NYS funding $28.5M for Long Island road, dam, seawall repairs

New York State on Thursday announced a $28.5 million funding package to help rebuild roads, dams and seawalls, including dams in Stony Brook and Smithtown that were destroyed in a torrential August 2024 downpour.

The funding will accelerate rebuilding efforts in Stony Brook, where a recently resolved ownership dispute had delayed reconstruction of a section of Harbor Road that was severely damaged by the 2024 storm. 

The Aug. 18-19, 2024, storm washed out dams in Stony Brook and at Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown, draining ponds and leaving millions of dollars in damage.

The funding may also boost efforts to rebuild Stump Pond dam at Blydenburgh.

The funding announced Thursday also will help fix a deteriorating seawall in the Village of Asharoken that officials say has outlived its lifespan, and elevate low-lying roads in the Amity Harbor neighborhood in Copiague, officials said.

There should now be enough money to fund the reconstruction of the dam and Harbor Road, said Gloria Rocchio, president of the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, the Stony Brook nonprofit that owns the dam and a section of that road. The federal government has allocated $2.5 million to resurface Harbor Road.

"It makes all the difference. It makes sure the project will get done," she said Thursday in a phone interview. "We're moving right along."

Gov. Kathy Hochul in a statement said the funding would help address storm damage she attributed to climate change and sea level rise.

“When Superstorm Sandy hit our shores, it upended the lives, homes, and businesses of millions of Long Islanders,” Hochul said. “New York cannot afford another Sandy."

The funding announced Thursday included:

• $12 million for replacing the Asharoken Avenue seawall
• $8 million for rebuilding the Blydenburgh Park dam
• $6.5 million for the Harbor Road dam in Stony Brook
• $2 million for elevating "key roadways" in Amity Harbor

In Stony Brook, a coalition of municipal and nonprofit officials recently announced they would work together to jointly rebuild the dam and a 100- to 200-foot section of Harbor Road, which collapsed when the dam washed away. 

Officials from Brookhaven Town, Head of the Harbor Village and the Ward Melville Heritage Organization had been at odds over the past two years. Brookhaven agreed to lead construction based on plans drafted by the nonprofit.

Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico said Thursday the funding "enables the dam, road and pond to be restored. ... We look forward to the restoration of the picturesque Mill Pond for the people of Stony Brook." 

Construction could start later this year, officials have said.

A new seawall

In Asharoken, Mayor Greg Letica said state funds will pay the full cost of rebuilding the seawall, which protects Asharoken Avenue, the only link between the mainland and neighboring Eatons Neck.

Asharoken Avenue in the Town of Huntington periodically floods. In 2010, it washed out completely in a storm, stranding hundreds of Eatons Neck residents for hours on the remote peninsula.

“I was thrilled for the residents of Asharoken and for the residents of Eatons Neck,” Letica said Thursday in a phone interview.

Letica said the timeline for construction is yet to be determined.

How to repair the seawall, and how to pay for it, has stymied village officials for more than a decade.

Last year, Asharoken declined to accept $1 million in federal aid to make temporary repairs to the 1,000-foot seawall. The village cited a provision of the aid requiring that the village approve a resolution showing it has $1.25 million on hand for the repairs. 

Letica at the time said the requirement was "above and beyond what the village can support."

River vs. pond debate

Stump Pond was a popular spot for fishing and kayaking before it drained out when the dam broke in the August 2024 storm. The state funding may advance plans to reconstruct the dam. Some environmentalists, and even the state Department of Environmental Conservation, had argued in favor of letting the drained pond revert back to nature: The Nissequogue River, which runs through the park, would run freely under that scenario.

The state's announcement on Thursday specifies the funding is for "rebuilding" the dam.

Enrico Nardone, executive director of Islip nonprofit Seatuck Environmental Association, said in an email he was "very surprised and disappointed" by the state's funding. He had called on county officials to reconsider plans to rebuild the dam.

Dam reconstruction may violate state environmental law and "put vulnerable local residents more at risk to climate impacts," Nardone said.

Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine said in a statement Thursday that the dam "needed to be restored."

"The park has been a crown jewel of Suffolk County, providing entertainment for all people from every community, and we thank the governor for recognizing its importance to the quality of life here in Suffolk," he said.

In March, the Suffolk Legislature said the plan to rebuild the dam does not require an extensive environmental review, clearing a key hurdle.

In Copiague, Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer had requested $2 million from the state for drainage improvements, raising bulkheads and rebuilding roads in Amity Harbor, where chronic flooding issues date back more than a decade.

In a March letter to state officials, Schaffer said the town had made $1 million worth of repairs at the flood-prone intersection of Bay Boulevard West and Western Concourse.

"While these improvements have been impactful," the supervisor wrote, "additional work is necessary."

Newsday's Amit Ben-Bassat contributed to this story.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.