It's not just the Northeast. It is America. The potholes are not just from freeze/thaw cycles. They are formed by "minimum bid" philosophies. You get what you pay for!

Sewers and water mains are under city/town streets, so a leak causes the road to buckle or cave in. The manhole covers never match the street surface.

Our suburban street was laid down over clay, no draining for rainy days, and included two layers of asphalt. No money was wasted! The streets lasted for 5 years, the builder long gone, the water mains leaked, and the patching began... We should have insisted on gravel roads, all that is needed is annual grading.

I laugh when I see cars with 22" wheels supporting 6,000 lbs slowly drive down the streets.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new