Bill
S 862
Requires DOT's annual pavement report to add pothole repair counts, cost impacts, repair material tonnage, and pothole-claim costs; publish on DOT site.
Title: Requires the NJ Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide additional information concerning pavement condition and pothole repair; amends P.L.2000, c.73 (C.27:1B-21.24)
Status & timeline
- Introduced in the Senate (Senate Transportation) during the 2024–2025 session; reported by committees and passed both houses in spring/early summer 2025.
- Approved by the Governor and enacted as P.L.2025, c.118 on August 4, 2025.
- Takes effect immediately but remains inoperative until the first fiscal year following enactment; it applies to annual reports issued after that fiscal year.
Purpose and intent
- To increase transparency and accountability about the condition of State pavements and DOT pothole maintenance by expanding the content of the DOT’s existing annual pavement report to the Governor and Legislature (the “Report to the Governor and Legislature on New Jersey’s Roadway Pavement System”).
Key provisions (what the law requires)
- Amends Section 11 of P.L.2000, c.73 (C.27:1B-21.24) to require the DOT’s fiscal-year-end pavement report to include, in addition to the existing pavement rankings and completed projects:
- The number of maintenance pothole repairs performed during the fiscal year.
- An estimate of the cost impact to DOT for maintenance pothole repairs that utilized road surface material or treatment.
- The tonnage of materials the department utilized specifically for maintenance pothole repairs.
- The number of pothole damage claims filed by users of State roadways and the associated costs of those damages, as recorded and provided by the Department of the Treasury (in coordination with the Division of Risk Management).
- Requires the annual report to be made publicly available on the DOT’s Internet website.
Notable changes from earlier drafts
- Earlier committee versions proposed additional elements (e.g., lifecycle cost analysis including pothole-claim costs, response-time estimates for emergency repairs). Assembly committee amendments narrowed the final requirements to the specific items above and removed the mandated lifecycle cost analysis and response-time reporting.
Who is affected / likely impacts
- Department of Transportation: must collect and publish more detailed pothole/repair metrics and coordinate with the Treasury’s Division of Risk Management to include claim statistics and costs.
- Department of the Treasury (Division of Risk Management): expected to provide claim counts and costs to DOT for inclusion in the report.
- Motorists and other roadway users: increased public transparency about pothole repairs and related damages; report data may influence DOT budgeting and maintenance prioritization.
- Public and policymakers: improved access to data to evaluate pavement maintenance performance and resource use.
Administrative / procedural notes
- The report remains an annual submission to the Governor and Legislature (end of each fiscal year).
- Public posting requirement aims to make data accessible for oversight, planning, and public information.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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