It’s still a solid two years before a shovel breaks ground, but representatives of the Suffolk County Department of Public Works met with the Southampton Town Board this week to brief members on plans for a major overhaul of North Sea Road, which is also known as County Road 38.
The work, which will include repaving, drainage improvements, the addition of curbs and sidewalks, and other tweaks and adjustments, will extend from the intersection of North Sea Road and Majors Path to just beyond Millstone Brook Road.
The $16.5 million project, which has been making its way up the county’s capital budget ladder, is slated to begin in the spring of 2026, with a completion date sometime in the fall of 2027.
Representing the county at the work session meeting on March 28 were Alex Prego, the DPW’s deputy chief engineer for highway structures and waterways; Liz Torres, the assistant director of highway engineering; and Alex Gimpelman, the project manager.
Town Board members urged the county officials to return and solicit public input before the plans are finalized and put out to bid in the fall of 2025.
A major portion of the work, Prego told the board, will involve putting a new asphalt surface on top of the concrete slabs that serve as the roadbed now. The asphalt will reduce the noise of traffic because it will eliminate seams in the concrete.
Drainage will be improved to alleviate local flooding and reduce road runoff onto adjacent properties as well as Alewife Creek, where a new culvert will also be constructed.
While dedicated bicycle lanes will not be provided, the county officials said road shoulders would be wide enough to accommodate bikers, and sidewalks would be installed on both sides of the road.
Prego said it is a “myth” that no one would use sidewalks and said that a growing number of Americans say they would prefer to walk more often. He added that sidewalks on both sides of the road reduce the number of people randomly crossing the road.
When plans for the project were first announced last year, residents attending a teleconference objected to the plans to install sidewalks on the roadway, claiming they would change the rural character of the neighborhood and that the area was not walkable anyway.
The road will also be improved with angled curbs that will allow wildlife, such as turtles, to climb them, and make them safer in the event that a motorist strikes one.
Torres said “minor geometric improvements” would be made to the intersection of North Sea and Sandy Hollow roads in part to improve visibility.
Prego said the commercial area between Parrish Road and Little Fresh Pond Road “is a focus area for us.” He said improvements would be made to providing better parking and reducing the number of vehicles that have to back out into the busy road.
Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara expressed concern that the North Sea General Store might lose parking spaces, but Torres said the county had “worked extensively with the business owners in this area to make sure we are accommodating their needs.”
McNamara also had concerns about whether creating curbed driveway aprons would be welcomed by residents, who typically have wider driveways, which are easier to turn into from a busy road.
She also pointed out that the proposed start of the construction would be in 2026 when the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club will be hosting both the men’s and women’s U.S. Opens.
“We are very aware of that and obviously the seasonality issues,” Prego said. “We will accommodate it the best we can.”
Prego added that, when complete, North Sea Road will look more like the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike between Montauk Highway and Scuttle Hole Road, which was given a major overhaul last year.
Despite the fact that county officials had already met with citizen advisory committee members and business owners, the board urged them to hold additional informational meetings before the work plans are finalized, which they agreed to do.
Stephen J. Kotz on Apr 3, 2024