Residents fear part of Mill Road in Peconic could be washed out by storm
As the winter storm season approaches, Southold is bracing once again for potential damage to the coastline along the Long Island Sound.
This year, a primary concern is a section of Mill Road in Peconic adjacent to the mouth of Goldsmith Inlet, which is in danger of washing out the road in the event of a heavy storm.
Rob Dunn lives across Mill Road from the embankment along with several other homeowners, and he told the Southold Town Board last Wednesday that the road is going to be breached “in no time at all.”
“Something needs to be done now or the community is just going in the water,” Mr. Dunn told the board.
The town is planning to buy and store stone rip-rap to be placed at the site to protect the road before major storms occur, said Town Supervisor Scott Russell this week. Mr. Russell said that a long-term solution to the problem could become costly and would require the involvement of the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Mr. Russell said that the situation is similar to the end of Soundview Ave. in Southold, which was breached during the Dec. 26, 2010 blizzard and has been closed ever since.
“It’s due to the changing dynamic of the mouth of the inlet. There’s armament along the road that’s more or less keeping the sea at bay, but at extremely high tide, there’s concern that it might undermine the public road,” he said.
