Village of Valley Stream will spend $1.6 million on roads this year

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Officials voted to award a $1.6 million bid on July 17 to Bay Shore-based Pratt Brothers, Inc., to repair a mile and a half of thoroughfares in the village this year as part of Valley Stream’s road improvement program.

“We’re hoping to get it done by the winter and any roads that don’t get done will be taken up by the spring,” said Joey Accarino, an engineer for the village’s building department.

To determine which roads need repairs, the village uses a computer program it received from Cornell University, in which each street gets a numerical grade based upon the damage to the road and how often the road is used. Streets that need the most repairs are given a higher number, and streets with fewer issues have a lower score. “It will actually put them in order,” Accarino said of the computer program.

Engineers also consider complaints from residents and their own inspections of the roads. “We usually do once a year, a large inspection of all the roads,” Accarino said, adding that the village has more than 80 miles of roads to inspect each year.

The village then decides whether to use an outside contractor or to use village employees, based upon the extent of the project. Smaller repairs, such as fixing potholes, can be done in-house, Accarino said.

A list of village, town, county and state roads can be found on the website. If residents have concerns about a particular village road, Accarino suggests they call (516) 592-5154 or visits village hall to fill out a complaint. “That will eventually come down to the engineering department,” he said.