Send a letter, fix the roadways (possibly)

County Legislator Howard Kopel (R-Lawrence) is leading a letter-sending campaign to Gov. Andrew Cuomo in an attempt to expand the Nassau Expressway (Route 878) and construct a bypass to relieve traffic congestion on Rockaway Boulevard.
Kopel said he began his campaign after sending a letter to the governor about the roadway and only receiving a “Dear Constituent” leader in response. “I already got the governor’s attention as I was contacted,” the legislator said last week.
Kopel is calling for the state to have the expressway connect to the northern section in Queens near the Van Wyck Expressway and Belt Parkway with the southern portion from the Atlantic Beach Bridge to Rockaway Boulevard (the Queens half of the roadway that is Rockaway Turnpike in Nassau County). The addition would create a bypass that would span from Burnside Avenue to Brookville Boulevard.
“[I want] a firm commitment with a reasonable timetable,” said Kopel, adding he has “At a very minimum I want the bypass. Current conditions are making life miserable and it’s a public health danger.”
Those current conditions include a high volume of traffic that not only clogs daily commuting but also a coastal evacuation route and an area where many emergency vehicles travel. According to the New York State Department of Transportation, 40,000 vehicles use the Nassau Expressway daily.

Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Chief John McHugh knows the area well as his department has responded to numerous vehicular accidents at the intersection of Bay Boulevard, right off of Rockaway Turnpike, and the Nassau Expressway.
“The entire road is uneven with large bumps,” McHugh said. The shoulders are pretty much non-existent. The lighting is horrible and there should be a Jersey wall (cement median) separating the north and southbound lanes to prevent crossover accidents. The section between Burnside Avenue and Rockaway Turnpike is the only stretch that does not have a guardrail or grass median between lanes.”
Last month, the state Department of Transportation announced it was going to use $6 million of the $61 million set aside for a complete overhaul of the Nassau Expressway to repair a portion of the roadway in the fall due to the severe winter weather. The two-phase overhaul of Route 878 is planned for 2025. “NYSDOT’s capital construction program is fluid and projects are continuously being evaluated, “ said DOT spokesman Beau Duffy. “There are a number of factors involved, including safety considerations, the availability of funding, and state, regional and local priorities. We continue to look at options.”
Roy Meserole, owner of Meserole Funeral Home in Inwood, has helped to maintain and keep the expressway clean as part of the DOT’s Adopt-A-Highway Program since it was built 26 years ago. He said that plans to build up the northern section were left high and dry many years ago after getting rid of the silt from the wetlands proved problematic. “It is crying out for some type of solution,” he said.
As press time 2,700 letters have been sent, according to Kopel’s office. To view the letter go to www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/Legis/LD/07/index.html and click on the FIX ROCKAWAY TURNPIKE link.

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