Motorists frustrated by chronic tie-ups on William Floyd Parkway may soon see some relief under a new traffic pattern Suffolk County will implement this week.
Following an engineering review by the Department of Public Works, Mastic Boulevard East will be converted into a three-lane street near Aletta Place, by Dunkin’ Donuts and Roma Funeral Home. This will allow a second left-turning lane onto the parkway for those coming from the east.
Suffolk Legislator Jim Mazzarella said adding an additional turning lane is designed to ease one of the county’s most congested intersections, especially during the afternoon rush.
“We’re going to try it and see how it works,” Mazzarella said. “Hopefully, this helps since two lanes will allow more vehicles to turn onto the parkway.”
Currently, about 18 cars can get through the 45-second traffic light at the intersection, with drivers free to go straight, left, or right onto the parkway. Under the new plan, two westbound lanes will feed directly onto southbound William Floyd, eliminating the delays caused by waiting for eastbound traffic. The existing east-bound lane will remain, but will be a little more narrow.
Vehicles leaving the post office lot via Mastic Boulevard will face restrictions. Instead of heading straight across the parkway or northbound, motorists will have to turn south after stopping at a new sign. Those looking to access the parkway can still use the shopping center’s main entrance.
Tie-ups at the intersection were compounded about 10 years ago when drivers were no longer permitted to turn left onto William Floyd from Montauk Highway, forcing traffic onto Mastic Boulevard.
With just two main routes out of the Mastic Peninsula, local officials have pleaded with the Long Island Rail Road to add grade crossings to relieve the bottlenecks, only to be rejected.
“The new pattern is not the overall solution,” Mazzarella stressed. “But it’s a step toward making things a little better.”