A section of Route 28, east of Long Lake, is seen here on July 11 after severe flooding. (Enterprise photo — Arthur Maiorella)

A major road connecting Long Lake and Newcomb has now reopened after severe flooding earlier this month washed out a bridge between the two towns.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Saturday that state Route 28N has reopened after a state Department of Transportation crew finished installing a temporary bridge over Fishing Brook. The original bridge over Fishing Brook “suffered significant damage and was beyond repair” following the flooding in Long Lake on July 10 and 11, according to Hochul’s office. The new bridge is modular, steel-paneled and spans 100 feet — it will remain there until a permanent bridge is installed.

The road will be one lane only, with temporary signals to control the flow of traffic, until the permanent bridge is constructed. DOT engineers are expediting the construction of the new bridge, according to Hochul’s office.

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Rebuilding

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Though this section of Route 28N is reopening, life isn’t completely back to normal for some of the residents who live along the road and who were impacted by the flooding.

Long Lake residents Bruce and Nadine Jennings, whose driveway was connected to Route 28N by a steel and concrete bridge built over a brook in the 1960s, would still be largely stranded if not for their neighbors, who are letting them go through their back yard to get into town. However, it still takes about a quarter-mile hike from his property anytime he wants to get into town, Bruce said.

The Jennings’ bridge was hit sideways by water that overflowed down the road after a culvert upstream got plugged. The water pushed the bridge’s abutments right off its foundation, according to Bruce.

The community has rallied around residents impacted by flooding — like the Jennings and their neighbor, Valerie Galvagni — through online fundraising platforms like GoFundMe. A GoFundMe campaign for Galvagni, whose house was flooded with water and mud, was created on July 11 and has raised $82,157 as of Sunday. A GoFundMe campaign set up on July 12 to help the Jennings rebuild their bridge had raised $25,390 as of Sunday.

“I can’t begin to thank the people who reached out and helped us,” Bruce said.

With this help, the Jennings have been able to get the materials they needed. They’ve got permits and plans in place; they’re just waiting for the road to be fixed to start work on the bridge, Bruce said.

“They’re working as hard as they can. Their focus is on the road,” Bruce said of construction crews. “They’re working seven days a week. They’re pushing hard to get everything done.”

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Summer tourism

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There are three major roads into Long Lake: The crucial state Route 30/28N intersection was reopened the day after the flooding. The roads to Tupper Lake and Blue Mountain Lake — state routes 30 and 28N — were reopened on July 12. This third road to Newcomb is the last to reopen.

This comes at a crucial time for Long Lake, where many residents and businesses rely on summer tourism to get through the winter months. Though work to repair flood damage started the same day it happened, photos of the carnage have spread throughout the state, and traffic to this small town hasn’t returned as robustly as locals had hoped. Some Long Lake residents suspect that visitors still believe the town is flooded or inaccessible.

Hoss’s Country Corner Store clerk Bella Sandersen told the Enterprise last week that people are calling the store to ask if things are open, and she’s heard about people cancelling reservations.

“All the business in Long Lake are open, and we want people to come,” Sandersen said. “It’s very important. This is a touristy town, so this is when people make most of their money.”

Hoss’s was one of the closest businesses to the major flooding at a failed spillway under state Route 30, but Sandersen said the building wasn’t harmed at all. People are still rebuilding some areas, but the town is mostly back to normal now, she said, except the flow of tourists is slightly lower than normal.

Drainage and pavement repairs are ongoing on parts of Route 28N. There are still two construction zones along the route, and drivers should expect delays, according to a social media update from the town of Long Lake. Drivers are being asked to use caution when driving this route. But with the road now open, Hochul hopes this will be a boon for business in the remaining weeks of the summer season.

“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,” Hochul said in a statement Saturday.