people in Nassau and Suffolk County — are sending back up to Albany.”

LaLota defended targeted congressional funding, often referred to as earmarks, saying he would rather direct money to projects after working with local officials than leave the decision to federal agencies less familiar with Long Island communities.

“I make no apologies for exercising my discretion over my district's dollars,” LaLota said.

LaLota said federal money can help “fill those holes, figuratively and literally,” but said the state should provide more road aid.

“Our CHIPS share should be way higher than what we're getting,” LaLota said. “Our schools should be way higher.”

Smyth said he was confident Huntington’s Highway Department would put the funding to good use.

“I say to the taxpayers and the residents of the Town of Huntington that there's no better way to spend your tax dollars than at the Highway Department,” Smyth said. “I have complete confidence in the Highway Department that those tax dollars are going to be spent well.”

A specific list of roads expected to be repaved with the funding was not announced on Wednesday.