Brookhaven to raise Bellhaven Road in Bellport to combat persistent flooding
The end of Bellhaven Road at the intersection of Lindner Court in Brookhaven is seen on Saturday. Credit: Tom Lambui
Scott Gomes said the pre-Christmas storm that flooded his Bellport neighborhood “was pretty scary.”
The storm — caused by the same bomb cyclone that devastated western New York — slammed Long Island on Dec. 23, pushing saltwater from Bellport Bay over a sandy coastline at the end of Bellhaven Road, through reeds and up streets near his Lindner Court home, Gomes said. He said he could only watch as floodwaters rose and crept toward his house.
“The other day when we had the surge was the most amount of water I’ve ever seen come up, and I’ve been there for seven years,” Gomes, 31, told Newsday. “... It was one of those things: How much higher is it going to get?”
His house was spared, but flooding has been so persistent in the neighborhood in recent years that Brookhaven Town plans to raise part of Bellhaven Road and install a permeable road surface to improve drainage.
“Obviously, these problems are not unique,” town Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro told Newsday. “We’re experiencing sea level rise across the South Shore.”
The $1.8 million project, expected to begin later this year, will be partially funded by a $910,000 state grant announced Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul. It is the only Long Island project among 25 statewide that received a total of $11.6 million from the state’s Climate Smart Communities Grant program, state officials said.
Hochul said in a statement that the funding is aimed at protecting “residents and infrastructure from the effects of climate change.”
The Bellport construction schedule will be dictated by how quickly the town can obtain permits from various federal, state and local agencies, and by the weather, Losquadro said. Laying down new pavement may be pushed to 2024 if drainage work can’t be completed by next winter, he said.
Gomes and town officials said flooding in the Bellhaven Road neighborhood occurs several times a year, mostly at high tide or during full moons.
“You can’t get to your house, or you can’t leave your house,” Gomes said. “It’s really impossible.”
Losquadro said flooding occurs in part because the ground is so saturated that storm drains work in reverse — pushing water into streets instead of away from them.
The town plans to raise the south end of Bellhaven Road by 8-10 inches and install a road surface composed of interlocking concrete blocks that will form a grid through which stormwater can drain, Losquadro said.
Stormwater will be diverted to bioretention areas consisting of native grasses that should act as a “natural filtration” system, taking nitrogen and other contaminants out of the water, he said. The town also plans to close existing discharge pipes, Losquadro added.
Scott Gomes said the pre-Christmas storm that flooded his Bellport neighborhood “was pretty scary.”
The storm — caused by the same bomb cyclone that devastated western New York — slammed Long Island on Dec. 23, pushing saltwater from Bellport Bay over a sandy coastline at the end of Bellhaven Road, through reeds and up streets near his Lindner Court home, Gomes said. He said he could only watch as floodwaters rose and crept toward his house.
“The other day when we had the surge was the most amount of water I’ve ever seen come up, and I’ve been there for seven years,” Gomes, 31, told Newsday. “... It was one of those things: How much higher is it going to get?”
His house was spared, but flooding has been so persistent in the neighborhood in recent years that Brookhaven Town plans to raise part of Bellhaven Road and install a permeable road surface to improve drainage.
“Obviously, these problems are not unique,” town Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro told Newsday. “We’re experiencing sea level rise across the South Shore.”
The $1.8 million project, expected to begin later this year, will be partially funded by a $910,000 state grant announced Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul. It is the only Long Island project among 25 statewide that received a total of $11.6 million from the state’s Climate Smart Communities Grant program, state officials said.
Hochul said in a statement that the funding is aimed at protecting “residents and infrastructure from the effects of climate change.”
The Bellport construction schedule will be dictated by how quickly the town can obtain permits from various federal, state and local agencies, and by the weather, Losquadro said. Laying down new pavement may be pushed to 2024 if drainage work can’t be completed by next winter, he said.
Gomes and town officials said flooding in the Bellhaven Road neighborhood occurs several times a year, mostly at high tide or during full moons.
“You can’t get to your house, or you can’t leave your house,” Gomes said. “It’s really impossible.”
Losquadro said flooding occurs in part because the ground is so saturated that storm drains work in reverse — pushing water into streets instead of away from them.
The town plans to raise the south end of Bellhaven Road by 8-10 inches and install a road surface composed of interlocking concrete blocks that will form a grid through which stormwater can drain, Losquadro said.
Stormwater will be diverted to bioretention areas consisting of native grasses that should act as a “natural filtration” system, taking nitrogen and other contaminants out of the water, he said. The town also plans to close existing discharge pipes, Losquadro added.
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
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