5 Suffolk towns get road enhancements to keep drivers safe, Hochul says

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that five Suffolk County towns will be awarded $7 million to enhance safety on roadways as part of the NYSDOT’s "Safe System" approach toward zero deaths on state highways.

The towns of Babylon, Brookhaven, Islip, Riverhead, and Southampton will be awarded $6.3 million to install center line rumble strips, shoulder rumble strips, guide rail, edge line markings, curve warning signs on William Floyd Parkway, Nicolls Road, Edwards Avenue, Nugent Drive, Hochul’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.

Suffolk County’s County Route 104 (CR 104), also known as Quogue Riverhead Road and located in the Town of Southampton, will receive the award, Southampton Highway Superintendent Charlie McArdle said.

The Town of Brookhaven will receive an additional $700,000 to install guide rails on Sunrise Highway Service Road, Bellport Avenue, Station Road, Horseblock Road, and Leeds Boulevard.

"Keeping New Yorkers safe is my highest priority as Governor and that includes making every effort to improve safety on our roads for drivers and pedestrians," Hochul said in the statement. "One death on our roads is too many, and we will continue to invest in proven solutions to enhance safety and achieve our goal of zero deaths on New York’s roads."

The initiative is part of a $32 million award to help local governments in the state to reduce instances of vehicles inadvertently straying from their lanes and lessening the severity of crashes, the statement said.

Every 7 minutes on average, a crash causes death, injury or significant damage on Long Island, Newsday’s exclusive yearlong series Dangerous Roads reported.

While traffic deaths fell 24% in Suffolk County between 2023 and 2024, serious injuries rose in both Nassau and Suffolk, according to data from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research in Albany.

Crashes on New York State Department of Transportation roads account for about a third of Long Island's traffic fatalities.