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State and county officials are calling for the widening of Sunrise Highway from East Patchogue to Center Moriches, where the roadway suddenly shrinks from three lanes to two — a bottleneck they said turns daily commutes into gridlock and puts lives at risk.
Contractors, labor unions and first responders are standing with them, warning that the congestion has become more than an inconvenience: it’s a safety hazard for motorists and emergency crews.
State Sen. Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue) and Assemblyman Joe DeStefano (R-Medford) are calling to extend the highway’s three-lane configuration in both directions between Exit 53 at Route 112 and Exit 59 at Wading River Road. It’s a stretch of more than 10 miles.
The road now shrinks from three lanes to two at Exit 53, creating what officials said is a chronic chokepoint.
Improve traffic flow and enhance safety
The officials called on the state to prioritize the project and begin the planning and funding process needed to move it forward.
“Investing in our infrastructure is vital to our workforce and our future,” Murray said. “Sunrise Highway is a critical artery for our residents, workers, businesses, and first responders.
The state senator stressed that adding a third lane in both directions between Exit 53 and Exit 59 will improve traffic flow, enhance safety and create jobs.
DeStefano framed the ask as a fairness issue.
“We pay billions in state and federal taxes, and we should receive our fair share of transportation funding in return,” he said. “For far too long, we have been forced to take a back seat to New York City’s transportation needs.”
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine is backing the plan.
“Suffolk County needs to improve its infrastructure to increase safety and improve the brutal traffic this area creates,” he said.
Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico also voiced support, along with Suffolk Legislature Presiding Officer Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holbrook).
Suffolk Legislator Dominick Thorne (R-Patchogue) said traffic near NYU Langone Hospital — Suffolk in East Patchogue (just off Sunrise at Exit 54) already delays ambulance access, and raised concerns about carbon emissions and air quality tied to the congestion.
Greg Miglino Jr., chief of South Country Ambulance, said the current roadway “is outdated and not capable of handling the volume of vehicles that use it,” leading to backups that “often impact the safe navigation of emergency vehicles … trying to get the sick and injured to the hospital.”
North Patchogue Fire Department Deputy Chief Dan Glen said getting an ambulance or fire truck through the traffic is “absolutely horrendous.”
Officials pointed to two compounding pressures on the corridor: a wave of pandemic-era relocation to eastern Long Island and the forthcoming $650 million expansion of NYU Langone Hospital — Suffolk.
No funding source, timeline or formal state study has been announced.
The push comes as a related project moves forward farther east.
Lawmakers have proposed a $5 million state and federal study of a new Sunrise Highway interchange at Speonk-Riverhead Road in Eastport. It’s aimed at easing truck traffic between eastern Brookhaven and western Southampton.
Top: Nicholas Esposito/GLI
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