New York State transportation officials want to modernize parkways on Long Island to make them safer and less congested.
A public hearing was held Wednesday night in Kings Park, and another will be held Thursday night in Brentwood on proposals for the Sagtikos and Sunken Meadow State Parkways.
Eileen Peters, with the Department of Transportation Long Island office, says many residents want the DOT to upgrade state roads, like the Sagtikos and Sunken Meadow State Parkways, while preserving their historical character.
“They certainly were not built by Robert Moses in the 1930s, and the 1940s, to accommodate today’s mega traffic volumes. We have some of the highest traffic volumes in the state.”
Peters says the DOT is evaluating proposals to widen the parkways, repair and replace bridges, and lengthen on and off ramps.
She says the first project will be completed next summer on some on and off ramps on the Northern State Parkway in Western Suffolk, an area that the DOT has highlighted as a problem.
“There is a grave concern there with the excessive traffic congestion and crashes,” Peters says.
The state of New York is funding that project. The DOT says it’s still looking for funding for other projects on Long Island.
