Wantagh Parkway Bike Path Reopened
Restoration Work Completed Following Successful Installation of Major New Power
Cable from New Jersey to Long Island
Wantagh, NY—June 6, 2007—The Wantagh State Parkway bicycle path has
reopened following the successful installation of a major new power cable that
will provide the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) with access to previously
unreachable sources of electricity in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the mid-West.
The bike path was temporarily closed last fall to allow work on the cable
project to proceed along and under the east side of Wantagh State Parkway from
Jones Beach State Park north to Cedar Creek County Park in Wantagh. It reopened
before Memorial Day weekend following completion of landscape restoration along
and resurfacing of the bike path.
“I’m delighted that the success of the Neptune cable project also means the
reopening of a local treasure, the bike path along Wantagh Parkway, complete
with a new surface and some new landscaping to go with it,” said Long Island
Power Authority (LIPA) CEO and President Richard M. Kessel. “Bicycle riders,
joggers and recreational walkers can once again take advantage of this wonderful
facility, while all of LIPA’s customers will benefit from our ability to access
lower cost sources of energy through the Neptune cable once it opens this
summer.”
“This bike path provides a great opportunity to experience and appreciate the
natural beauty of Long Island,” said Carol Ash, Commissioner of the New York
State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. “The reopening of
this path, on the heels of National Trails Day, is the perfect time to recognize
the importance of the various recreational trails in New York.”
“We truly appreciate the patience of the public as we fulfill our commitment
to complete the Neptune project on a timely basis and commence delivery of much
needed power to Long Island,” said Ed Stern, CEO of Neptune Regional
Transmission System.
“We also want to thank the Office of Parks and the Department of
Transportation for their close cooperation in making sure the bike path
restoration work was done safely and well by Hallen Construction and several
other excellent local contractors.”
The Neptune Regional Transmission System will link Long Island to diverse
sources of energy in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and eleven other states in the
mid-Atlantic and Ohio River Valley regions. It will provide up to 660 megawatts
of electricity to help meet Long Island's needs when it opens this summer.
Neptune was selected as the off-Island component of a diverse portfolio of
resources developed by LIPA under a comprehensive request for proposals process
in accordance with the procurement requirements of the State of New York. The
65-mile-long cable will connect New Cassel, Long Island with Sayreville, New
Jersey. In conjunction with the 25-mile-long cross-Sound cable between Shoreham,
Long Island and New Haven, Connecticut, it will open up an energy corridor that
runs from the mid-West and mid-Atlantic, through Long Island, and on into New
England and Canada. |
