Busy Nassau interchange near Westbury gets $3.8M upgrade

One of the busiest intersections in Nassau County recently underwent a $3.8 million overhaul to improve travel conditions for both drivers and pedestrians, state officials announced.

Construction at the interchange of the Northern State Parkway, Glen Cove Road and Jericho Turnpike between the villages of Westbury and Old Westbury has wrapped up after beginning in November 2022.

The upgrades include wider roadways; an extra lane added on the exit ramp from the westbound Northern State Parkway to northbound Glen Cove Road; a second turning lane from northbound Glen Cove Road to westbound Jericho Turnpike; and a raised concrete median installed across Glen Cove Road to stop illegal left turns from the parkway.

Tens of thousands of drivers use the interchange to head to nearby shopping centers, neighborhoods and recreational facilities, officials have said. 

“At its heart, this project is about reducing congestion and travel times for the more than 54,000 motorists who move through this interchange every day, while improving the quality of life for the people who live in and around this area,” state Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said in a statement.

Other notable changes will help pedestrians. Sidewalks with ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act have been added. A pedestrian refuge island and new traffic signals featuring countdown timers and audio instructions also have been installed. Signals were adjusted to accommodate the new traffic flow.

The project started with a traffic study in 2018, followed by a virtual public hearing in 2020. Traffic engineers focused on ways to alleviate congestion. 

In a statement, Westbury Village Mayor Peter Cavallaro said the area “has long been a bane to local motorists, causing large traffic pattern disruptions."

He also acknowledged that while the improvements were overdue, he is pleased that available infrastructure funding was used to address the issues.