GUILDERLAND — Town and state officials announced on Thursday that a decades-long problem with flooding on Western Avenue is one step closer to being alleviated.

Senator George Amedore, Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, and Supervisor Kenneth Runion held a press conference at the town hall on Nov. 5 to publicize that a $2.75 million grant is available to begin a project that was drafted six years ago.

The project will replace a pipe and box culvert running under Western Avenue that is too narrow to handle a large volume of stormwater, and draw runoff toward the Krumkill, with the installation of a new retention pond.

“For the 16 years I’ve been supervisor we have been dealing with issues with flooding,” said Runion at the press conference; he is retiring at the end of the year.

Don Reeb, president of the McKownville Improvement Association, said the stormwater system in the hamlet has been a problem for at least 40 years. On Thursday afternoon, he said the $2.75 million start to the project is “lovely.”

The problem has gotten more urgent in recent years, as flooding in front of Stuyvesant Plaza on Western Avenue has led to the road being shut with cars left stranded, and basements in McKownville have routinely flooded.

In 2008, one family had a basement wall collapse due to flooding. Shortly after that, sinkholes began appearing in driveways.

In 2010, Guilderland received a $500,000 grant from the state’s Department of Transportation, through its Multi-Modal Program.

The half-million dollars were to be used for the “Design and construction of Western Avenue drainage and storm sewer systems into the McKownville neighborhood, from the north side near the University at Albany uptown campus, to the Krumkill Creek on the south side of Western Avenue,” according to Delaware Engineering’s report.

Delaware Engineering studied the stormwater drainage system and reported that the total project would cost roughly $7 million.

Runion said then that the $500,000 would be used to start “phase one” of the project, which would include laying some of the initial piping.

On Thursday, he said the project had never begun because there had not been enough money to make any substantial difference. The initial grant will be added to the new grant to help pay for the project.

“First and foremost, this is a public-safety issue,” said Amedore at the press conference. “It’s also a quality of life issue.”

The $2.75 million will be enough to start fixing the infrastructure, he said.

“This will help solve some major problems for our residents,” said the senator. “There is no reason we can’t make this much-needed investment to mitigate this.”

Fahy said flooding was one of the first issues she heard about when she campaigned in Guilderland three years ago.

“This is long overdue,” she said on Thursday. “We have been working for months to piece this together and, while we can’t cover all the needs right now, we wanted to get shovels in the ground to make some difference.”

Fahy said she believes the flooding has not only negatively impacted the residents living in McKownville, but it has impeded the “economic vitality” of that corridor of Western Avenue as well.

Fred Grober, an engineer with Delaware Engineering, spoke at the press conference and said the McKownville Reservoir overflows and causes the flooding on Western Avenue, because of the undersized pipe that runs under the road. The pipe will be replaced.

New storm drainage systems will be added to various streets in McKownville, he said, and a new retention basin will be installed on the south side of Western Avenue that will slowly release water into the Krumkill.

“We will begin the project as soon as the town says ‘go,’” Grober said.

“Well, we didn’t come here with a check today,” responded Fahy.

The money is available, and has been earmarked for Guilderland, she said, but the town still has to apply and follow the proper procedures before it is officially awarded.

Runion said he believed construction on the project would begin in 2017, under the new supervisor-elect, Peter Barber.

“This is all about smart infrastructure development,” concluded Amedore. “This will be the future of economic development in the town.”