In Western New York, underneath the shadow of a Seneca Nation statue, a stretch of highway on Interstate 90 is in a state of decay.

The three mile stretch of I-90 is located about 60 miles east of Erie, passing through the Seneca Nation of Indians territory.

Over the years, a dispute between the Seneca Nation and New York Thruway Authority has resulted in a lack of highway maintenance.

Henry Rose of North Java, New York, says this stretch of highway is unlike any other in the state.

"It is one of the roughest pieces of 90 that I have ever been on,” said Rose.  "It really could use some work, like as soon as possible."

While it can be rough on four wheels, Tracy Peterson says it's even worse on two.

"I was going back and forth to get a vehicle, and I was on my motorcycle and I hit a hole, and it jarred loose my saddle bags and everything,” said Peterson.  “I had to pull over, it was so bad."

The Seneca Nation filed a lawsuit last year, seeking millions of dollars from the Thruway Authority, claiming that the state failed to follow federal law when it built the highway through the Seneca land.

As it stands right now, the agreement between the Seneca Nation and the Thruway Authority, allows the state to perform routine maintenance on the highways.

In a written statement, Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong tells Erie News Now:

“New York State continues to ignore the condition of the Thruway that traverses our Cattaraugus Territory at the peril of the general public. Thousands of people, far more non-Seneca than Seneca, travel that stretch every day, and their safety is jeopardized by the state's blatant refusal to address the long-overdue repairs. New York may be utilizing the Thruway as some ill-conceived revenge against the Seneca Nation, but the consequences of their inaction grow more dangerous for everyone who travels the Thruway with each day the State sits back and does nothing."