Governor: Ocean Parkway Greenway to get 10-mile, $16.2M Extension

The Ocean Parkway Coastal Greenway, a path that extends east of Jones Beach for bicyclists, runners and walkers, is expected to get a 10-mile, $16.2 million extension by 2021, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who announced the project Tuesday.

"This extension will give more residents and visitors a safe, healthy and environmentally sound way to get around Long Island,” Cuomo said.

The New York State Department of Transportation extended the route from Jones Beach east along the Ocean Parkway in 2014. Cuomo christened the 3.6-mile, $3.8 million extension on June 5 that year. The planned addition will stretch the mixed-use path into Suffolk County. Its end point will be Captree State Park.

In the spring, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul cut the ribbon on another shared use path at Jones Beach, a 4.5-mile extension on the barrier island's West End connecting to the existing Greenway via the Jones Beach Boardwalk.

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To accommodate summer beach visitors, major construction began after Labor Day weekend. Project completion is scheduled for the summer of 2021.

Extending the Ocean Parkway Coastal Greenway will add to the 20 miles of shared-use paths built over the past decade on Long Island.

By the end of 2019, a new path will be completed along the Nassau Expressway (State Route 878) in the Town of Hempstead as part of a $130 million resiliency and safety enhancement project.

"We've been 'pedaling' this idea [for the Ocean Parkway extension] for a number of years now,” State Sen. John Brooks, a Democrat from Seaford, said, “and I'm proud to say the time has finally come. This is a most welcomed addition to the current pathways that have been a mainstay for local outdoor enthusiasts."