Thursday, October 1, 2026
Nassau County’s aging infrastructure is struggling to keep up with the demands of serving 1.4 million residents as they access education, employment, health care 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, of Uniondale, was struck and killed as he attempted to cross Maple Avenue at Hempstead Boulevard.
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, 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 crash while being driven to practice.
New Cassel’s Urban Avenue presents distinct safety challenges, and Prospect Avenue, particularly at its intersections with Sohmer Place, Siegel Street, Magnolia Avenue and Hopper Street, has been a persistent area of concern.
Prompted by concerns raised by residents about traffic volume, speeding and a pattern of accidents in this corridor, I have asked the county Department of Public Works to evaluate whether traffic signals are warranted at some of these locations.
A combination of factors, such 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 Carman Avenue in Salisbury, and was hit by a driver who failed to stop coming out of Choir Lane, a side street, where there was, and still is, no stop sign or traffic light leading into a 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 stage. The county has also secured $3.25 million in funding for the Town of North Hempstead to improve Westbury Avenue, between Jamaica Boulevard and Carle Road in Westbury and Carle Place.
Thanks to the efforts of former Legislator Siela Bynoe, who now serves our communities in the State Senate, millions of dollars were invested in traffic safety improvements that helped to make downtown Westbury more walkable and further catalyze an ongoing smart-growth downtown revitalization initiative that has become a model for the region. Bynoe’s 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’m looking forward to working with my legislative colleagues Scott Davis and Olena Nicks to shepherd these regionally significant projects to completion.
These are good first steps, but it’s clear that more must be done, especially with Hicksville’s long-awaited downtown revitalization on the horizon. That’s why, on March 26, I wrote to County Executive Bruce Blakeman to formally request that the county embark on 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 in equipping the county to prioritize repairs and upgrades. During my time on the North Hempstead Town Council, we undertook a roadway assessment that helped the town proactively identify which roads required repaving, repair or full reconstruction.
Completing an audit would also ensure that projects are coordinated and that taxpayer dollars are used efficiently — for instance, by preventing a recently repaved road from being torn up to address a water or sewer project.
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, represents Nassau County’s 2nd Legislative District.
