Community Watchdog: Utility wires sagged

A roll-off truck caught on the utility wires to my house and pulled the pole over. LIPA installed a new pole but the wires were too long. When I complained about the sagging lines, they tied them to a tree. Every time we have a storm or heavy winds I worry about those lines. It's been well over two years and the lines are still tied to my tree.

- Leonard Constantine, Dix Hills

Back in 2007 when the lines came down, a new pole was installed two feet north of the old pole. LIPA spokesman Mark Gross says sometimes that happens because of the ground conditions or other factors. But the relocation caused the slack in the wires.

The contractor who was hired to fix the droopy wires that belong to LIPA, Verizon and Cablevision, which owns Newsday, taped (not tied) all three lines to the tree in front of Mr. Constantine's house. Gross said it was supposed to be a temporary fix, but apparently it was forgotten.

After we called, Gross asked LIPA workers to secure the wires permanently, and that was done quickly. But the hands-off rule prevents any of the companies from touching each other's lines, so LIPA reached out to Verizon and Cablevision about the needed fix - a detail that Gross says is usually left to the customer - and they responded immediately.

It's no-go for a stop sign request in East Northport.

Joe Lyons of East Northport is concerned about the intersection of Third Avenue and First Street. He told us that drivers on First Street barely stop at the intersection of Third - maybe because they think there are stop signs on Third - but there aren't. We wrote about the problem in August.

Several months before, there was a fatal accident two blocks away at Third Avenue and Third Street, prompting the Town of Huntington's transportation and traffic safety office to conduct a review of the existing traffic signs and pavement markings.

Town spokesman A.J. Carter said the review found that traffic volume at both intersections isn't high enough to warrant additional stop signs.

"The volume on Third Avenue is about one-third of what is needed," Carter said, citing Federal Highway Administration guidelines for a four-way stop. The cross roads have just one-eighth the volume needed, he said. Federal guidelines suggest that traffic volume entering an intersection from the major street - in this case Third Avenue - must average at least 300 vehicles per hour for any eight-hour period in a day. The minor street approaches - in this case First Street - must average at least 200 vehicles, pedestrians and bikes per hour for the same eight hours.

Carter said the town will install "Stop Ahead" signs on First Street near the intersection and upgrade the existing stop signs to help increase night visibility.

The fatal accident last year was the result of a tree branch that partially obscured a stop sign on Third Street and has since been trimmed, he said.

Town of Huntington residents with traffic safety concerns involving town roads should call 631-351-3053.

- MICHAEL R. EBERT

I frequently travel Pulaski Road (County Route 11) and the section between Depot and Oakwood roads in Huntington Station is cratered with patches making for a bone-jarring ride. It frustrates me that this stretch of the road is neglected while other parts are well maintained. The residents who live on Pulaski Road deserve more for their taxes and the rest of us who use this road would like an improvement.

- Louise Fadness, Northport

We first wrote about this area of road and its pending reconstruction in 2009. Since then, we've continued to get reader complaints about its poor condition.

Now we're told that after months of delay, the project will kick off this spring. Suffolk County's Chief Engineer Bill Hillman said the renovation was held up because of a required review process. Since some of the roughly $2.6 million project is federally funded, it had to pass through a state Department of Transportation approval process, including a design review and public comment period.

"The process took a few more months than expected and pushed the bidding process into October," Hillman said. This project is the first of three phases for Pulaski, Hillman said. The second will realign the road's approaches at a railroad overpass west of Bread and Cheese Hollow Road in East Northport. The third phase will reconstruct Pulaski between Larkfield Road and Route 25A in Northport.

Suffolk residents concerned about the condition of county roads can call 631-852-4165.

- MICHAEL R. EBERT