62.0°,
Fog/Mist Newbridge Road project begins, could be done by Friday
State DOT to install 'traffic calming' measures on Route 106
Work has begun on Newbridge Road, and it could be completed before you read this story.
Beginning on Monday, construction crews could be seen working along the stretch of Newbridge Road (Route 106) between Hempstead Turnpike and North Jerusalem Road. The State Department of Transportation calls it a "road diet," aimed at curtailing excessive speeding and aggressive driving on a mile-long stretch that includes several homes, businesses and a church. The state Department of Motor Vehicles reported 119 accidents and six fatalities there in 2009.
The DOT confirmed on Tuesday that the Route 106 project could be completed by Friday, weather permitting.
The "traffic-calming" features, according to the DOT, include the reduction of the number of lanes on Newbridge Road from two to one in each direction, the addition of a shared center turn lane and the widening of the shoulders.
News of the Newbridge Road project drew mixed reactions from residents. Some were joyous, others were angry and some were simply confused.
County Legislator Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow) received a flurry of phone calls from residents inquiring about the changes at the dangerous thoroughfare. She emphasized that the project, conducted by the state DOT, will not create long-term construction headaches.
"This not a construction project," Gonsalves said. "This is a reconfiguration of the road."
The project, funded by the DOT, will cost an estimated $75,000 to $100,000.
Longtime residents are accustomed to changes on Newbridge Road. In the late '80s, the DOT transformed what was originally one lane in each direction, with a shoulder for parking, to the current configuration, two lanes on each side and no shoulder.
Rachel Harari remembers that project well. She moved to Meadowlane Estates in 1986, and served on its co-op board for several years. Residents at Meadowlane Estates, a community of about 85 townhouses adjacent to St. Raphael's R.C. Church, have always had issues pulling in and out of the parking lot onto Newbridge Road.
