Brookhaven Notebook: Graffiti Crackdown, Overpass Repairs

Brookhaven businesses who discover graffiti on premises will now have five days instead of 14 days to complete cleanup.

That requirement is the result of a measure recently passed by the town board aimed at preventing the occurrence of graffiti. The town cited research showing the quicker graffiti is removed, the less the chance the vandals will strike again – in some cases down to a zero percent chance of recurrence, if the graffiti is cleaned up within 48 hours.

“If graffiti is allowed to remain, it sends the message that no one cares about a community, or neighborhood and becomes an open invitation for more graffiti, littering, and crime," said councilwoman Connie Kepert, who sponsored the measure. "Graffiti hurts property values and frightens away businesses."

The town has estimated it spends around $200,000 annually to clean up graffiti.

Nighttime Nicolls Road Closures Begin

Starting July 7, drivers on Nicolls Road will experience nighttime closures between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. as repair work and maintenance of the Long Island Expressway overpass is completed.

Weather permitting, the closures will take place Sunday night through Friday morning for approximately five weeks.

"The better we maintain these bridges, the longer they're going to last," said Eileen Peters, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

Peters said the work is part of a larger project facilitated by both federal and state funding which involves painting and performing maintenance on eight other similar bridges in the county, amounting to $5.2 million. In the case of the L.I.E. overpass in Holtsville, additional work was necessary to repair damage from a May 13 incident in which a truck struck the overpass.

"It was hit and sustained some severe damage," Peters said. "An outside contractor is now completing the repairs. In the meantime, they are proceeding with the painting project."