Suffolk County is pursuing traffic-calming measures in front of the Soundview Inn on County Road 48, county Department of Public Works engineers told SoutholdLOCAL this week.
There have been three traffic fatalities in that location, the most recent being in September, when an 86-year-old man was struck and killed attempting to cross the road after attending a charitable fundraiser at the restaurant. Police said Howard Meinke of Laurel was in a marked crosswalk when he was hit by an eastbound car driven by a 41-year-old Greenport man.
The objective of the plans still in the development stage is to get traffic to slow down, said Suffolk DPW chief engineer William Hillman.
The county hopes to have the facility’s parking area along CR 48 enlarged and shift the lanes of travel to the south, Hillman said. Curbing would be installed along the length of the restaurant/motel site, and one point of ingress-egress established, he said. Three raised concrete island medians would be built dividing the eastbound and westbound lanes of travel, according to the engineer.
The idea is to make the travel lanes “feel tighter,” because that makes drivers naturally reduce speeds, said Suffolk DPW director of traffic safety Dan Dresch.
County Legislator Al Krupski said after the most recent tragedy in this location that county officials had not specifically discussed reducing the speed limit in the area from its current 50 mph posted limit.
Krupski said while the idea of lowering the speed limit had been discussed at the town level, he didn’t know if lowering the speed limit alone would help.
Two new crosswalks would be created in the road, with pavement markings and new signage, Hillman said Thursday.
DPW is hoping to get funding for this project in the county’s 2017 capital budget, which would allow work to commence in the fall of ‘17 and be completed by spring of ‘18, Hillman said.
