By Legislator Viviana L. Russell
Nassau County’s aging infrastructure is struggling to keep up with the demands of serving its 1.4 million residents as they access education, employment, healthcare and recreational resources.
Far too often, evidence of that fact has emerged in tragic detail in our communities. According to Newsday’s Dangerous Roads series, traffic fatalities rose by 14 percent in 2025 to at least 78 deaths, and already in 2026, Cross Kim Young, a 75-year-old pedestrian from Uniondale, was struck and killed as he attempted to cross Maple Avenue at Hempstead Boulevard. In the series, the intersection of North Franklin and Jackson Streets in Hempstead Village is named one of Long Island’s five most dangerous intersections.
Nassau’s 2nd Legislative District contains some of the county’s most densely populated communities, making traffic initiatives crucial for the safety of drivers and pedestrians alike. The intersection of Uniondale Avenue and Front Street is especially treacherous due to heavy traffic and unusual configuration, and along Maple Avenue and Front Street, 15-year-old Jomani “Jo-Jo” Wright, a star basketball player at Uniondale High School, was killed in a tragic crash while he was being driven to practice.
New Cassel’s Urban Avenue presents distinct safety challenges due to surrounding industrial uses and the volume of truck traffic. Similarly, Prospect Avenue, particularly at its intersections with Sohmer Place, Siegel Street, Magnolia Avenue, and Hopper Street, has been a persistent area of concern. These corridors have seen dangerous conditions, including a serious accident that resulted in a victim needing brain surgery and sustaining partial paralysis.
Prompted by ongoing concerns raised by residents regarding traffic volume, speeding, and a pattern of accidents in this corridor, I have asked our Nassau County DPW to evaluate whether traffic signals are warranted at some of these locations based on current traffic conditions, safety data, and applicable engineering standards.
A combination of factors, such as a lack of stop signs and traffic lights, potholes that border on craters, poor lighting, inadequate infrastructure and driver behavior all contribute to this treacherous environment. My family experienced this directly almost 10 years ago, when my husband was riding his motorcycle on Carmen Avenue in the Salisbury area and was hit by a driver who failed to stop coming out of Choir Lane, a side street, where there was and still no stop sign or traffic light leading into the very busy thoroughfare.
Advocacy by community leaders and Nassau legislators has secured significant resources for capital improvements to some of District 2’s most heavily traveled roads. In Westbury, the $8-million streetscape and traffic safety project for Brush Hollow Road is in the design phase. The county has also secured $3.25 million in funding for the Town of North Hempstead to design and complete road improvements in Westbury Avenue between Jamaica Boulevard and Carle Road in Westbury and Carle Place.
Thanks to the efforts of former Legislator Siela A. Bynoe, who now serves our communities in the New York State Senate, millions were invested in traffic safety improvements that helped to make downtown Westbury more walkable and further catalyze the ongoing smart-growth downtown revitalization initiative, which has become a model for the region. Her efforts also ensure that tens of millions of dollars are on the way to the Village of Hempstead. The design phase for streetscapes on Peninsula Boulevard ($20.6 million), Franklin Avenue ($11.7 million) Clinton Avenue ($6.5 million) and Washington Avenue ($6.8 million) are underway, and a traffic study is being completed for Greenwich Street. I am looking forward to working in partnership with my Legislative colleagues Scott Davis and Olena Nicks to shepherd these regionally significant projects to completion.
These are good first steps, but it is clear that more must be done, especially with Hicksville’s long-awaited downtown revitalization on the horizon. That is why, on March 26, I wrote to Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to formally request that the county embark upon a comprehensive infrastructure audit and analysis. This exercise would inventory all County infrastructure assets, including roadways, sewer and drainage systems, and traffic control devices, and evaluate them based on age, condition, and overall performance.
An infrastructure audit would be especially valuable for how it would equip the county to prioritize repairs and upgrades. During my time as a North Hempstead Town Council member, we undertook a roadway assessment that helped the Town to proactively identify which roads required repaving, repair, or full reconstruction.
Completing an audit will also ensure that projects are coordinated and ensure taxpayer dollars are used efficiently, such as by preventing a recently repaved road from being torn up to address a water or sewer project, for example.
A countywide infrastructure audit and analysis would not only improve planning and accountability but also strengthen public trust. With so many pressing safety demands competing for resources, it is essential for us to demonstrate a clear, data-driven approach to how and where we invest taxpayer dollars.
Viviana L. Russell, of Westbury, was elected to the Nassau County Legislature in 2025 and serves the Second District.