Forum for Smithtown Boulevard safety plan

Plans to improve safety on a 1,000-foot stretch of Smithtown Boulevard in Nesconset will be discussed by Suffolk County road engineers at a community meeting tonight at 6 p.m. at the Nesconset branch of Smithtown public library (148 Smithtown Blvd.).

The street, which is County Road 16, is considered dangerous by officials because of curves that create blind spots.

A 15-year-old Nesconset boy was critically injured in 2007 when he was struck by a vehicle while riding a bicycle on the road near Gilbert Avenue.

Plans call for altering traffic patterns on the boulevard around the intersection with Gilbert Avenue and Sheppard Lane, said County Legis. John M. Kennedy Jr. (R-Nesconset).

Proposals include raised medians in the middle of the street, a single-lane roundabout or painting new stripes that would redirect traffic.

“Everybody kind of concurs that this is a dangerous stretch,” he said. “Traffic really hauls in that area.”

The earliest the work could begin is 2013, said Kennedy, who could not estimate the cost of the project.

The proposals will be discussed at the meeting by county road engineers. Residents are invited to participate in the discussion.

Kennedy said the engineers also will take questions about other sections of Smithtown Boulevard “that may be problematic.”