Suffolk, town officials pledge $44 million for Huntington Station sewer project

Officials on Wednesday announced a $44 million commitment to expand sewers in Huntington Station, a move they hope will draw businesses to the area and boost economic development.

The announcement came from Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Huntington Town Supervisor Chad Lupinacci during a news conference Wednesday morning. The two signed an intermunicipal agreement pledging the funds for the Huntington Station Hub Sewer Infrastructure Project. The county and town are paying $22 million each from money each municipality received under the American Rescue Plan Act.

The project is the first funded under the county’s new $125 million Wastewaster Infrastructure Fund and has been in the works since May 2017, when the county's sewer agency approved it.

The project, not slated to break ground until February 2024, will span the New York Avenue/Route 110 corridor from the Huntington Long Island Rail Road station to 14th Street with additional parcels to the west, north of Fourth Street to the train tracks, and to the south and east along Depot Road to East Ninth Street. The project will also improve existing sewer infrastructure in the Melville corridor, eliminating bottlenecks to handle increased flow from Huntington Station.

Officials said they hope the investment will add jobs to Huntington Station, aid the environment by replacing cesspools and will serve as a commitment to its residents. The lack of sewers created obstacles in Huntington Station’s revitalization efforts and held it back decades, Lupinacci said.

The project "will continue to make Huntington Station an excellent place to raise a family and really invest in community needs in the future," Lupinacci said.

Bellone said the sewer project will serve as a model for others in the future. The county will lead the project’s planning, design and construction.

"This is obviously a significant commitment of resources," he said. "This is the key to unlocking the economic potential that exists in this downtown. This is a wonderful community, and it deserves to have these kinds of investments."

The project’s anticipated timeline:

• February 2023 — Sewer map and plan created by the county.
• March 2023 — County holds public hearings on the map and plan.
• July 2023 — If approved by the county, the map and plan is submitted to the state comptroller for final authorization.
• Aug. 1, 2023 — If the state comptroller approves the project, the town will transfer $22 million to the county.
• September 2023 — The county awards construction contracts and authorize construction.
• February 2024 — Construction expected to begin.
• December 2026 — The project expected to be completed.

By Brinley Hineman

brinley.hineman@newsday.com

Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.