DOT to consider Southold's plan to install traffic circle at Love Lane intersection

New York State Department of Transportation officials will consider Southold’s proposal to install a traffic circle at a busy intersection, which Southold officials said would help maintain traffic flow and increase safety for drivers and pedestrians.

Supervisor Scott Russell said town officials met Jan. 3 in Hauppauge with state transportation officials to discuss the town’s proposal to install a traffic circle at the Love Lane intersection.

The intersection — which crosses Sound Avenue and state-owned Main Road — is one of the town’s busiest traffic areas, and while accidents are not frequent, it has been a difficult area for cars to get in and out of during the busy summer and fall seasons, according to town and police officials.

Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley said Friday that traffic around the Love Lane intersection “has gotten heavier and heavier every year.”

There were 13 motor vehicle accidents at the intersection in 2010, according to data provided by the Southold Police Department. The number dropped to five in 2011 before rising to seven accidents in 2012, 12 in 2013 and dropping slightly to 10 accidents in 2014.

Russell said DOT officials raised several questions at the Jan. 3 meeting to determine whether the traffic circle option was the best solution for easing congestion in the Love Lane area.

“They raised issues such as whether lighting and traffic control would be better,” Russell said. “But it was a productive meeting.”

Ultimately, the agency agreed to send the town’s traffic circle proposal to a division within the agency for further review and come back with an answer for the town at a yet-to-be-determined date.

Town officials are hoping to bring more information to the public for comment within the next few months, Russell said.

DOT spokesman Stephen Canzoneri said Friday that the agency is reviewing the town’s proposal for changes to the intersection and will provide comments on it in the coming weeks.

Russell said placing a traffic circle at the intersection would help maintain traffic flow, safe access down Love Lane and create pedestrian-friendly access to get people from Love Lane to the stores on the south side of the road.

“We don’t want to impede traffic there, we want to see it flowing through,” Russell said.

Flatley said he also preferred a traffic circle-style option.

“I’ve seen roundabouts installed in other areas, and under the right circumstances, I think Love Lane would be a good spot for one,” he said.