Shore Road residents to see improvements in 2024

Rains poured heavily on Glen Cove during a July 15 storm, flooding many streets and basements. Although the rain necessitated street closures in parts of the county, Shore Road remained open, even though residents stood ankle-deep in water, watching motorists speed past their homes.

The floodwater took 13 hours to clear.

“We need to change the name of our street,” George Huck, a Glen Cove resident on Shore Road, said, “from Shore Road to Lake Shore Road.”

Now, relief is finally coming to residents on the thoroughfare. During a July 20 meeting at Glen Cove City Hall Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton told residents that the county’s Department of Public Works will immediately inspect the outflow pipes and order repairs where they are not functioning properly. The findings will be incorporated into a comprehensive drainage study, which will be used to launch the design phase for the approximately $9 million county streetscape project.

There was also extensive conversation about traffic calming solutions being considered for the streetscape project including, but not limited to the installation of radar speed devices; a “lane diet” to discourage speeding; and the reconfiguration of on-the-street parking to foster a stronger neighborhood aesthetic that further makes motorists think twice about speeding.

Elena Villafane, Sea Cliff’s mayor, said that the surrounding communities are experiencing an increase in traffic volume due to the intersection of Glen Cove Road and Northern Boulevard.

“This functional intersection is pushing people off major thoroughfares and pushing them onto side streets of residential communities. So this, I believe, is a tremendous effort by Delia and her team to bring back a good plan to Sea Cliff.”

Residents on the thoroughfare, which is split between Glen Cove and the county, have voiced their concerns about unsafe conditions like speeding, drainage issues and noise pollution over the years. Although the flooding has been a major cause for concern in the past several years, residents have been advocating for a safer neighborhood since 2018, when the Shore Road Neighbors Facebook group formed.

“I want the road done, and I want it to look beautiful, and to slow down the speeders today,” Shore Road resident Lora Cusumano, founder of the Shore Road Neighbors Facebook group, said. ”But I know that it does take time for the studies to be done and drawings to be done and bids to go out in order for it to get to the construction phase and be accomplished.”

Glen Cove Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck said she’s looking forward to the modernization of the neighborhood.

“We’ve been spending a lot of resources with our local police on enforcement on Shore Road,” Panzenbeck said. “So hopefully that’ll work a little bit as well, but Shore Road is going to get absolutely beautified.”

In the latter half of 2024, Shore Road residents can expect pedestrian and bicyclist safety improvements, which include additional and wider sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and new curbs to make the Sea Cliff waterfront safer and more walkable. Decorative lamp posts, brick walkways, benches, garbage receptacles and other amenities are also envisioned as part of the streetscape.

Once the design phase is completed, draft plans will be produced and presented to residents for review and feedback before they are finalized.

DeRiggi-Whitton began the process of securing necessary funding for the initial stages of the streetscape project when members of the Public Works, Finance, and Rules committees of the County Legislature voted unanimously to approve $700,000 in additional bonding for the initial stages of the project. The final approval for those funds is expected to be granted during the Aug. 7 meeting of the full Nassau County Legislature.

“Improving Shore Road is essential to enhancing the safety and quality of life that makes Sea Cliff such a unique and special place to live and visit,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “I am gratified that my colleagues in county government are undertaking the process of allocating the necessary funding toward this crucial project.”