(CARLE PLACE, N.Y.) – Nassau County Legislator Viviana L. Russell (D–Westbury) celebrated the Tuesday, Sept. 29 groundbreaking of the long-awaited Westbury Avenue streetscape and traffic-safety project, an initiative she worked collaboratively with Town and County leaders to advance and secure millions of dollars in critical funding.
Efforts to improve Westbury Avenue date back to the early 2000s and continued during Russell’s tenure as a North Hempstead Town Councilwoman. Town officials and civic leaders advocated for the reconstruction of the roadway to address longstanding concerns involving drainage, curbs, traffic flow, and undersized roadside parking spaces that caused vehicle mirrors to extend into the roadway, increasing the risk of parked cars being struck.
The project was delayed in part by questions surrounding whether the Town of North Hempstead or Nassau County was responsible for sidewalks along the County-owned roadway. Former Nassau County Executive Laura Curran supported adding the project to the County’s capital plan, and Russell secured $200,000 during her tenure as a Town Councilwoman to support the project’s beautification elements.
This long-awaited milestone was also made possible through the continued efforts of North Hempstead Councilman Robert Troiano and the dedicated advocacy of the Carle Place Civic Association. After the project was included in the County’s 2023 capital plan, the Town received approximately $3 million from Nassau County through an intermunicipal agreement. An additional $2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, provided through the Biden administration, was secured to support the project.
“For Carle Place residents, Westbury Avenue is at the heart of one of the community’s most important hubs,” Legislator Russell said. “This long-awaited investment will improve safety and traffic flow while making this vibrant business district a more attractive destination for residents, diners, and shoppers. I am proud to see the funding we fought to include in the County’s capital plan, along with millions of dollars in federal support from the Biden administration, finally being put to work for the benefit of Carle Place residents and business owners.”