A ‘road diet’ for Newbridge Road in East Meadow

Newbridge Road is set to undergo a facelift in August.
   
On July 23, the state Department of Transportation confirmed its plans to implement “traffic-calming measures” on a stretch of Newbridge — between Hempstead Turnpike and North Jerusalem Road in East Meadow — known for excessive speeding and an unusually high number of accidents. Construction is expected to begin in mid-August and to be completed in time for the start of school in September.
   
According to the plans, traffic in both the north- and southbound lanes will be reduced to one lane, shoulders will be widened and a two-way center turning lane will be added.
   
According to the NYSDOT, with the cooperation of state and local officials, the aim of the reconfiguration project on Newbridge Road — also known as State Route 106 — is to enhance safety and reduce motorists’ speeds.
  
“This ‘road diet’ reconfiguration, with a single travel lane in both directions, a center turning lane and wider shoulders on both sides of the road, should encourage safer driving practices, help reduce accidents and help improve motorists’, bicyclists’ and pedestrians’ safety in the area,” said Eileen Peters, a transportation department spokeswoman.
   
Peters added that the project is expected to cost between $75,000 and $100,000.
   
In 2009, the state Department of Motor Vehicles reported 119 accidents and six fatalities on that stretch of road, which is lined with a mix of residential homes and businesses — as well as St. Raphael’s R.C. Church, which bustles with vehicles and pedestrians during its Sunday Mass schedule.
   
“It’s what we wanted,” Legislator Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow) said of the project. “We did feel [the road] was conducive to drag racing. We will see what happens.”
  
In June, sources told the Herald that according to a preliminary proposal, one northbound lane would have been eliminated, while both southbound lanes would have been left intact. That plan drew criticism from residents, business leaders and lawmakers representing that area of East Meadow, including Gonsalves and state Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City).
   
After several discussions and meetings, lawmakers and DOT officials devised the current plan, which they believe will alleviate the dangers on the heavily traveled road, which connects drivers on local streets to major highways, including the Southern State Parkway. Hannon explained that the project goes beyond changing speed limits and increasing enforcement.
  
“The Newbridge Road project is something that had to get done,” he said. “It was a major safety concern for the community. While speed traps were implemented in the past, drivers too often travel at the speed which they are comfortable with and ignore the traps when a police car is not visible.
   
“By forcing the traffic into one lane, speeds have already [been] reduced,” Hannon added. “In addition, making a left turn is now much safer. The solution we implemented is the most logical and cost-efficient, and it’s already proving to be a success.”
   
The DOT has undertaken similar speed-reduction projects on Long Island in the past. Most recently, in 2008 and 2009 on Route 25 in Smithtown, it eliminated travel lanes and reduced the speed limit. Audible delineators, the rumble strips milled into the pavement to alert drifting drivers, were also installed in the center median.
   
On Montauk Highway-Route 27A in West Islip, two lanes were reduced to one as well, and a center shared turning lane was added.
   
A starting date had not been set as of Tuesday, when the Herald went to press, though the DOT intends to begin work in mid-August. During construction, according to the department, work will be done during off-peak travel times, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, and one lane will remain open in each direction.