COMMUNITY WATCHDOG: Help needed to stay in lane

Help needed to stay in lane

Traveling eastbound on the Long Island Expressway service road, there is a problem at the Round Swamp Road intersection near Exit 48 in Melville. There are two left turn lanes for Round Swamp, but many drivers in the outer turn lane fail to stay in their lane and the inside turn lane driver is often forced into oncoming traffic. This has happened to me many times. There used to be dashed turn lines so the drivers wouldn't drift over, but they're worn and need to be repainted.

- Michael Weiss, Melville

The combo of sloppy drivers who don't stay in their lanes and faded road markings make for dicey driving on any road. And there are plenty of barely visible road markings on Long Island.

After we called, Eileen Peters, spokeswoman for the New York State Department of Transportation, said a work order was submitted to repaint the left turn pavement markings at that spot by Round Swamp Road.

Unfortunately, the work has to wait until spring when the weather is warmer.

Readers with concerns about pavement markings on state roads can call the DOT's Regional Traffic Engineering and Safety Office at 631-952-6020.

- MICHAEL R. EBERT

A slick situation in Brookhaven

We need repaving badly on Wedgewood Lane in the hamlet of Brookhaven. The road's curb and drainage also need to be fixed at the intersection of Central Woods and Sands lanes, where there is a bus stop. The pavement is higher than the curb, so water gathers and turns to ice when temperatures drop, causing vehicles to skid past the stop sign. I've contacted the Town of Brookhaven several times over the past three years and have been told they'd look into it.

- John Bragoli, Brookhaven

An inspector for the town's Highway Department went to the site after our call and determined that it does need reconstruction and should be considered a priority for repair in 2011.

But don't get your hopes up yet. Deputy inspector Lori Baldassare told us that a priority rating doesn't necessarily mean the road will actually be repaved next year because, after winter, the department re-evaluates the damaged roads list. "Priorities can changes, depending on the weather's impact," she told us.

To complicate matters, the $13.5 million budget for 2011 is down $2.5 million from the 2010 highway budget, Baldassare said. That may mean fewer paving projects for the coming year.

But wait, there's more. The drainage problem is over a water main, and the town can't determine how to alleviate the flooding until the road is opened up.

Officials will have a better idea where Wedgewood stands after its first paving meeting in March, she said.

Town residents with local road concerns should call the town's highway department at 631-451-9200.

- MICHAEL R. EBERT

After 2 years, old pole removed

Myself and my neighbor have been complaining about a pole in front of my house for two years. The pole is warped and tilted and the bottom is rotting out. With every storm, we get nervous this pole is going to come down. We have been contacting LIPA on and off for two years. In the spring, we complained again and after they saw the damage, a crew put up a new pole the next day. Now we have a new pole but all the wires are still hooked up to the old pole. About four months ago, I called the number you had in Newsday for LIPA problems. A woman there said she didn't know how long it would be before they get to us, since they have been behind from storms in March. We need them to switch the wires and take down the old pole before it causes major damage but I guess it doesn't matter until a dangerous situation arises.

- Gina Moscato, Massapequa

Happy New Year, Mrs. Moscato.

We contacted Verizon and LIPA about the problem because they remove utility poles. Cablevision (which owns Newsday) rents the pole space, but has no means - or authority - to remove or replace them.

Verizon spokesman John Bonomo was the first to get a crew to respond. They moved their lines and then let LIPA know what still had to be done.

Last week, LIPA spokesman Mark Gross called to tell us all the other transfers had been done, including moving a streetlight, and the old pole was removed.

Gross said the last call about the old pole was received in April, when the utility was still in "storm mode," replacing hundreds of poles and wires damaged during the March nor'easter. But the one Moscato wanted removed wasn't on any work schedule, although Gross said precautions had been taken after the new pole was installed so that service wouldn't be interrupted. Shortly after our call, Gross said, LIPA transferred its wires and called the other companies to expedite the work. (Usually, they're notified by mail.)

Anyone with concerns about LIPA poles and wires should call 800-490-0025.