Hicksville LIRR garage opens but additional work remains, town says

Dozens of vehicles parked at the Hicksville commuter parking garage Monday as it reopened after being closed for more than three months for repairs.

Oyster Bay Town officials have said “minor additional work” at the town-owned garage will continue for several weeks, including the installation of solar lighting. The lighting was required for the top deck because of problems boring holes into the concrete for electrical wiring, according to material from the town board’s Dec. 11 meeting.

On Monday, one elevator was out of service while water continued to pool in a few spots in the garage’s two below-ground levels, and some cracks and peeling paint were visible in areas. On the top deck, lighting had been installed on concrete pedestals and many appeared to have been prepped for future installation.

An electronic sign at the entrance indicated 339 spots were available in the 1,441-space garage at 10 a.m., but only a few dozen vehicles were parked on the ground level and four occupied spaces on the other three levels.

The town closed the garage on Sept. 12 for $15.5 million in repairs to cracked concrete and leaking roofs that have been a problem at the heavily used facility since it opened in 2011. The repair work included reinforcing or replacing concrete decking and expansion joints. The town also installed or replaced the fire alarm system and carbon monoxide detection system, according to a news release.

Monday morning, a handful of cars parked at the former Sears parking lot where a school bus was waiting to shuttle commuters to the nearby Long Island Rail Road station. The town has used the former Sears lot and shuttle buses since the town garage closed. That arrangement will continue for two weeks during a transition back to the town garage, town officials said.