It's that time of year. Potholes are springing up everywhere, and Long Islanders are doing their best to avoid them.

If you've hit one, you know how taxing they can be on your tires and wallets.

Chris Galluzzo says his whole neighborhood in Dix Hills is riddled with craters.

"A truck just went by, and you can hear it banging all the struts and everything like that, the shock absorbers are banging. There's been issues here with flat tires," Galluzzo said.

Repairing those potholes is also costly, and residents pay for that in their tax bill.

Enter the Huntington Highway Department's secret weapon: a brand new, $600,000 milling machine.

For side roads in need of repair, Huntington Highway Department's in-house road paving crew can do the work and save taxpayers money because they won't have to pay outside contractors to do the job.

"We're able to secure grant money for all this equipment you see behind us, and it didn't cost the Huntington taxpayers anything," says Huntington Highway Superintendent Andre Sorrentino.

Sorrentino says he's been building an in-house road paving program over the last few years. He believes this will save taxpayers $3 million over four years while being able to pave 40 miles of road.

Outside contractors will still be hired to repave the main roads. Sorrentino says he plans to continue expanding the in-house work and secure a grant for a second milling machine.