Plans are under way for a $1.7 million road project in the village of Old Westbury, targeting some of the streets most in need of repair, village officials said Monday.
“Some of these roads are 40 years old,” Mayor Fred J. Carillo said at the Village Board meeting. “And with the storms we got, you can see it from some of the roads, just a disaster.”
On Wednesday, bids will open to builders who can take on the project. Construction is expected to begin in six weeks.
The village had engineers survey every road, measure elevations and rate them by their degree of deterioration. August Lane, Dowling Court, part of Horseshoe Run, Pheasant Run, St. Andrews Court and Terrace Court include the roadways selected as priorities for this year’s improvement project, according to the village website.
The project includes complete road resurfacing, drainage and improvement of curves, Carillo said.
The road work planned would be a significant increase in road maintenance from previous years, which usually consists of minor repairs on a budget of around $300,000.
Carillo said he intends to continue the improvement plan after 2016, moving onto the next list of prioritized roads.
“Were doing seven this year, and we’ll then do another plan. Say after three to four years, we’re going to do the whole village,” he said.
If the repairs were to reach every needy road in the village, a multi-year plan could amount to a $15 million project, officials said.
After a few years of selective repairs, the board will evaluate the budget and determine whether a villagewide plan is feasible. The road improvements resulted in no tax increase for residents this year, indicating further plans can be achieved, officials said.
This year’s construction will include the use of a hotbox asphalt patcher, a roller, and four of the best resurfacing specialists from the Town of North Hempstead, an asset Carillo said they were unable to retain in previous years.
Another project in the works is a well that will be installed in the Spring Hill Farm area to contribute to the community’s water supply, officials said.
The village has been in need of a larger supply, with 60 percent of water usage going towards irrigation, Carillo said.
An engineer on retainer estimated that the well will result in about $400,000 in savings for the village by supplying most of its own water, officials said.
This project is being undertaken in the midst of a change in firms that handle Old Westbury’s water services.
H2M has been replaced by engineering firm Dvirka & Bartilucci due to disagreement with the village, officials said.
According to the village website, the well is due to be completed by the summer of 2017.
