Cedar Swamp Road Facelift Moves Ahead

Glen Cove and Nassau County officials say city residents can expect to see a revamped Cedar Swamp Road corridor by the fall.

Mayor Ralph Suozzi recently met with County Executive Edward Mangano to finalize completion dates for the long-awaited Cedar Swamp Road Revitalization Project and construction is underway. The project will cost the county roughly $4 million.

The corridor, city officials said, is considered as a "local gateway leading to the city's downtown and as a key economic component of the city." The road, which includes the Glen Cove Long Island Rail Road station and St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church as its landmarks, currently has a mixed-use setup with housing, businesses and restaurants.

After completing a joint study with the county in 2007, the city determined that the corridor needed to improve, among other things, its pedestrian connectivity and traffic circulation. The bid for the project, which features both aesthetic and road improvements, was awarded to the L.K. McLean Associates, P.C. construction firm in 2008. 

Construction, city officials explained, was originially slated to take 13 months to complete, from June 2009 to July 2010, but rennovations were delayed partly due to efforts to fund the project through the 2009 federal stimulus program.  

"[LJ McLean wasn't] able to catch the summer building period," Suozzi said. "The initial timetable was thrown out and construction began in March, the first business day after the snow melted this year. They haven't stopped working since." 

The project, city officials said, aims to create a sense of place in the area through enhancing the streetscape, improving public safety and instituting traffic-calming measures along the corridor. The renovations include adding energy efficient LED traffic lights that can be monitored from a central location as well as withstand a Category 3 hurricane.

"They're changing all the lights in Glen Cove to LED," said Suozzi, adding that 16 lights, not counting the ones on Cedar Swamp Road, have also been replaced throughout the city. 

Road improvements will include the installation of new textured curbs and sidewalks, storm drains, utility strips and safer and ADA-compliant pedestrian crosswalks. The plan also calls for the placement of new highway and pedestrian-level street lighting as well as street furniture consistent with what is used in the city's downtown area.

Glen Covers can also expect to see new garbage receptacles and landscaped medians on certain parts of the road. The latter, city officials said, will feature little islands of greenery that will create a boulevard. 

Suozzi said he is thrilled that the project will be completed soon and noted that it will give the area a needed facelift. 

"This is an important project for Glen Cove that will provide both aesthetic improvements to make this area more inviting for pedestrians and shoppers and it will address crucial safety concerns with the present roadway configuration to make this a safer corridor for all," he added. "I thank our residents and visitors for their patience during the construction period and I look forward to a revitalized gateway into our city's commercial center."