Roadwork on Long Island Expressway, Sunrise Highway among projects that may impact drivers. See planned lane closures
The DOT is wrapping up a concrete pavement job along several miles of Jericho Turnpike in the villages of Westbury and Old Westbury and the towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay. Credit: Newsday / Nicholas Grasso
Before winter arrives, the New York State Department of Transportation hopes to complete several projects on major roadways throughout Nassau and Suffolk.
Many of these projects have been underway for quite some time, but some of the necessary road closures for them to continue are new.
These projects are a part of the transportation department’s “$33 billion five-year capital plan — which includes a $2.1 billion investment in Long Island’s roads and bridges,” department spokesperson Stephen Canzoneri said via email.
The department, he added, “will be investing in several projects across Long Island in the coming months that are intended to enhance safety, connectivity and accessibility for all users of the transportation system."
These projects will mostly impact nighttime drivers. Canzoneri said each project is “designed to minimize impacts to the traveling public.”
Here are some of the major projects in progress and how they may impact traffic.
Large sections of the Long Island Expressway in the Town of Brookhaven are getting a makeover in the form of concrete pavement repairs. Crews will be working in two separate areas: the approximately 4½-mile stretch between State Route 112, Exit 64, and Yaphank Road, Exit 67, as well as an approximately 6-mile area between Exit 67 and Wading River Road, Exit 69.
Cost: Newsday previously reported that concrete repavement in this area of the expressway was expected to cost $19.7 million.
Impact on traffic: Two lanes on either side of the expressway will be closed between Exit 67, Yaphank Road, and Exit 69, Wading River Road, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. every weeknight.
An additional portion of the eastbound side of the expressway — between Exit 67 and Exit 64, State Route 112 — also will close for construction. Two lanes will close from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., and all lanes will close from 10 p.m. through 5 a.m., during which time drivers will be detoured onto the South Service Road. Roadwork began Sept. 3, and is expected to last about 10 weeks, according to a DOT travel advisory.
Construction crews are replacing the existing median box beam guide rail with a new concrete barrier along a 1½-mile stretch of Sunrise Highway between the Robert Moses Causeway, Exit 41, and Fifth Avenue, Exit 43, in the Town of Islip. According to a DOT news release, this taller median barrier — as well as forthcoming 6-foot-high chain link fencing between the highway and its north and south service roads — will “prevent out-of-place pedestrians from crossing this high-speed road" and potentially reduce accidents.
Cost: $8.8 million
Impact on traffic: Crews are closing down all eastbound lanes of Sunrise Highway between Exits 41 and 43 for overnight construction and are rerouting drivers onto the service roads. Motorists can reenter the highway just before the off ramp for Exit 44, which connects to Saxon Avenue and Brentwood Road. The project is expected to be completed this fall.
The DOT is revitalizing an area of Route 347 — known as Smithtown Bypass in Smithtown and Nesconset Highway in Brookhaven — between Gibbs Pond Road in Smithtown and Hallock Road in Brookhaven.
Workers have been excavating tens of thousands of cubic yards of soil to install new underground utilities. Much of this soil has been replaced to widen the roadway, as well as extend the Parks to Ports Greenway Trail, a shared-use path that runs adjacent to only a portion of the eastbound lane of the roadway.
New raised planted medians are also being added. This work is part of a much larger ongoing project to revitalize the 12-mile State Route 347 corridor running through both towns that already has cost more than $200 million.
Cost: $71.4 million
Impact on traffic: Crews are working in the median area approximately between Stony Brook Road and Moriches Road — near the AMC Stony Brook 17 movie theater and Lake Grove Diner — weeknights between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to signage along the roadway. The eastbound portion narrows to two lanes. Westbound drivers should be aware that the leftmost lane becomes a left turn only lane, and should merge right if hoping to proceed west.
The DOT is wrapping up a concrete pavement job along several miles of Jericho Turnpike in the villages of Westbury and Old Westbury and the towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay.
According to a news release, the refurbished roadway will “improve driving conditions near the schools, businesses, homes, and places of worship in this busy area.” Some sections along the stretch from Hillside Avenue to Cedar Swamp Road will be removed for entirely new concrete pours, while other, smaller damaged areas will receive minor patching. Crews also will replace storm grates with grating designed to better accommodate bicycles.
Cost: $7.3 million
Impact on traffic: The right and center lanes on both sides of the roadway are closing Mondays through Fridays from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., according to construction signage. Work is expected to be completed this fall.
Before winter arrives, the New York State Department of Transportation hopes to complete several projects on major roadways throughout Nassau and Suffolk.
