The Nassau County Department of Public Works (DPW) is in the process of completing three minor road projects in the local area, a DPW official reported this week.

According to Dennis Kelly, a civil engineer with DPW's Highways and General Engineering Division, in recent weeks, road projects have been completed at Post Avenue and Old Country Road, Westbury, and Westbury Avenue and Sicardi Place, Carle Place. In addition, a project is slated to be completed on I.U. Willets Road, Old Westbury, by summer.

The Post Avenue/Old Country Road project involved correcting an area of the pavement which had become depressed due to settling. "We milled it out and put new asphalt in," described Kelly. That project was completed in two days.

At Westbury Avenue/Sicardi Place, the assignment entailed fixing a drainage problem resulting from a weak pipe, which had collapsed.

"It was a pipe that collapsed on Westbury Avenue, that we took care of," said Kelly, noting that this project also took two days to complete. The pipe was replaced.

The anticipated Old Westbury project entails reconstruction of a guard rail. "The guard rail, over the years, was deteriorated, and one of the sections broke. And instead of just trying to repair it, we're going to replace the whole thing," commented Kelly.

Impact on traffic is being kept to a minimum during the projects, according to Kelly, who noted that flagmen are being used to slow down passing vehicles, but that no detours have been needed.

Regarding the upcoming I.U. Willets Road project, he said. "We'll make sure traffic flows through. There will be no detours at all. There will just be flagmen there, stopping cars as we do the work." The work is expected to be completed within a maximum of three days.

In announcing the projects, Nassau County Executive Thomas Gulotta stated, "Maintenance of our infrastructure is a high priority." He added, "Through the dedicated efforts of the Department of Public Works, we are able to uphold our nationally ranked, outstanding quality of life in Nassau County."