NEWS; IMPROVEMENTS OF CR97 NICOLLS ROAD (TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY)

A study of County Road 97, or Nicolls Road, by the Suffolk County Department of Public Works for long-term improvements to the north-south corridor is almost complete, but the Department is looking to make short-term changes in the near future.

The County held an “informational open house” last Wednesday for residents to see the proposed changes and allow for questions to be answered by public works officials on hand.

The short-term improvements are concentrated areas north of the Long Island Expressway, by County Road 16, or Portion Road, the traffic signaled intersection at Horseblock Place, the main entrance of Suffolk County Community College and the South Coleman road intersection.

At Portion Road, the exit ramp from southbound Nicolls to eastbound Portion would be removed. A new left-turn lane would be installed from westbound Portion to southbound Nicolls. Leeds Boulevard would receive a left turn and right turn lanes onto Portion. Leeds would also get a new traffic signal.

The intersection at Horseblock Place would lose its center median and its traffic signal. There would no longer be any left turns whatsoever at the intersection, only right turns. New right-turn lanes and a new acceleration-deceleration lane northbound on Nicolls would be added.

At the entrance to the College, there would be dual left-turn lanes into and out of campus, as well as a new acceleration lane for northbound Nicolls.

South Coleman Road would see major changes as well. A new left-turn lane into the College would be built, as well as the addition of dual right-turn lanes onto campus. Dual left-turn lanes onto southbound Nicolls would be added. Dual left-turn lanes would also be added to southbound Nicolls to turn onto South Coleman.

The short-term improvements, as proposed, would cost $2.2 million and would be completed by 2009. The county would not have to acquire any new property and they would completely fund it, with no federal or state aid.

These proposals came the same day New York Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) called for a Federal Highway Administration safety audit of Nassau and Suffolk County roadways.

Residents living near the proposed road changes were skeptical of how much good they will do. “[The] improvements will make things worse,” said Hector Guzman, who lives at 657 College Road, in Farmingville; his mailbox has been knocked over multiple times by careening cars. “They [the students] will keep traveling on College Road, making even more traffic. The road on Horseblock gets very slippery when it is wet and the drain gets clogged.”

Doris Scanlon lives at 653 College Road, Farmingville, and vehicles hit her house three times, until she had a guardrail put up in front of it five years ago. “This won’t do anything,” she said. “I don’t think it’s going to help me [at all.]”

Other residents were weighing the positives and the negatives. “With the light being eliminated from Horseblock Place, there may be less noise,” Mr. and Mrs. Lysen, from 3 Joseph Court in Farmingville, said. They did not want to give their first names. “But it will [also] create more traffic on Horseblock Road.”

Residents did not like the idea of increased traffic on local roads rather than on Nicolls Road. “I don’t like that they’re going to get rid of the ramp onto Portion Road,” said Anthony Ferrara, who lives on 39 Leeds Boulevard in Farmingville. “They’ll be dumped onto Leeds. There is a blind spot where they want to have [drivers] go. That road is busy as it is.”

Officials at the Department of Public Works disagreed with residents’ complaints. “I think it will help them,” said James Peterman, Assistant to the Chief Engineer. “Right now there are a lot of people in traffic with a short fuse. The purpose of this is to alleviate congestion.”

“When we increase capacity and lower congestion, there will be less accidents, less sideswipes and less rear-end collisions,” William Hillman, the Chief Engineer, added.