Work is set to begin on a $32 million expansion project at Calverton National Cemetery on eastern Long Island.
Since it opened in 1978, more than 214,000 veterans and their relatives have been interred at the cemetery, including more than 6,600 in 2008.
Now, Congressman Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) says an 89-acre expansion project at the site will provide another 10 years of burial capacity. The project also includes improvements to buildings, roads, utilities and other facilities.
“After giving our nation their best service, our veterans deserve to be honored with the best care possible during their lives and a proper burial at the end of their lives,” Bishop said at a groundbreaking for the project on Monday afternoon.
The project, scheduled for completion in fall 2011, will develop approximately 89 acres and includes approximately 33,000 pre-placed crypts, 4,800 columbarium niches, and 1,000 in-ground cremation interment sites.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.