Many of these projects have been underway for quite some time, but some of the necessary road closures for them to continue are new.
These projects are a part of the transportation department’s “$33 billion five-year capital plan — which includes a $2.1 billion investment in Long Island’s roads and bridges,” department spokesperson Stephen Canzoneri said via email.
The department, he added, “will be investing in several projects across Long Island in the coming months that are intended to enhance safety, connectivity and accessibility for all users of the transportation system."
These projects will mostly impact nighttime drivers. Canzoneri said each project is “designed to minimize impacts to the traveling public.”
Here are some of the major projects in progress and how they may impact traffic.
Long Island Expressway, Brookhaven
Large sections of the Long Island Expressway in the Town of Brookhaven are getting a makeover in the form of concrete pavement repairs. Crews will be working in two separate areas: the approximately 4½-mile stretch between State Route 112, Exit 64, and Yaphank Road, Exit 67, as well as an approximately 6-mile area between Exit 67 and Wading River Road, Exit 69.
Cost: Newsday previously reported that concrete repavement in this area of the expressway was expected to cost $19.7 million.
Impact on traffic: Two lanes on either side of the expressway will be closed between Exit 67, Yaphank Road, and Exit 69, Wading River Road, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. every weeknight.
An additional portion of the eastbound side of the expressway — between Exit 67 and Exit 64, State Route 112 — also will close for construction. Two lanes will close from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., and all lanes will close from 10 p.m. through 5 a.m., during which time drivers will be detoured onto the South Service Road. Roadwork began Sept. 3, and is expected to last about 10 weeks, according to a DOT travel advisory.
Sunrise Highway, Islip
Construction crews are replacing the existing median box beam guide rail with a new concrete barrier along a 1½-mile stretch of Sunrise Highway between the Robert Moses Causeway, Exit 41, and Fifth Avenue, Exit 43, in the Town of Islip. According to a DOT news release, this taller median barrier — as well as forthcoming 6-foot-high chain link fencing between the highway and its north and south service roads — will “prevent out-of-place pedestrians from crossing this high-speed road" and potentially reduce accidents.
Cost: $8.8 million
Impact on traffic: Crews are closing down all eastbound lanes of Sunrise Highway between Exits 41 and 43 for overnight construction and are rerouting drivers onto the service roads. Motorists can reenter the highway just before the off ramp for Exit 44, which connects to Saxon Avenue and Brentwood Road. The project is expected to be completed this fall.
State Route 347, Smithtown and Brookhaven
The DOT is revitalizing an area of Route 347 — known as Smithtown Bypass in Smithtown and Nesconset Highway in Brookhaven — between Gibbs Pond Road in Smithtown and Hallock Road in Brookhaven.
Workers have been excavating tens of thousands of cubic yards of soil to install new underground utilities. Much of this soil has been replaced to widen the roadway, as well as extend the Parks to Ports Greenway Trail, a shared-use path that runs adjacent to only a portion of the eastbound lane of the roadway.
New raised planted medians are also being added. This work is part of a much larger ongoing project to revitalize the 12-mile State Route 347 corridor running through both towns that already has cost more than $200 million.
Cost: $71.4 million
Impact on traffic: Crews are working in the median area approximately between Stony Brook Road and Moriches Road — near the AMC Stony Brook 17 movie theater and Lake Grove Diner — weeknights between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to signage along the roadway. The eastbound portion narrows to two lanes. Westbound drivers should be aware that the leftmost lane becomes a left turn only lane, and should merge right if hoping to proceed west.
Jericho Turnpike, Westbury/Old Westbury
The DOT is wrapping up a concrete pavement job along several miles of Jericho Turnpike in the villages of Westbury and Old Westbury and the towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay.
According to a news release, the refurbished roadway will “improve driving conditions near the schools, businesses, homes, and places of worship in this busy area.” Some sections along the stretch from Hillside Avenue to Cedar Swamp Road will be removed for entirely new concrete pours, while other, smaller damaged areas will receive minor patching. Crews also will replace storm grates with grating designed to better accommodate bicycles.
Cost: $7.3 million
Impact on traffic: The right and center lanes on both sides of the roadway are closing Mondays through Fridays from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., according to construction signage. Work is expected to be completed this fall.
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Newsday Live Music Series: Long Island Idols Newsday Live presents a special evening of music and conversation with local singers who grabbed the national spotlight on shows like "The Voice," "America's Got Talent,""The X-Factor" and "American Idol." Newsday Senior Lifestyle Host Elisa DiStefano leads a discussion and audience Q&A as the singers discuss their TV experiences, careers and perform original songs.
