Next phase of Mill Neck's West Shore Road rebuild to begin

The next phase of rebuilding West Shore Road, a vital North Shore artery battered in superstorm Sandy, is poised to begin next month after Nassau lawmakers approved a $9.5 million contract for the work.

The county legislature's Rules Committee on Monday awarded the project to A.L.A.C. Contracting Corp. of West Babylon, which handled the $9.2 million first phase between November 2012 and June 2013.

That phase, completed several weeks ahead of schedule, restored a central portion of the 2-mile road along Oyster Bay Harbor in Mill Neck, and rebuilt the seawall that collapsed during Sandy in October 2012.

The upcoming work, set to start on Oct. 15, will repair another 2,000 feet of damaged seawall between Cleft Road and the Long Island Rail Road crossing.

County officials said they expect the work, which also will include new bulkheads and road drainage systems, and the burying of power lines, to be completed by summer 2015.

A full closure of West Shore Road will take place between Nov. 5 and March, with detours available. Other intermittent closings will also occur throughout the project.

Officials say that while some residents may prefer staggered one-lane closures to a full road shutdown, the latter option better ensures the work is done correctly and on schedule.

West Shore Road, which connects Oyster Bay and Mill Neck to Bayville, also is a key storm evacuation route.

"It's certainly going to be impactful," Mill Neck Mayor Peter Quick said. "But the end product is going to be a better road with better drainage and underground utilities that will be able to endure future storms. So the pain will be worth it."

"The project is essential to both the safety of our residents as well as the local business community," County Executive Edward Mangano said.

Nassau County Legis. Donald MacKenzie (R-Oyster Bay) said he met with business and civic leaders to gather feedback on project scheduling.

"Together, we determined that a winter closure would have the least impact on businesses," MacKenzie said.

A third and final phase of the West Shore Road rebuild will address the northern stretch of the artery and seawall. County officials say there isn't yet a timetable for the work -- expected to bring the project's final cost to nearly $30 million.

Project timelines and detour information for the second phase will be provided at community meetings on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Crescent Beach Club in Bayville and on Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Italian-American Club in Oyster Bay.