Head of the Harbor searches for solutions to flood-prone roads

Head of the Harbor officials are exploring options to remediate two flood prone roads, and they are hoping to find solutions that can be adopted in other parts of the village on Suffolk's North Shore.

The village was awarded a $50,000 grant to review solutions for Hitherbrook Road, Hitherbrook Road extension and Thompson Lane, which have experienced frequent flooding.

Many village roads are on steep slopes pitched toward Stony Brook Harbor, making stormwater runoff a particular issue in the 3-square-mile community. Officials have previously told Newsday that the village needs to prioritize Hitherbrook Road and Thompson Lane due to their having been “badly washed out” during storms.

Officials said they are hoping any proposed solutions can be used as a template for other parts of the village to reduce stormwater runoff and flooding.

Michael Utevsky, the village's mayor, said in a recent interview that those streets have required solutions for years.

The roads did not wash out in an August 2024 storm that dropped 10 inches of rain on Suffolk's North Shore and washed away parts of Harbor Road. But Utevsky noted that some homeowners on those roads, including Thompson Lane, still see their driveways flooded during major rainfalls.

“We’re hoping that not only that the recommendations [for the roads] can be implemented, but we can hopefully also use the same program for other roads in the village,” Utevsky said.

Eric C. Jeter, director of civil engineering for Hayduk Engineering, which is conducting the review, updated officials during a meeting last month.

Officials are discussing solutions, including the addition of new dry wells, infiltration basins and bioretention cells. The latter is a vegetated open-channel landscape system that slows down and filters stormwater runoff.

Jeter said that the goals are to improve water quality and reduce contamination as part of an effort to "invest in infrastructure that will save on constant maintenance” of the roads.

After the village receives the report, Utevsky said officials will seek grant funding opportunities since “these could be very costly projects and our budget is very tight.”