Long Beach Wins Grant For Bike Lanes, Pedestrian Safety

The City of long Beach was one of seven municipalities in Nassau County selected to receive grant money for public works projects. The city will be getting $150,000 to build bike lanes and pedestrian safety infrastructure in the area surrounding the LIRR station.

The award was announced today by Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, and are part of the county's first transit-oriented development funding competition. The funding is coming from federal Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) that Nassau receives every year. CDBG money is designed to be used for projects that improve public areas.

“Throughout the county, several communities have already championed and embraced our model of Nassau County as a place to ‘live, work, play’ with revitalized, walkable downtowns near transit,” said Curran. “With the growth of our Main Street business districts comes the need for pedestrian safety improvements, traffic calming, parking access and more, and I am proud to help ease these growing pains for several communities with these strategic investments. We must continue to capitalize on New York State’s investments in the LIRR and push our towns, villages and local developers to build ideal destinations for commuters and residents that attract the next generation and boost our local economy.”

In addition to Long Beach, the Town of North Hempstead, the Village of Freeport, the Town of Oyster Bay, the Village of Farmingdale, the Town of Hempstead and the Village of Hempstead are also receiving $150,000 grants.

The Long Beach project will improve the area surrounding the LIRR station and the bus terminal. The project will enhance pedestrian safety in the area so it's easier for pedestrians to get around and get to the train station. It will also make it easier to get between the transit hub and areas such as Kennedy Plaza.

There will also be new bike lanes and parking in the area. The plan will also build a rain garden in front of the LIRR office with a seating area and education signs about green infrastructure. Landscaping will be installed and a mural will be painted in the area to help reduce the unsightliness of the LIRR's chain link fence.

"We are grateful to county executive and legislature for these funds," said Long Beach City Council President John Bendo. "Long Beach is the epitome of transit-oriented development. These projects will help improve the attractiveness, safety and economic viability of our transit hub and downtown business district."