Local Officials Talk Traffic
With traffic issues a main concern of local residents, town and county officials detailed recent efforts to keep people moving safely and with less stress.
One major initiative is to get drivers to slow down on William Floyd Parkway and other local roads and stop at stop signs. Legislator Jim Mazzarella released the results of a recent enforcement effort that resulted in 3,033 moving violations issued by Suffolk Police over the last few months on the parkway alone.
“The goal is to have this police presence so that people see the enforcement and be more careful,” the legislator said. “If you get a ticket or even see someone get one, it has an impact. We are committed to making our main roads and side streets safer for our residents. We’re looking to change behavior and make the community safer.”
Mastic Road and its side streets have been another hot spot for summonses, with 111 tickets written for stop sign violations out of 250 issued during the crackdown. According to Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico, a traffic signal at Eleanor Avenue, a $175,000 expense to the town, has also helped quell traffic issues in the area by allowing drivers to safely turn east off Mastic Road. A previously installed bump out lets cars go around those turning.
“We’ve had numerous complaints of dangerous driving, including speeding, running of stop signs, and overall aggressive driving in the area,” Panico said. “These unsafe driving conditions have significantly impacted the overall quality of life of the residents living on these roads.”
Panico also announced a study to explore new pathways out of Mastic, potentially through railroad crossings on Hawthorne Street or Madison. “Hawthorne would be an ideal way to relieve traffic congestion. It would provide a straight route over the railroad tracks and Montauk Highway to the Sunrise Highway Service Road and drastically cut down on the time it takes to get in and out of Mastic,” the supervisor said.
The town has received a grant to study traffic issues throughout Brookhaven through the federal government’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program. The $475,000 effort, with 20% of the cost covered by the town, will put the municipality in a better position to secure road project funds through the $1 trillion infrastructure bill approved by Congress in 2021.
“Unfortunately, there is state and federal resistance to creating grade crossings, but that’s what we need in Mastic,” Panico said of intersections over railroad tracks. “They want overpasses or underpasses, which would be very expensive and, quite frankly, illogical. It’s another example of how bizarre the state views these issues.”
The supervisor explained that groundwater issues would prevent underpasses, while a bridge would have to be nearly the size of the cloverleaf at Nichols Road and Route 25 in Centereach. “Their one-size-fits-all policy simply doesn’t work for the Tri-Hamlet’s problem-plagued areas,” he said.
In the meantime, Panico urged drivers to be mindful of their surroundings. “There are families out there with children as these are residential areas where speed limits are reduced.”
Mazzarella added: “The message we’re sending is slow down and be safe. You’ll get there in just about the same time as if you were speeding. We want people to be safe and get home to their families.”