FEMA-funded project wraps in a single year; officials say fixes will reduce flooding, protect roads, and speed emergency response
By Kat Leslie
PHOTO( make collage around center one). Captions: Photos show each completed site, including the Old Ridge Retaining Wall and the upgraded Pumpkin Hill, Ball Road, Cascade Road, and Hoyt Road culverts.
WARWICK, N.Y. — After years of planning and permitting, the Town of Warwick on Tuesday celebrated completion of a town wide culvert replacement program—a multi-location infrastructure push that officials say will make local roads safer and more resilient during heavy storms. The ribbon cutting brought together Supervisor Dwyer, the entire Town Board, design engineers and surveyors, and GCE, the local contractor selected through competitive bid.
According to materials shared with the Dispatch, the work was fully funded—nearly $5 million—by FEMA, and represents the culmination of a five-plus-year effort to scope priorities, secure federal dollars, and clear environmental and design reviews. Once the funding was locked in, the Town moved from design to bid to construction in one year, beginning in late 2024 and finishing ahead of the fall storm season.
“Culverts don’t grab headlines, but when they fail, everyone notices,” Supervisor Dwyer said at the ceremony, thanking residents for their patience during staged closures and praising the Town team for delivering “an unglamorous project with outsized benefits.”
What was built—and why it matters
Culverts are the hidden pipes or channels that let streams and stormwater pass under roads. Too small or failing culverts can overtop during downpours, washing out pavement, isolating homes and farms, and delaying school buses and first responders. Upsized, modernized crossings—often with improved alignments, headwalls, and bank protection—help lower flood risk, reduce emergency repairs, and protect water quality by keeping flows inside their natural channels.
Warwick’s program replaced or reinforced multiple chokepoints across the Town, including:
- Old Ridge Retaining Wall
- Pumpkin Hill Culvert
- Ball Road Culvert
- Cascade Road Culvert
- Hoyt Road Culvert
Town officials said the locations were selected based on documented damage during past storms, hydraulic modeling, and coordination with highway crews who see the trouble spots first. The project team emphasized local labor, competitive pricing, and a sequencing plan that limited detours and kept school-year impacts to a minimum.
A “fix-it” year for Warwick
The culvert program caps a period of nuts-and-bolts work the Town has been advancing—drainage upgrades, shoulder repairs, and road surface treatments—priorities the Dispatch has covered in past updates from Supervisor Dwyer and the Department of Public Work.. The difference this time, officials said, is scale: using FEMA dollars allowed Warwick to bundle the worst crossings into one coordinated push, rather than stringing them out over several budget cycles.
Engineers on site noted that several crossings were brought up to current design standards, with larger openings, better scour protection, and improved approaches for safer travel in all seasons. Highway crews will return in coming weeks for punch-list items—final paving seams, striping, and site restoration—now that the structures themselves are in and flowing.
Residents, here’s what to expect
- All locations listed above are open to traffic; any remaining lane shifts will be short-term and weather-dependent as restoration wraps.
- With larger conveyance and stabilized banks, the Town expects fewer washouts, shorter storm closures, and less emergency overtime during heavy rain events.
- The Highway Department will continue routine ditching and culvert maintenance—“an ongoing part of keeping roads open when it pours,” as one engineer put it.
“Team Warwick”—from funding to finish
At the ribbon cutting, Supervisor Dwyer and board members thanked FEMA for the award, GCE for delivering the work on schedule, and the design/survey team for “getting the hydraulics right and the details clean.” The Town also credited residents for navigating months of rolling detours: “Every flagger, every orange barrel, every minute you added to a commute bought us decades of reliability,” Dwyer said.
The Supervisor also emphasized on yet another top priority project, the Jayne Street Bridge.The grant-funded bridge—with its award announced in 2024—is currently in the design stage, including engineering, environmental review, and utility coordination. Town officials said a public timeline and additional details will be shared as design milestones are reached.
Have a problem spot to report? The Town encourages residents to contact its DPW with drainage concerns so crews can inspect inlet grates, ditches, and driveway culverts before the late-fall rains.
