2 crashes cause morning delays on LIE near Nassau-Suffolk border

Two minor crashes about a mile apart on the Long Island Expressway created morning traffic snarls for drivers Thursday near the Nassau-Suffolk border, according to incident reports, police and traffic camera footage available on the state Department of Transportation 511 NY website.

Both had been cleared by 10:30 a.m. — with traffic returning to normal through the area.

One crash near Exit 44S, the exit for the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway, forced the closure of two of the four eastbound lanes, causing major delays through the area for more than an hour. That incident occurred at 8:28 a.m., according to 511NY.

Nassau County police said that crash involved four vehicles with no reported significant injuries. The vehicles were later moved to the shoulder, though rubbernecking and residual delays in the area followed until they could be removed completely.

The second incident caused the right shoulder to be briefly blocked on the westbound expressway near Exit 46, Sunnyside Boulevard, 511NY reported just before 9 a.m. Police said that incident had been cleared as of 10:15 a.m.

The incidents were both just west of the Suffolk County line and on the border of Syosset and Plainview.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.