State Promises Plan Coming To Fix Nassau Expressway

During a joint budget hearing in Albany this week, New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Matthew J. Driscoll committed to a multi-million dollar plan to overhaul Nassau Expressway when questioned by Senator Todd Kaminsky.

When Kaminsky asked Driscoll whether the DOT was working on a plan for the constantly flooded and jammed roadway, the commissioner responded that his agency would soon unveil a multi-million dollar plan to completely overhaul the Nassau Expressway, also known as NY878.

According to Driscoll, an announcement will be coming soon that will reveal the timetable and scope of the project, but he confirmed that the tens of millions of dollars the state is willing to spend will be the largest and most comprehensive overhaul of the road to date.

"My office regularly receives complaints about the flooding and congestion that plague NY878, and I am thrilled to receive this major commitment from Governor Cuomo’s administration," Kaminsky said. "As a major emergency evacuation route for tens of thousands of residents, NY878 is one of the most important roads on Long Island, and its overhaul is a much-needed safety upgrade."

The plan is already outlined on the DOT website, although details are thin. The site says the project will cost $110 million and that "current traffic operational and safety issues, poor pavement and drainage conditions, and aesthetic issues will be addressed."

It also says the project is expected to begin in the Fall of 2019 and be completed in the Spring of 2021.

"DOT's commitment to begin the storm hardening work presently being engineered for 878 is a big step in the right direction for the residents of Cedarhurst and the surrounding South Shore areas," said Cedarhurst Mayor Benjamin Weinstock. "We depend on 878 and Peninsula Boulevard as our only coastal evacuation routes. This is long overdue and we hope that this will continue with the completion of the construction of the balance of 878 into Queens."

Approximately 40,000 vehicles travel along Nassau Expressway daily, making it one of the South Shore’s major transportation arteries. In addition to connecting drivers to both New York City and John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY 878 also serves as a designated evacuation route for ambulances, fire vehicles, police cars and South Shore residents in the event of a natural disaster.

The roadway is one of only three points of evacuation for tens of thousands of residents of the Long Beach Barrier Island, and was heavily utilized during Hurricane Sandy as an evacuation route as well as a throughway for emergency goods and services.

Photo: Senator Kaminsky's Office