By GREGORY ZELLER //
A federally funded construction effort will make it easier for Long Island Expressway motorists to access shopping, commerce and recreation along Crooked Hill Road.
Construction has begun on a $27 million project that will remake LIE Exit 53, providing smoother links to busy ancillary roadways – and shopping districts, industrial zones, parks, colleges and residences in Commack, Brentwood, Deer Park and Hauppauge.
With work mostly focused on the southwest quadrant of the Exit 53 interchange, the New York State Department of Transportation construction project – slated for completion in 2023 – will primarily add new LIE eastbound and westbound offramps to Crooked Hill Road (a.k.a. Suffolk County Route 13).
A second lane is planned for the new ramp from the eastbound LIE, aiming for the southbound Sagtikos State Parkway, with an extended travel lane helping traffic merge onto the Sagtikos. “Additional improvements” are also slated for Sagtikos Exit S2.
Before and after: A second access lane will provide more direct access to Crooked Hill Road from the eastbound Long Island Expressway.
The project – one of 10 Long Islands projects included in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, which seeks federal funds and steers them toward regional improvement work – comes to fruition following a planning stage that included public engagement and careful coordination between Albany and the Federal Highway Administration.
It marks another significant undertaking to repair battered Long Island roadways and create newer, smarter transportation routes. In April, Albany announced a $157 million package of Island-wide road-paving projects, including millions for pothole repairs along the LIE, the Southern State Parkway and other major regional arteries.
The resurfacing of the eastbound LIE from the Nassau-Suffolk border to State Route 112 is now complete, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office, which billed the LIE pave-over as “one of the largest resurfacing projects in New York State.”
Steve Bellone: Heavily invested.
Westbound LIE repaving is “well underway,” the governor’s office added, and scheduled to be completed just in time for the coming season of winter brutality.
Meanwhile, several other regional infrastructure projects – including the recent completion of the Long Island Rail Road’s much-anticipated “third track” – have also produced significant roadway improvements, including rerouted streets, the elimination of street-level railroad crossings and the installation of new overpasses.
Announcing the start of LIE Exit 53 construction Thursday, Hochul trumpeted another effort that will “benefit motorists and help boost Long Island’s regional economy.”
“My administration is committed to modernizing our transportation network for more seamless travel across New York State,” the governor added. “Reliable connectivity for communities is a key component in our comprehensive approach.”
In a statement, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone thanked Hochul for “her continued efforts to invest in our infrastructure.”
“This project will help make Suffolk roads more accessible for our motorists, whether they are going shopping, heading to work, visiting our beautiful state parks or attending our community college,” Bellone added. “[This will] alleviate traffic on our local roads and provide a better quality of life for our residents.”
