The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner held a press conference at Hauppauge Labor Yard on Friday, March 14th, where she announced a major project update on behalf of Gov. Hochul.
With Stevens Martinez of the Governor’s Office in attendance and alongside many regional transportation leaders, Marie Therese Dominguez revealed that construction on the bridge at the junction of Rt. 346 and Nicolls Rd. would commence in 2028.
Originally scheduled for 2034, Dominguez said the DOT will “accelerate this phase of the project,” which will cost “somewhere between $110 and $140 million.”
“The bottom line: it’s coming six years early to a highway very near you, and we’re very excited about that,” she added. “We are fully committed to revitalizing the entire Rt. 347 corridor. And this is obviously a major step in that direction.”
The DOT is currently in preliminary design discussions regarding the proposed additions. Per the bridge, they vow to extend this busy road access eastward—for about a mile beyond Nicolls Rd.—to ultimately dilute the potency of the congestion crisis as it stands today.
Also on-hand: labor representatives from 1298, Long Island Contractors’ Association (LICA), AAA, Operating Engineers Local B8, and Teamsters Local 282.
“It takes a village,” said Dominguez. “It takes everybody to deliver a safe system. And that’s why we’re here today: to talk about what more we can do to keep these incredible people who work to keep us safe, safe, every day.”
Dominguez and LICA Executive Director March Hersbt pledged a joint plea to state lawmakers: more safety for highway workers everywhere.
“None of the work on 347, or any of the infrastructure work the DOT takes across Long Island, would be happening without the dedicated construction forces that it takes to get this work done,” said Dominguez.
Four-hundred maintenance workers are tasked to upkeep Long Island’s highways “365 days a year, 24/7” regardless of the often dangerous, high-risk circumstances and conditions, according to Dominguez.
She insists Gov. Hochul and the forthcoming executive budget are keen on “making sure we do everything we can to protect the people that do this work.”
“They’re our family members, they’re our team members, they’re our collaborators, and they deserve protection,” Dominguez added.
“They want to go home to their families every night just like we do.”
Dominguez and Herbst lauded the two-year-old automated speed zone safety camera systems that some critics initially called a “cash grab,” but Dominguez considers a “safety grab.”
No grave injuries or incidents of suffering have been reported within the freeway areas that cameras have been assigned to—a stark contrast to the fatalities tallied prior to their installation due to the prolific presence of reckless speedsters and physically violent drivers.
Dominguez does, however, recall their cameras clocking someone traveling at a whopping 139 mph within just 45 minutes of the program’s implementation.
Herbst cites the fate of Raymond Hurt—a day-and-night Portion Road flagger who was murdered by an upset driver he refused to let pass through a work area—as a tragic reminder for all involved to do right by their workers at all times.
“That deserves penalty,” Herbst demands. “That worker should be protected. The mere threat should be a felony. That’s what this legislation is calling for.”
“Can’t we protect our workers from people who are violent and make sure the legal system can prosecute them appropriately?”
“Not only do they deserve our respect and admiration,” Dominguez said of transportation workers, “but they deserve our thanks.”
And thanks, as intimated, is just the half of it, in an industry where safety isn’t just key—it’s an utmost priority.