Op-ed by Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano
The redevelopment of Mastic Beach’s downtown is a monumental improvement for an area poised to meet the great potential a coastal community deserves.
For the last several years, I have chaired meetings at the Mastic Beach Yacht Club to address the area’s flooding issues. Together with the Town of Brookhaven, we have been able to expedite the state process to allow lands to be used for much-needed drainage. That project near Marina One is currently underway.
Solving the daily rush-hour traffic issues of a densely populated peninsula, however, is not so easy. We are looking to bring together the state Department of Transportation, Suffolk County’s Department of Public Works, and the Long Island Rail Road for a public meeting on collectively alleviating traffic issues in the Mastic-Shirley area and elsewhere in the 3rd Legislative District.
An important part of the discussion will be the need for alternate routes into the Mastic Peninsula, a challenge that has historically been stymied by the railroad’s reluctance to create new grade crossings.
In the meantime, Suffolk County is currently examining a series of options for William Floyd Parkway, which Legislator Jim Mazzarella intends to budget for in the 2027 Capital Plan.
In addition, the Station Road Bridge over Sunrise Highway in Bellport is a prime candidate for expansion, similar to the Hospital Road overpass to the west.
We need to think big and push for these improvements not just for today, but for tomorrow. Infrastructure projects that create good-paying union jobs for our local families are about supporting the public, not politics, and our area deserves its fair share of transportation funds.
I invite everyone to be part of the process as our federal, state, and county partners work together to improve our region’s transportation infrastructure. Stay tuned for the date of our public meeting. I look forward to seeing you there.