TOBAY Parking Garage Opens Without a Hitch

The s new near the Hicksville LIRR station is up and running and its first day went off without problems, town officials said.

The new, state-of-the-art garage at the corner of Duffy Avenue and Newbridge Road opened at 5 a.m. as scheduled and saw traffic trickle in throughout the day. Some residents weren't aware that the new lot had opened and were still parking in the temporary Sears and Broadway Mall lots, town officials said. Shuttle buses from those locations will stop running on April 1.

The new lot is open to town residents with appropriate stickers. From there, it is a short-block's walk to the Long Island Rail Road's Hicksville station.

The price tag for the project that replaced the old structurally damaged garage is $36.4 million. It holds 1,440 vehicles on four levels, two levels below grade, one at grade level and one above ground. It's about the same size as the old facility that the town was forced to tear down in 2008 after the discovery of cracked support beams. 

And it is beautiful as parking lots go. The floors are well lit and there are exits on both Duffy Avenue and Newbridge Road. The entrance is on Duffy Avenue. At 5 p.m. Monday, most of the upper level was clear of vehicles. An electronic monitor at the entrance even reports how many spaces are available on each of the four levels.

According to all reports, Oyster Bay town Spokeswoman Phyllis Barry said opening day went smoothly. "The early reviews were in and were all favorable," Barry said.

The lot is open from 5 a.m. until midnight, although commuters can access their cars and leave the lot anytime after midnight.