The Flanders Road resurfacing project, scheduled to begin this fall, is awaiting the approval of a contract by the office of the state comptroller.
“Project bids were opened on Aug. 21 and we are waiting for the comptroller’s office to approve the contract,” state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Eileen Peters said Friday.
The state plans to “mill and fill” Flanders Road (SR 24) from the traffic circle to Bellows Pond Road, “to restore the pavement riding surface…to a smooth and distress-free condition,” according to the state DOT website. Construction is expected to cost approximately $5.2 million and take about one year to complete.
Flanders Road was not originally on this year’s project schedule, but was “accelerated” for construction this season after road conditions were cited as a factor in the fatal accident Jan. 16 that claimed the life of Barbara Tocci, 46, of Hampton Bays.
An outcry from angry local residents, including the victim’s family and friends, and pressure from state lawmakers helped get the project bumped up in the schedule, according to Assemblyman Fred Thiele. Thiele told RiverheadLOCAL on July 21 he expected road work to begin “right after Labor Day.”
On Friday, the DOT spokeswoman could not provide a specific start date, but said work “will start as soon as the project is awarded to a contractor.”
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