Traffic Study Begins on Smithtown Boulevard

A traffic study examining pedestrian and motorist safety on Smithtown Boulevard in Nesconset has started.

Suffolk County Legislature hired Lockwood, Kessler & Bartlett, Inc. of Nassau County to study traffic flow and visibility issues at the intersection of Smithtown Boulevard and Gilbert Avenue in Nesconset. The intersection is the site of a tragic accident in October 2007, where a 15-year-old boy riding his bike sustained a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a passing motorist.

"We all know we want folks to be feeling comfortable coming into our town … and safe roads are part of that,” Legis. John Kennedy, R-Nesconset, said in a statement.

The study that was initially slated to examine traffic flow and visibility along Smithtown Boulevard from Gilbert Avenue to Sheppard Lane was expanded by the Suffolk County Legislature at their June 7 meeting. Legislators approved expanding the study west to the triangle intersection of Terry Road and Smithtown Boulevard, extending east to Mayfair Avenue.

Traffic along the stretch is roadway is generated from the retail strip malls and banking firms along the northern stretch of roadway, versus the residential homes on the southern side.

The Nassau County firm is expected to make recommendations on the possibility of reconstructing the intersections and roadway based on the study sometime next year, according to Joe Darrow, a spokesman for Kennedy.