A long-stalled approximately $100 million project to repair a rough two-mile stretch of Route 347 in Suffolk County is moving forward, with work expected to resume this spring.
The New York State Department of Transportation last month issued a request for proposals (RFP) for contractors to bid on repairing the road between Gibbs Pond Road in Nesconset and Hallock Road, near the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove.
“This project has been a priority focus for us to ensure that all Long Islanders can safely travel,” said Marc Herbst, executive director of the Long Island Contractors’ Association (LICA), who called it “one of the most important roadway construction projects on Long Island.”
The group has been pushing for the project for three years. An estimated 700,000 drivers travel this stretch of roadway daily. The work is part of a larger series of construction to repair 15 miles of Route 347, also known as Nesconset Highway, that started more than a decade ago.
The flow of traffic in the area has proven frustrating, repeatedly reverting from two to three lanes and back to two lanes.
Night work will be involved during construction when construction resumes.
