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Lewis County Highway Department Announces Full Reopening
of Number Four Road and Updates on Next Projects
Published: August 18, 2026
at 05:00 p.m.
By: Press Release
from Lewis County Highway Department
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NUMBER FOUR ROAD COMPLETION AND OTHER PROJECT UPDATES
LOWVILLE, NY — The Lewis County
Highway Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent are pleased to announce
that the Number Four Road has officially reopened to two lanes of traffic
as of August 18, 2026 at 3:45 PM.
First and
foremost, we want to thank the residents of Lewis County for your patience,
understanding, cooperation, and words of encouragement throughout this
project. We know road closures and detours are inconvenient, and we truly
appreciate everyone working with us while our crews addressed this culvert
failure as quickly and safely as possible.
After evaluating
the situation, a powder-coated multi-plate arch culvert was determined to
be the most cost-effective and quickest solution. Through an emergency
permit issued by the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation (DEC), we were authorized to replace what was existing at this
site. We also want residents to understand that in situations like this,
there are regulatory agencies and permitting requirements that help
determine what we can and cannot do. We worked within those requirements
while doing everything possible to move this project forward without
unnecessary delay.
By completing the majority of this work with our own Lewis County
Highway Department forces, we were able to save the taxpayers a significant
amount of money. Aside from renting a few pieces of specialized equipment
needed to complete the work quickly, our own crews
handled this project.
The new
powder-coated pipe has an anticipated service life of 100 years or more.
Think about that for a moment: after roughly a week of work, this structure
should serve Lewis County for generations. Our grandchildren—or even our
great-grandchildren—may be the next ones faced with replacing it. We also
want to put into perspective just how hard our crew worked. Lane, the
company we purchased the pipe from, advised us that assembly of the pipe
alone could take approximately a week or more. Our crews assembled it in a
total of 12 working hours.
We simply cannot
say enough about the men and women of the Lewis County Highway Department.
They worked their tails off to get this project completed as quickly as
possible while minimizing the impact on the citizens we serve every day.
Their knowledge, skill, determination, and willingness to do whatever was
needed made this project possible.
We would also
like to thank the Town of Lowville Highway Department for lending a hand
with this project. Their assistance was greatly appreciated and is another
example of the strong working relationships we are fortunate to have with
our local highway departments.
We would also
like to thank the Lewis County Solid Waste Department for their assistance
with the disposal of the old culvert pipe. Their help was another important
piece of keeping this project moving efficiently, and we greatly appreciate
their cooperation and support.
We also want to
thank the Lewis County Soil and Water Department for hydroseeding the
disturbed area just prior to reopening the road. They are always willing to
lend a hand on our projects, and we greatly
appreciate their continued support and cooperation.
Lastly, we would
like to thank our Community Engagement Specialist, Kaylee Rhodes, for
helping us keep the public informed throughout the project. Communication
is an important part of projects like this, and we appreciate her work
keeping everyone updated on our progress.
This project has
been a great learning experience for everyone involved, but more
importantly, it has been an example of what can be accomplished when a
group of people puts their knowledge, skill, experience, and heart toward
one common goal.
We plan to allow
traffic to travel over the repaired area for a couple of weeks before final
paving takes place. Please use caution when traveling through the site, as
there will be loose stone until paving is completed.
And with Number
Four Road back open, our crews are already looking
ahead to the next work on our schedule. Next on the agenda is shoulder
backup on Greig Road, Lee Road, and Brantingham Road. Once that work is
complete, we will surface treat all three roads,
followed by centerline striping those roads shortly after.
As always, we ask
motorists to use caution around our crews and
equipment as this work moves forward. We appreciate your patience as we
continue making improvements throughout Lewis County.
Thank you again
to everyone for your patience, cooperation, support, and encouraging words
throughout this project. We are proud of what our crews
accomplished and even more proud to serve the people of Lewis County.
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