Merrick Road resurfacing project delayed

Despite the completion of some repaving on Merrick Road, the remaining project — which is supposed to stretch from Meadowbrook Parkway, in Merrick, to Newbridge Road, in Bellmore — has been delayed.

The season’s cold weather and constant rain and snow has stopped the project’s construction, said Nassau County Legislator Steve Rhoads, adding that the original goal was to have a smooth road in time for winter.

“It’s unfortunate it got delayed,” said Rhoads, a Republican from Bellmore who helped push for the project’s approval. “I was looking forward to winter with a newly repaved Merrick Road.” Fixing the busy street — which is marred by numerous potholes and a bumpy surface — is, however, “absolutely necessary,” he added.

A window of opportunity opened for the Department of Public Works to start the work on Dec. 8. That weekend, crews repaved a section of road between Meadowbrook Parkway and Babylon Turnpike in Merrick, near Cammanns Pond Park. Motorists can enjoy a smoother ride on this stretch of Merrick Road, although the final traffic lines had not been painted by press time.

The repaving needed to be done during the day, Rhoads said, since new asphalt must be laid in dry conditions with temperatures above 40 degrees, and temperatures have been dropping below that at night. Mill work, however — the grinding down of the top layer of pavement — can be done any time, and usually takes three days.

The project was supposed to begin in early November, but faced continual delays. The completed section’s mill work began on Nov. 13, with the opportunity to lay asphalt occurring almost a month later.

In a statement, DPW Commissioner Kenneth Arnold said that aiming to have the project completed by year’s end was an “unprecedented repaving goal.” The department works closely with utility companies, encouraging them to finish their  work before the repaving, but that happened too late this fall, Arnold said. “The department was only able to complete a small segment of the planned work on Merrick Road before the weather changed,” he said.

“Essentially, we ran out of time before the onset of winter,” Rhoads said.

“We will pick up where we left off in early spring when the weather is warm enough to accommodate the laying of asphalt,” Arnold added.

Some Merrick Road storeowners aired grievances to the Herald Life on Monday. “Last weekend was horrible,” said Lesa Shapiro, owner of Village Streetwear, which is situated between Chernucha Avenue and Beach Drive. “It’s needed work, but there are five weekends [for holiday shopping] and they took one weekend. It was a big hit.”

Shapiro recalled large asphalt-carrying trucks blocking the entrances to her business, cutting off visits from potential customers. Crews remained there until the afternoon on Saturday and all day on Sunday, she said. Once the trucks left, however, business got busy again.

“Some customers could get impatient and say they’ll come back” when they see the construction, Shapiro said. “But will they come back? I don’t know.”

“It’s a little inconvenient,” said Tammy Giamanco, owner of Little Cucina Pizzeria, at the corner of Montauk Avenue. While the repaving “interrupted business for sure,” she said she has come to anticipate it, as business usually slows when crews perform annual patchwork on the roadway.

Giamanco said she looked forward to having the road repaved and ridding the street of problematic manhole covers and potholes, which she said she encounters regularly. Repaving of the remaining length of Merrick Road to Newbridge Road can be expected to begin after winter, Rhoads said.