Seeking a fix to Route 878

Five elected officials ranging from senator to village mayor gathered at the intersection of the Nassau Expressway, also known as state Route 878, and Bay Boulevard in Lawrence on Tuesday to call upon the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to federally fund a storm surge protection and repair plan for the roadway.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) noted that the Nassau Expressway loop in the Five Towns was in poor shape, as the roadway endures flooding problems and is over burdened by traffic congestion. The Five Towns and other South Shore Nassau communities rely upon the roadway as a storm evacuation route, Schumer said.
He called upon the Army Corps to step in and fund a plan using one of three fiscal plans, including $50 million available in the federal Hurricane Sandy bill for what he called “critical infrastructure” work.
“[The] Nassau Expressway is a critical artery for South Shore residents, especially in the event of an emergency or another hurricane,” said Schumer, who during the press conference held up a piece of broken roadway. “Particularly given that the most recent repair plans were delayed due to engineering concerns over nearby soil and erosion and wetlands — compounded by Sandy damage — I am urging the experts at Army Corps to step in and do everything possible to use federal funding to assess, design and conduct a storm-surge protection plan for the dilapidated Nassau Expressway.”
The three plans Schumer alluded to include the Army Corps’ Continuing Authorities Program and its Section 14, which focuses on protecting infrastructure; the Rockaway Reformation Project, as the expressway is located near Jamaica Bay. That project was funded in the Sandy Supplemental bill, Schumer said. The third plan is the Special Investigations Funding, which is part of the Army Corps’s annual appropriations. The Corps would conduct a site visit, meet with local people and issue a recommendation report, then possibly funding.

Chris Gardner, the public affairs specialist for the Army Corps New York District office, said they are aware of Schumer’s ideas. “We’d have to look into what’s being requested to determine how they would receive funding,” he said. “There are various ways we can look at constructing funding. We are just now looking into his request for funding to fix the roadway, as it’s fairly fresh. We are seeing how we can support the issues affecting the Nassau Expressway.”
Lawrence Mayor Martin Oliner said that money ran out several years ago to finish the roadway, and expressed his gratitude to Schumer for announcing his request for funding. “It’s the little things, the small things we can do,” Oliner said. “Projects that are doable are what we need.”
County Legislator Howard Kopel (R-Lawrence) said that waiting for funding to make repairs to the roadway have gone on too long. “Phil [Goldfeder], Mayor Oliner and I have been talking about this for a long time,” he said. “I’m glad to have Schumer’s support.”
Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach) and County Legislator Denise Ford (R-Long Beach) also attended the press conference.

Have an opinion about the Nassau Expressway? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.