Deep potholes and damage shut most of East Beach Road

The City of Glen Cove and Village of Lattingtown Wednesday afternoon shut down most of East Beach Road because of deep potholes and other damage to the road, Glen Cove officials said.

“One of those potholes is almost a ditch” that may be 2 feet deep, said Darcy Belyea, the city’s director of parks and recreation. It’s now filled with water, she said.

About three-quarters of the road, which straddles the two municipalities for about a third of a mile between Lattingtown Road and the Long Island Sound coastline, will be closed until emergency repairs can be made, she said.

The potholes and ruts in the road were caused or exacerbated by recent temperature swings, Belyea said. Water from snowmelt and the recent rains has collected on the road and raised the groundwater level, so “we have to wait for it to dry out a bit” before determining what short-term repairs are needed and how long it will take to fully reopen the road, she said.

Belyea said she and Lattingtown officials are working on a plan, including long-term repairs.

“Most likely the cost will be shared between the two municipalities,” she said.

There are no homes along the road. The entrance to St. Josaphat’s Monastery is just before the road closure begins, so access to the Ukrainian Catholic Church monastery will be unaffected, Belyea said.

The road leads to Pryibil Beach in Glen Cove, which will remain accessible via a pedestrian gate off Eastland Drive, she said.