Behold Your Greenway, Hauppauge

Years of local headaches over gridlock, construction noise and other snafus have finally yielded the Greenway long promised for the region.

Well, at least the beginning of it.

The stretch of Route 347 between Vet's Highway and Route 111 is all but done, and as planned by the state, it's full of the "green" amenities that were promised.

A bike and walking trail lines the road, manicured and planted with new grasses, bushes, flowers and trees.

The center median is stamped to resemble rock, and is planted with new trees and shrubs that will one day yield a lush divider.

New street lamps are powered by solar cells as well.

As of this past winter, all that was left to be completed was a few drainage projects and plantings.

Still, the massive project dubbed Long Island's first Greenway has a long way to go.

Construction plans are still being ironed out for the stretch of the highway in Port Jefferson, where workers will head next.

The initial stretch in Hauppauge was originally slated to be completed by August 2012. It was also supposed to stay within its $26.8 million budget, though the state has not disclosed the real costs.

"A complete tally of the final costs is currently underway. This includes a final accounting of the quantities of materials used and the adjustments that were made to meet actual conditions in-the-field. A final cost will not be available until after project completion," state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Eileen Peters said in written statement in February.

In the time construction has gone on in Hauppauge, local frustrations boiled over as traffic made navigating one of the area's main gateways a nightmare. While traffic crawled on 347, and backed up on Route 111, many locals complained that neighborhood streets were being used as cut-throughs by those looking to avoid the gridlock.

Meanwhile, businesses along the stretch reported lower income, and neighbors even probed putting up huge barriers to block construction noise.

Add a few gas leaks and accidents to the mix, and the general impression the project left on Hauppauge isn't a very positive one.

Yet, with the heavy work moving east, residents now have a chance to take in the Greenway once more as a reality that is beginning to bloom with the rest of the flora, and not an idea on paper.

Let us know what you think in the comments.