By Hank Russell
Seven towns in Suffolk County collectively received $7 million. The money was made available through the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Safety Improvement Program, which is intended to support the design and construction of countermeasures intended to reduce roadway/lane departures and lessen the likelihood that departure-related crashes cause death or serious injury.
The towns of Babylon, Brookhaven, Islip, Riverhead, and Southampton will get a combined $6.3 million to install center line rumble strips, shoulder rumble strips, guide rail, edge line markings, curve warning signs on William Floyd Parkway, Nicolls Road, Edwards Avenue, Nugent Drive and Quogue Riverhead Road.
The Town of Brookhaven will receive $700,000 to install guide rail on Sunrise Highway Service Road, Bellport Avenue, Station Road, Horseblock Road, and Leeds Boulevard.
In the summer of 2024, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) released the Roadway Departure Safety Action Plan, which calls for a comprehensive approach to be undertaken by NYSDOT and its partner agencies to reduce fatalities and serious injuries that result when vehicles inadvertently depart their lanes or the roadway. Under the plan, NYSDOT is focusing on engineering improvements, public education and awareness campaigns, and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee is coordinating law enforcement activities.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe is my highest priority as Governor and that includes making every effort to improve safety on our roads for drivers and pedestrians,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “This funding gives local governments the resources they need to save lives by implementing improvements that keep drivers more aware and reduce instances where they stray from lanes, which can often have deadly consequences. One death on our roads is too many, and we will continue to invest in proven solutions to enhance safety and achieve our goal of zero deaths on New York’s roads.”
New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “Reducing fatalities and serious injuries on our highways is the goal of our ‘Safe System Approach Toward Zero Deaths’ and thanks to the unwavering support of Governor Hochul we are moving closer to achieving it. Even one death on our roads is too many and the funding we are providing to our local partners will create safer streets in every region of the state, making it more likely that motorists will arrive at their destinations safely and without incident.”