Politics & Government

County Approves $2 Million for Long Lane Reconstruction

County road is prone to flooding; project will improve drainage.

Long Lane, home to East Hampton High School, is going to get a much needed facelift, particularly to improve flooding conditions during heavy rains.

The Suffolk County Legislature recently approved $2 million in funding to reconstruct Country Road 59, known as Long Lane, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced on Wednesday. The project will include improving drainage, reconstruction of the existing recharge basin, reconstruction of the road, and new pavement markings and signage.

Long Lane is heavily trafficked because of the high school, as well being a thoroughfare to and from the village from Stephen Hands Path. Large trucks and farm equipment travel to the area farms and fields, while big school buses go to the school.

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The area is also known for flooding. "During heavy rains it floods badly," Legis. Jay Schneiderman, I-Montauk, said.

Schneiderman, who co-sponsored the bill and chairs the public works committee, said the project has been on the table for five to six years, but the funding came through with the help of Bellone. "You've made it a lot easier for me to get things done," he told Bellone during a press conference on Long Lane on Wednesday.

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Currently, the road is cement with asphalt shoulders and it will made to be more uniform, Schniederman said.

Work is expected to start this spring. Deputy Commissioner of the County Department of Public Works Phil A. Berdolt said no closures are expected, because a lot of the work will take place in the shoulder. Work can be done while school is still in session, he said. The work will take about two months, he said.


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