Thursday, October 1, 2026
One of Nassau County’s most ambitious infrastructure projects is poised to reshape Shore Road and Prospect Avenue into a safer, greener, and more accessible waterfront corridor connecting Glen Cove, Sea Cliff, and Glenwood Landing.
Stretching nearly four miles and with a projected cost of more than $14 million, the project includes redesigned intersections, designated bike lanes, new sidewalks and major stormwater upgrades that local leaders say will help the community thrive long into the future.
The improvements were detailed in new design renderings and engineering updates that county officials presented in a comprehensive slideshow last week at Glen Cove City Hall.
“This project is one of the largest street-improvement projects that Nassau has had,” County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton told the Herald. “Our traffic engineers and civic engineers have met multiple times with the community to ensure the public is a true partner, and to explain each phase of the project.”
She praised residents for their “input, as well as patience,” and said the long-awaited work is expected to move from the planning stage to construction in 2027.
According to DeRiggi-Whitton, the county will begin with drainage improvements, addressing some of the most flood-prone locations along the shoreline.
The slideshow demonstrated how aging and disjointed stormwater systems have contributed to street flooding and tidal backflow for decades, especially around Scudders Pond, near Tappen Beach, 14 The Blvd. in Sea Cliff, and the stretch of Shore Road between Carpenter Avenue and Hammond Road in Glen Cove.
To address these conditions, the county will replace compromised outfall pipes — including one undersized 24-inch line that will be rebuilt to twice its original diameter — and install stormwater treatment systems to capture debris before it enters coastal waters.
At Scudders Pond, a timber baffle currently obstructing flow will be removed, new weir boards will be installed at the proper elevation, and four catch basins will be added along Littleworth Lane.
The newly engineered drainage systems will be sized to handle a 10-year, 24-hour storm event, helping protect homes and roadways from flood damage. Above ground, safety is the driving force behind an overhaul of the
roadway layout.
Sections of Shore Road that currently include two lanes in each direction will be reduced to one lane each way, with dedicated bike lanes on both sides and a new five-foot wide sidewalk.
ADA-compliant curb ramps will be installed throughout
the corridor. A skewed and confusing intersection at Prospect Avenue and Glen Avenue/Locust Place will be reconstructed at a more standard angle to enhance visibility and bus travel, and a new traffic signal
will be installed at the Prospect Avenue entrance to Tappen Beach to accommodate pedestrians crossing there safely.
County engineers also plan to install five overhead radar speed-awareness signs, to discourage aggressive driving and remind motorists that they are traveling through residential neighborhoods.
The county presentation further detailed streetscape upgrades —including decorative lighting, new trees, benches in designated areas, and a more defined parking lane — aimed at highlighting the waterfront while creating a pleasant experience for walkers, cyclists and families heading to parks and the beach.
For Shore Road Neighbors founder Lora Cusumano, who has advocated for these changes since 2018, the community’s persistence is finally paying off.
“This is one of the most transformative infrastructure projects in Nassau County,” Cusumano said, “not just because of its scale, but because of the vision behind it.”
While residents were excited to see progress, Cusumano is realistic about the timeline. “Even myself, I was hoping that it was going to break ground for 2026, but it looks like it’s going to be more the beginning of 2027,” she said. “It’s going to make our area more like a residential community. It’s going to make it better for walkers and bikers to enjoy the beauty that we have. It’s a spectacular place to sit down on a park bench, walk, or ride your
bike.”
Daniel Flanzig, a Sea Cliff resident and the president of the New York Bicycling Coalition, who has been biking and running along the road for 12 years, said the upgrades would significantly improve comfort and safety.
“These improvements are going to make this a much more walkable and bike-able area, because we’re going to increase the shoulder width in bike lanes,” Flanzig said.
“We’ll have sidewalks on both sides of the street. And it will just make it a more enticing and safer place to bike and walk.”
He noted that narrowing the roadway will help reduce speeding among drivers using the route as a cut-through.
“There’s a tendency for people who are using it as a cut-through to drive way too quickly, not realizing that their cut-through is our neighborhood, is our home,” Flanzig said. Residents will continue to shape certain elements as construction nears.
Cusumano said that future meetings would give stakeholders the chance to weigh in on things like lighting styles and park seating. “Great design is worth the wait,” she said, emphasizing that the improvements represent far more than repaving — they will modernize the waterfront for generations to come.
DeRiggi-Whitton agreed. “We are looking forward to this project moving from the planning stage to the beginning of construction,” she said. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve Shore Road for the future.”
