A 102-year-old scenic road that washed away during the historic July 2023 storm in eastern Orange County is back open with new features to make it withstand severe weather in the future.

But for how long?

"It's a beautiful scene," Jack Stevens said while parked at one of the many pull-off areas along the Storm King Highway. "A lot of people check out the river or the scenic views."

Stevens is impressed by what the state Department of Transportation has done with the highway.

Sections of the Storm King Highway, also known as Route 218, were washed away during the historic July 2023 storm that dumped eight inches of rain on Highland Falls and surrounding communities.

The DOT rebuilt the side of the mountain with 35,000 tons of stone, and installed a hydraulic system that will channel water under the road, down the mountain, toward the Hudson River.

"Yeah, I actually lost a car in that storm," Stevens recalled, "so to see this improvement is pretty good ... They did a lot of hard work on this road."

Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement issued by her office that the improvements would make the road withstand a 500-year storm.

State Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said there is no lifetime guarantee though.

"So much of our infrastructure in and around Highland Falls was really compromised," she said in a soundbite provided by the governor's office. "But what we're seeing in terms of climate and the intensity of these storms, we can do all we can. But in the end, we don't know what Mother Nature's going to send our way, We just have to prepare as much as we possibly can."