Pavement Markings, Arrows Short-Term Fixes For Intersection

Several short-term fixes were considered last week when Huntington and state Department of Transportation officials met for follow-up discussions on a troublesome 5-way intersection on Jericho Turnpike.

The proposed short-term fixes include pavement markings to better channel traffic and will be implemented while the state continues to do origin and destination traffic studies, said A.J. Carter, Huntington town spokesman.

The pavement markings will include arrows painted on the road and lanes more clearly marked so people know which lane to use when they are turning off Jericho or crossing onto Dix Hills or Broadway/Greenlawn roads, Carter said.

“The long-term fixes are being studied. Those will take money and there’s no money right now with budget cuts. In the meantime, they want to focus on what they can do,” Carter said. A state spokesperson could provide no additional details or a timetable for the proposed work last week.

Patricia DelCol, deputy town supervisor, and Steve McGloin, director of transportation safety for the town, met with the state DOT regional staff, Carter said. “They feel optimistic that these pavement markings will help,” he said. There also was more discussion about one of the state DOT’s initial recommendations, to allow traffic heading south on Dix Hills Road to make only right turns onto Jericho, but that option is still being studied as it is clear, Carter said, that it lacks town support.

The state has jurisdiction over traffic flow on Jericho Turnpike, while the other roads feeding the intersection – Dix Hills Road and Broadway/Greenlawn – are town roads.

Part of the origin and destination studies involve looking at the flow of traffic on Dix Hills Road and the flow of traffic along Jericho to and from Park Avenue. The state also is continuing to collect data for right of way studies, the state spokesperson said.