Demanding Answers: Queens Commuters Sick Of Pricey, Gridlock-Causing Roadwork

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Waste and headaches -- that's what Queens commuters are complaining about after seeing roads ripped up by the same city department that just painted them a year ago.

On Wednesday, CBS2's Ali Bauman demanded answers about whether better planning could have saved New Yorkers time and money.

Woodhaven Boulevard is a major north-south arterial in Queens. Down to its skeleton, the top layer of pavement was scraped away during milling -- a routine necessity in New York City.

"It started last week," Angela D'Angelo said.

From the same spot D'Angelo watched the Department of Transportation paint new select bus service lanes on the road last summer only to be ripped up a year later.

"I said it's very ironic. They painted the bus lane, now they're breaking everything up, now they're gonna paint it again. So, that's how the city works," she said.

CBS2 asked the DOT why it works like that.

"Often we implement new initiatives whether they're traffic safety projects or select bus service lanes it's very important to get those initiatives moving and then at a later date worry about mill and pave and restore markings," DOT Chief Operations Officer, Margaret Forgione said.

The DOT estimates those restored markings will cost about $150,000.

"Don't waste money," Kim Yip said.

"I think they should all get together and think it through before they do things," another resident said.

Some residents said if both precincts had been completed together traffic delays would have been shorter in duration.

"This road gets a lot of traffic," Vanessa Price said.

With the road conditions like this even going the speed limit could cause damage to your car, so drivers are forced to slow down -- during rush hours that means big back ups.

"It is a lot of traffic," D'Angelo said.

The DOT said milling can be scheduled as early as a year in advance and they prioritize the work based on each road's condition.

"We always look at milling and paving schedule in conjunction with those projects. If we can delay something a month or two when we're gonna mill and pave in the near term future we often would delay the implementation of a project , but Woodhaven select bus service is very key so we felt it was important to install it as soon as possible," Forgione said.

For now, drivers will just have to go along with the bumps and potholes in city planning.

The DOT said when construction is done there will be over eight lane miles of new roadway, and that painting the bus lane on new pavement means it will last longer.