Local lawmakers have secured funding to erect a traffic light at a problematic intersection in Bellport.
The traffic light will go up at County Road 101 and Harrison Avenue, where cars need to traverse four lanes of swift traffic at once if they’re looking to cross the road. That, or they sit between the four lanes waiting to turn or get across.
The Suffolk County Legislature approved the funding on April 25, through the passage of a bill co-sponsored by legislators Kate Browning and Rob Calarco, whose districts meet there at County Road 101.
“The intersection has a long history of serious accidents, and local residents have been advocating for years to improve traffic safety there, a joint announcement reads.
The lawmakers said the county’s Department of Public Works had planned to pursue “other remedies,” instead of a traffic light, that the lawmakers called expensive and not well-received by people living nearby.
An authority at DPW could not be contacted for comment Wednesday.
“A traffic light has always been the most cost effective solution to address safety concerns at Harrison Ave,” Browning said. “It’s also always been the local resident’s first choice when provided with engineering options. It makes the most sense, and the community will finally be able to enter and exit their neighborhood without fearing for their lives.”
Calarco said the intersection (map below) has been a problem for more than a decade.
“We can no longer wait for people to be able to cross the road safely, without fear of getting hit by the heavy traffic on Route 101,” Calarco said.
