Long Island roads, bridges get $146 million for repaving, repairs, Hochul says

The state Department of Transportation will begin $146 million in bridge and road repairs across Long Island this summer, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Sunday, promising that upgrades would not affect peak summer beach travel.

“Investing in Long Island’s bridges and highways means investing in safety, economic opportunity and improving the stability of vital roadways while building a dependable transportation system that Long Islanders need,” Hochul said in a statement.

The governor, who is running for reelection this fall against Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, said she would dedicate $16 million to fix three spans that take Long Islanders to and from some of the most popular beaches.

The Loop Parkway bridge, a 90-plus-year-old drawbridge over Reynolds Channel, which connects the mainland to Lido Beach, Point Lookout, Atlantic Beach and Long Beach, will get new bridge joints, railings and new navigation lights to help boat traffic. Transportation department crews will also perform maintenance to the bridge decks, according to a news release.

The Meadowbrook State Parkway bridges that cross Fundy Channel and False Channel, in the Town of Hempstead, will get the same treatment, the governor said in her announcement.

The work is slated to begin in June and be finished by the end of next year.

The construction will cause road closures, but the governor promised that there will be no daytime closures between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the heaviest travel season for Jones Beach State Park and other beaches.

Punishing commercial truck traffic makes up a tenth of the 190,000 vehicles that use the Long Island Expressway, tearing up the roadway, transportation officials said.

That is why most of the $146 million highway fund will go toward repaving 193 lane miles of the Long Island Expressway and 140 lane miles of Sunrise Highway, the governor said.

The state Department of Transportation has already finished an $18.5 million repaving project on the Northern State Parkway, which Hochul said was completed ahead of schedule.

Again, the governor promised that traffic disruption due to construction will not happen during rush hours and it will be coordinated with other traffic projects going on at the same time.

Hochul also set aside money to clean out the 1,100 storm drains in Nassau County to prevent highway flooding.

Suffolk County will get $3.6 million to seal pavement cracks and work on the wooden noise barriers will continue, according to the governor.

Heckscher State Parkway in Suffolk County has already started a $15 million project to repair concrete pavement in the Town of Islip. The work will span a 6-mile stretch of road between the Sagtikos State Parkway and Sunrise Highway. The governor said it would be finished by the end of next year.

State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Kathy Moser said in a statement that Hecksher State Park is "one of Long Island’s most treasured outdoor destinations, welcoming more than 1.3 million visitors each year," adding that the construction will "provide better access for the many visitors who enjoy this iconic state park.”