Thursday, March 27, 2025
In Nassau County’s 11th Legislative District, we have two Shore Roads, one in Glen Cove, and the other in Baxter Estates and Port Washington. Each has its own challenges, but plans are in place to overcome these hurdles.
Shore Road, running 3.3 miles through Glen Cove (0.7 miles), Sea Cliff (1.7 miles) and Glenwood Landing (0.9 miles), is a state Department of Transportation throughway that has historically been plagued by major flooding and a lack of sidewalks. These conditions make the road treacherous for everyone.
Last November, I joined other concerned community members and local officials to review draft plans for the Shore Road streetscape, flood-mitigation and traffic-calming project encompassing Shore Road, Prospect Avenue, Cliff Way and The Boulevard. A key element of the project includes drainage improvements at Scudders Pond, near Tappen Beach, and key trouble spots on Carpenter Avenue and Hammond Road, and on Shore Road near The Boulevard.
The plans also call for rebuilding traffic signals at Shore and Glenwood roads; and at Prospect Avenue, at the Tappen Beach entrance, and Littleworth Avenue; and redesigning Prospect Avenue’s intersection with Glen Avenue and Locust Place.
There will also be extensive traffic-calming work, including the installation of speed-awareness devices, and an array of roadway and beautification improvements are set to yield bike lanes, ADA-compliant curb ramps and sidewalks, and streetscaping along the northern limits, including lighting, benches and sidewalk widening.
As we make important progress toward breaking ground on this major undertaking in Glen Cove, we are simultaneously focused on a second vital Shore Road — this one serving the communities of Port Washington, Manorhaven and Baxter Estates, and the approximately 12,000 residents and 8,000 vehicles that rely on it.
There, major damage to the seawall protecting Shore Road has created significant structural issues and compromised the integrity of the roadway. Initial plans were prepared last fall to repair the damage, but revisions were needed after the contractor expressed multiple concerns. Nassau County DPW officials recently confirmed that those revised plans have been resubmitted, and are now awaiting approval by the state Department of Environmental Conservation before work can begin this spring.
Funding for this project is in place largely because of the relentless efforts of Baxter Estates Mayor Nora Haagenson, who has already secured $7.7 million in state funding. Nassau County, which owns the road, has allocated an additional $5 million in capital resources to revamp and repair this vital thoroughfare. We are tremendously appreciative for this influx of resources, all of which will go a long way toward easing our local residents’ tax burden and giving them some much-needed peace of mind.
In these divided times, I am reminded of a saying that rings especially true: “There isn’t a Democratic or Republican way to pave a road — there’s just the correct way.”
These projects are examples of what multiple layers of government, and leaders of all political persuasions, can accomplish by working collaboratively, and it reinforces my belief that, although we may disagree on how to get there, we more or less want the same things — good health, prosperity and safety. If we work together, I know this tale of two Shore Roads will have a happy ending for all of us.
Delia DeRiggi-Whitton represents Nassau County’s 11th Legislative District, and is the Legislature’s minority leader.
