Newbridge Road still dangerous?

In the wake of multiple accidents along Newbridge Road in Bellmore, longtime emergency medical technician John Scalesi, of Bellmore, is continuing his efforts to raise awareness on the part of county officials.

Since 2014, Scalesi has garnered roughly 400 signatures in a petition asking the Town of Hempstead and Nassau County to conduct a traffic evaluation of the area, specifically the stretch of road from Catherine Place south down to Oak Street. While town and county officials have taken some action, he said that he still has concerns.

“I have seen too many accidents there, and it’s time for someone to do something,” Scalesi told the Herald roughly three years ago when the petition had 125 signatures. In the five preceding months he had seen three accidents between the intersections of Newbridge Road and Camp and Kenneth avenues.

Scalesi has continued to hear of accidents along the stretch of road, some of which have been fatal. In November 2012, two passengers in the front seat of a 2002 Hyundai, heading east on Camp Avenue, were killed in a collision with a 1998 Mack truck that was headed north on Newbridge Road. In October 2016, Brian Sammons, 21, of Merrick, was heading southbound on Newbridge Road when struck a Chevrolet Malibu that had made a right turn from Oak Street. Sammons was thrown off his motorcycle and killed.

Michael Harrington, the former principal of Mepham High School, shared Scalesi’s concerns, which he brought to the Nassau County Police Department and Town of Hempstead in May 2014. He asked the town to install school zone and speed limit signs along Camp Avenue, which students often use to exit Mepham High School, and place a crossing guard at the intersection between 7 and 7:30 a.m. and 2 and 2:30 p.m.

Signage was installed, but a crossing guard was not placed at the intersection as the town has a restriction against placing two crossing guards at such a close proximity to each other, according to a representative of the town’s Traffic Control Division. Just a few blocks south of Camp Avenue is Oak Street and Grand Avenue Middle School, where a crossing guard directs traffic to ensure students’ safety.

“[The intersection] still concerns me… because of the speed of cars and the lack of visibility,” Harrington said, referring to Newbridge Road’s on-street parking and the danger it poses to drivers trying to make a turn.

Since Scalesi launched his petition, he said, his focus has shifted to the intersection between Elbert Avenue and Newbridge Road.

“Making a left turn [on Newbridge Road] is kinda taking your life in your hands,” said Andrea Kravitz, a salon coordinator at Metromodes on Newbridge Road, between Elbert and Kenneth. Like Scalesi, Kravitz said that she has also seen a number of accidents on Newbridge Road. Both wanted to install a traffic light at the intersection, but were denied the request when they brought it to Nassau county officials over a year ago.

“After Nassau County conducted a traffic study, it was determined by [the Department of Public Works] that a traffic signal was not warranted, so we explored other options,” said Legislator Norma Gonsalves (R, D-19).

In March 2016, Scalesi contacted former Town Councilman Gary Hudes, who sent Scalesi's concerns with the intersection, in a letter, to Anthony Boccella, of the town’s Traffic Control Division. He requested that Elbert Avenue be changed to a one-way street, which would prevent drivers from making a left turn onto Newbridge Road.

Boccella wrote to Hudes that his request would be “conducive to speeding” because drivers would no longer anticipate oncoming traffic and could possibly accelerate when passing the one-way street.

Furthermore, Scalesi brought his proposal to the residents of Elbert Avenue and found that not all of them were in favor of Hudes's proposal. “By law, if even one resident objects, we are not allowed to proceed with that option,” Gonsalves said.

To find another solution, Boccella followed up with the Public Works department to look into the possible installation of additional traffic signs or devices. The town has also moved traffic signs back along Elbert Avenue to create more visibility.

Scalesi, however, is still pushing to make Elbert Avenue safer— even if it just becomes a one-way street from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on school days. He recently brought his concern to volunteer firefighter and paramedic Mike Reid and New York State Senator John Brooks in an effort, he said, to expedite the process of reaching a solution before school starts. All are working with the town and county to figure out their next step.