Town Completes Resurfacing Project in "College Section"

The Town of Brookhaven has completed microsurfacing a handful of residential streets in Stony Brook commonly called the "College Section," located off of Stony Brook Road.

Town officials could not provide the cost of that microsurfacing project, which involved approximately 2.5 miles of roadway. Streets involved included Dean Lane, where is located, as well as University Heights Drive, College Drive, Campus Lane, Ivy League Lane, Freshman Lane, Sophomore Lane, and others.

Many said the town gave adequate notice of the project and when cars would need to be removed from the streets, but the project itself has received mixed reviews from residents in that community. While some were pleased with the work that was done, others said they didn't know why this streets were chosen for microsurfacing at all.

"There are other places that needed it more, like the 'M Section,'" said one resident, who gave his name as Dan.

But Susan Antonak, a 12-year resident of Ivy League Lane, said microsurfacing the streets was necessary. "They were a wreck," she said. "I thought maybe they'd do it in the fall, when it would be cooler. ... But I think they look great."

Another resident, Maryann Lov, compared the "College Section" to the "S Section," saying she believed the latter has roads in much poorer shape. Still, she said, the microsurfacing in her neighborhood had to be done. "To resurface was a good thing," she said. "Why wait until the holes are in the street and constantly being patched?"

One resident, who gave his name as Timothy, called it "better than nothing," but said the roadways were actually smoother prior to the microsurfacing. "Do I think the repair they did is going to last a long time? Probably not," he said. "Once the first snowstorm hits, I think it's all going to peel up because it's superficial."

In the Town of Brookhaven, requests for street repairs come in via a few different avenues: by constituent complaints directly to the Highway Department, by way of a council member's office, or by notice from the foremen themselves working in the field. Each complaint is inspected by the town.

"We compile that info. All three directions help us prioritize," said Lori Baldassare, deputy highway superintendent, in a recent interview. "But there's always many more roads that are a priority than we can get to in a year with the budget we have."

What are the roads in your neighborhood like? Have you ever requested road repairs from the town? Log in to share your experiences as a comment below.