Governor Hochul Announces Reopening of State Route 28N in Hamilton County Following Devastating Rains

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that State Route 28N in the Town of Long Lake, Hamilton County has re-opened following the devastating flooding that struck Upstate New York in early July. A temporary bridge over the Fishing Brook was erected in just three weeks, allowing traffic to safely resume on a vital travel artery for the Adirondack Region and eliminating the need for an 80-mile detour. Initially, the roadway will be limited to a single lane with alternating flows of traffic controlled by temporary signals before the temporary bridge is moved to a new alignment later this summer, which will allow for two lanes of travel and the construction of a new, permanent bridge. State Department of Transportation engineers are expediting the design and construction of the new bridge after the original structure suffered catastrophic damage during the storm.

“Mother Nature dealt New Yorkers a very harsh blow earlier this month, but our recovery from the devastating rains and flooding is fully underway, and we are making significant progress,” Governor Hochul said. “Today, we take another big step forward with the reopening of State Route 28N in Hamilton County, which reconnects a vital roadway in the North Country for residents while making this area of the beautiful Adirondack Region accessible to visitors once again providing a boost for local businesses and tourism during the remaining summer season.”

State Route 28N was one of many roads across New York that suffered significant damage from the severe weather that impacted the state earlier this month. From July 9 to July 10, more than eight inches of rain were reported in parts of the Mid-Hudson Region and more than five inches of rain in Ontario County, in the Finger Lakes Region. From July 10 to July 11, parts of the North Country saw several inches of rain in a short period of time, which caused devastating flooding, closing roadways and damaging infrastructure across impacted regions.

In advance of the storm, Governor Hochul had directed State agencies to prepare emergency response assets and stay in constant communication with local governments to monitor weather impacts and respond to requests for assistance. As the storms moved across the state, the Governor continued to deploy disaster resources to impacted areas, including additional Department of Transportation staff, who worked to get State highways and bridges open as quickly as possible.

In the wake of the storm, NYSDOT, county and local municipal crews and contractors worked around the clock to repair and reopen State Route 28N/30 from Blue Mountain Lake to Long Lake and State Route 30 from Long Lake to the Franklin County Line. However, the bridge over Fishing Brook – which is approximately four and a half miles east of Long Lake and six miles west of the Town of Newcomb – suffered significant damage and was beyond repair. NYSDOT immediately began work to install a temporary, modular, steel-panel bridge that is 100 feet long and 24 feet wide and will stay in service until the permanent replacement is constructed. Drainage and pavement repairs also continue on segments of State Route 28N west of the bridge that were damaged by the storm. Motorists are urged to use caution while traveling through this area.

State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “During my visit to Long Lake and the surrounding communities in the wake of the storm, I met so many members of the community, many of whom were working with us to restore the road network as quickly as possible. New York State DOT has worked diligently to get this temporary bridge up and running, restoring connection for the communities between Long Lake and Newcomb. Long Lake and its people are true gems of the Empire State and we will not stop working until the bridge is permanently replaced. I offer my heartfelt thanks to Governor Hochul for her leadership throughout this extreme weather event and to our dedicated team who worked around the clock to get the roads restored and this temporary bridge open and who will keep going until the job is done.”