Nassau County roadwork causes local disruptions

National Grid, through its subcontractor Bancker Construction, is replacing a 90-year-old gas main along Hempstead Avenue, north of DeMott Avenue, and on nearby intersecting streets. The project, which began in April, involved removing sections of roadway, digging trenches, and installing a new gas main underground along the route.

The Village of Rockville Centre sent an advisory out last week to inform residents that National Grid is expected to complete the project on Saturday, Sept. 21. In the interim the roadway has been temporarily patched with asphalt. The final phase of the project will be roadway resurfacing. Nassau County will be paving Hempstead Avenue, from North Village Avenue to the village limit, once the installation is complete. The county has yet to set an official date for the resurfacing phase of the project as of press time.

“Bancker Construction has not treated the community respectfully,” said Jeff Greenfield, a Rockville Centre resident whose cul-de-sac borders Hempstead Avenue. “National Grid should have done a better job communicating with the residents and ratepayers in Rockville Centre.”

Greenfield said that on April 22, construction crews were working on installing the new gas main when they damaged a pipe underneath, causing a sewage backup in his home. Following the incident, he filed a claim with National Grid, and weeks later was notified that the natural gas service provider denied the claim.

“They said they were not responsible because I wasn’t a customer,” Greenfield said.

Unlike many homes in the community, Greenfield said that when he first moved into his house, the village had a moratorium on natural gas. He said natural gas wasn’t an option in his area until about 8 years ago and that he relies on oil instead.

In June, he sent a letter to Stephen M. Beyer, the chief executive officer of Bancker Construction, informing the contractors of the damage. The letter also indicates that the contractors had been closing off the roadway during peak traffic hours, before 9 a.m., despite an agreement that the contractors would not shut down the roadways until after to provide time for school buses to drop off students at school.

“Again, total disregard, disrespect for the community and the safety of the students going to school and individuals going to work,” Greenfield said in his letter, forwarded to the Public Service Commission.

He also stressed the hazardous road conditions caused by the roadwork, which he said had recently led to a car accident on the corner of his street in the work zone, and the service providers’ lack of communication with residents.

In addition to the National Grid project on Hempstead Avenue, the Nassau County Department of Public Works has been working on drainage and safety improvements along Long Beach Road in Rockville Centre and South Hempstead.

Nassau County Legislator Scott Davis said the DPW plan to work through the winter and will provide weekly updates on its progress. The project is slated to be complete September 2025. 

Residents and businesses in the area say that the road closures and subsequent detours along Long Beach Road have caused congestion.

“It is an absolute disaster,” Ellen White, one of the co-founders of the Backyard Players and Friends, said. “Cars are basically turning down the side streets. It’s a nightmare.” 

Howard Kamph, a Rockville Centre resident who served as president of the Ozone Park Civic Association in Queens for several years, said that having worked with other agencies in the past, he gets how things will unexpectedly arise that will make a project take longer than anticipated.

“I know people aren’t going to be happy about it, but you want it done right,” Kamph said. “Somethings you just have to deal with… be patient.”

While uncertain as to why the county felt the need to do both projects at the same time, he suggested residents make adjustments to their routine to avoid problem areas. “Don’t take the roads where you now there is going to be construction,” Kamph suggested. “Find an alternate road until its finished.”