Nassau: $30M road rehab plan clears hurdle

After more than three decades of delays, Nassau County has cleared the final hurdle for an extensive rehabilitation of West Shore Road in Mill Neck, county officials said.

The Army Corps of Engineers has issued a draft permit authorizing reconstruction of the crumbling two-mile roadway, Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano said Friday.

Nassau previously had to get other permit approval from state and federal agencies because of the road's proximity to Oyster Bay Harbor and a federal wildlife refuge.

"This massive project will address safety and the environment head-on -- all while putting people back to work on its construction," Mangano said.

Legis. Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) said the road "has needed repairs for quite a long time. It is becoming dangerous and unusable."

The $30 million project will be conducted in three phases, each lasting 18 months.

To address flooding, a new road bed will direct stormwater runoff into catch basins. An underground pretreatment system also will be installed, officials said. The plan calls for replacement of the area's dilapidated seawall and for the burial of power and cable lines. The road is frequently pummeled by storms that knock down utility poles and cut power to residents.

"This seems like a sensible plan," said Bayville Mayor Douglas Watson. "They are not biting off more than they can chew."

Past versions of the project, dating to 1978, fell victim to concerns from environmentalists and residents who feared it could pave the way for the defunct Bayville-Rye Bridge project.

George Jehn, a critic of an earlier, more expansive plan, says the new approach "is reasonable" and has his support.

County funding for the capital project was approved in 2009.

Nassau plans to issue a request for proposals for a vendor to perform the work. That contract must clear the county legislature and the Nassau Interim Finance Authority.