As summer winds down, construction on the foot bridges to Hempstead Lake State Park is doing the same.
The three footbridges that run along Peninsula Boulevard which connect the village to the park at Bulson Road, Demott Avenue and Lakeside Drive, have been under renovation for the past four months, and county officials say the ongoing work should be done by September.
"We're all set for the work to be done by September 26," said William Vlasak, a civil engineer in the county's department of public works.
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Vlasak said the renovations entailed minor repairs and infrastructure upgrades, but the majority of the work was cleaning the bridges, removing graffiti and repainting them. They also repaved the walkways and replaced the fencing around the bridge, he said. Vlasak added that the repairs were funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provided the county with $2.7 million for the work.
"It was about time," Vlasak said of the repairs. "They were due and this is the way we found money to do it."
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Harry Weed, superintended of the village's department of public works, said he is pleased with the progress of the work, even though the village played no part in the renovations.
"All of those bridges, along Peninsula Boulevard, as well as Merrick Road and Sunrise Highway, those are actually county owned and maintained bridges," explained Weed. "Technically the village has absolutely no say in how they are built and maintained."
Although the village's hands are tied in respect to the project, Weed said the work seems to be moving along at an acceptable pace.
"The project started around mid-April and I expect it will be complete by the early part of September," he said. "For everything they've done, I think it's going to look wonderful. The county is doing a very nice job."
