By Hank Russell
CHA Consulting, Inc. will host a community availability session on the recently released Emjay Boulevard Truck Bypass Feasibility Study on October 15 to discuss the latest results from the study. The session will be held at Suffolk County Community College’s Renewable Energy STEM Center, located at 1001 Crooked Hill Road in Brentwood, starting at 6 p.m.
The company was commissioned by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Office of General Services (OGS) to conduct the study in June 2023. On October 1, 2024, the study was completed.
This feasibility study identifies potential truck bypass routes to Emjay Boulevard in Brentwood and is intended to assist municipalities in their assessment of potential options to maintain truck access while minimizing impacts to residential areas. In addition, the purpose of this study is to relieve congestion on the nearby roadway system, as this same truck traffic is part of the relatively significant traffic volume in the vicinity of Crooked Hill Road (CR 13), which is subject to congestion.
The study presents the results of a year-long engineering, environmental, and traffic examination, as well as summaries of associated coordination with various stakeholders in the surrounding area. Bypass options were analyzed in a broad context using evaluation criteria developed cooperatively with OGS and DEC. The community availability session will provide local residents and other stakeholders with the opportunity to review the study. Potential future construction of any of the alternatives is beyond the scope of this study and will not be addressed during this availability session.
The Emjay Industrial Site sits just west of a residential neighborhood identified by the Census Bureau as a potential Environmental Justice (EJ) area. The neighborhood is comprised mainly of minority and immigrant residents. Currently, trucks can access the existing Emjay industrial site only by driving through the neighborhood.
Situated along the Long Island Expressway, the travel pattern in these communities follow a commuter travel pattern with traffic delays and congestion during the morning and evening peak periods. Therefore, there is a need to mitigate congestion on the local roadways and one of the ways is to divert truck traffic, bound towards Emjay Boulevard, away from these communities and its main access roadways, such as Crooked Hill Road, Wicks Road, 5th Avenue and Suffolk Ave.
During the session, community members will have the opportunity to speak one-on-one with study authors from CHA Consulting, Inc., to discuss the seven identified bypass alternatives. Community members are welcome to attend at any time during the three-hour session.
On-site Spanish language interpretation will be available for any attendees who require these services. Members of the public may also provide comments either in-person at the availability session or via email until November 13. Comments will be compiled and made available upon request.