Repairs will help accommodate thousands of visitors to historic site every year

Oyster Bay, NY—Today, Congressman Steve Israel (D-Huntington) announced that the Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has allocated funds to repair the roads that were damaged during Hurricane Sandy at the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.

Rep. Israel said, “Sagamore Hill provides local residents and visitors with an incredible peek into the life of President Theodore Roosevelt and the land and house he loved. I am pleased that DOT will help us to repair the roads of Sagamore Hill that were damaged in Hurricane Sandy. Protecting this site is important to American history and must remain one of Long Island’s treasured landmarks.”

Sagamore Hill was the home of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, from 1885 until his death in 1919. While serving as President, Roosevelt had this site as his “Summer White House.” The site includes the main house, a second family home that now serves as a museum and nature trails. The main house is currently undergoing rehabilitation and is expected to reopen to the public in 2015. The other areas of the property remain open.

FHWA allocates emergency relief funding for federally-aided roadways and bridges that are damaged due to a federally-declared natural disaster as part of its Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) Program. This funding supports the repair and reconstruction of Federal roads to pre-disaster conditions. Recently, $23.7 million was allocated for repairs across New York State following Hurricane Sandy, including Sagamore Hill, which will be distributed by the New York State Department of Transportation.

###