Fixes to Village of the Branch path, footbridge finally complete

Long-overdue repairs to a key footbridge and walking path in Village of the Branch are now complete, village and Smithtown officials have announced.

The footbridge and path, located near the southern part of Mount Pleasant Road, are designed to connect neighborhoods near that road to the Village Center shopping center on Route 111.

“We’ve gotten very positive feedback from residents and kids,” Village of the Branch Mayor Mark Delaney said in an interview Friday.

The project was completed in phases. This spring, the Smithtown Highway Department cleaned and restored stream corridors nearby, helping to improve water flow and reduce flooding in surrounding neighborhoods.

Paving along the path was completed last fall. The path runs along a section of old Route 111, was abandoned by New York State in 1967 and had fallen into disrepair in the years since.

It had become unlit and cracks had formed on it, with thick foliage hiding it from the modern Route 111, Newsday previously reported. Vandals damaged an information kiosk that a local Eagle Scout had built, and they left trash in the brush and graffiti on fences.

The bridge portion of the project was completed in June of last year.

Village of the Branch officials collaborated with the town highway department to begin work on revamping the footbridge and path beginning in 2018, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed progress. The project’s repairs were funded through a $231,000 grant that the state awarded to the village.

The path’s midpoint now forms a trailhead for the Long Island Greenbelt Trail, which is about 32 miles long and runs from Sunken Meadow State Park to Heckscher State Park along both the Connetquot and Nissequogue rivers.

The bridge now provides safe access for shoppers and hikers, while the path has new LED lighting to provide nighttime visibility while walking, according to Town of Smithtown officials. New picnic tables and safety bollards also have been installed at Mount Pleasant and Woodhollow roads to safeguard the nearby ecosystem from unauthorized vehicles.

“People like it because if you’re a runner or on a bike, now that all the potholes are gone [from the path], it makes it a lot easier to travel,” Delaney said. “And we’ve gotten pretty positive feedback from parents because now if they want to send their kids down to Carvel or to the bakery down there at night, they feel a little bit safer knowing that it’s lit up.”

He said the village also is looking to install cameras on the path so the Suffolk County Police Department can better monitor the area. Village officials are considering possible funding options to move forward with that.

He added that many residents frequent the area this time of year. He said the upgrades will give those who attend a summer concert series hosted by the Smithtown Library’s branch on North Country Road on Thursdays safer access to and from the library.

Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim said in a statement that residents wanted to see the bridge restored, and village and town officials “delivered not just a safer connection between neighborhoods and local businesses, but also a project that enhances stream restoration and protects open space.”

“Together with the Village of the Branch, we’ve brought a shared community vision to life — one that will serve our residents today and preserve this natural corridor for generations to come,” Wehrheim said.