Bridge and culvert rebuild coming to Stocum Road

A project to renovate the culvert, bridge and turn on Stocum Avenue in Mahopac is about to get underway and could take about a year to complete.

The section of Stocum in question is near the intersection of Kirk Lake Drive and Brook Street. Trees have already been cleared to make room for the work, which residents hope will make it easier for two vehicles to pass safely at the narrow, curved passage over the creek leading into Kirk Lake.

The project will cost a little more than $3 million and will be paid for with FEMA funds.

The town is in the process of developing the plans and specs for the project and will then send them out to bid as soon as possible.

The town is also going through the permitting process with both the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Army Corps of Engineers, which, according to town engineer Richard Franzetti, can be the most time-consuming part of such a project.

Franzetti said the town’s Highway Department is helping with some tree removal. The DEC allows tree removal only at this time of year because the northern long-eared bat has moved south for the winter and is no longer nesting there.

“The culvert needs to be bigger. It needs to be rebuilt and upgraded,” Franzetti said. “And the road there needs to be realigned. It’s a really bad turn. The goal is to have it done by December 2026.”