Traffic light plan weighed in Manorville

Suffolk County lawmakers have moved closer to addressing safety concerns on a Manorville road that has seen several fatalities in the last year.

The legislature’s public works committee on Tuesday discharged a resolution to install a three-color traffic light on County Road 111 and Halsey Manor Road. The full legislature will now consider the action at its meeting Tuesday.

Several Manorville residents attended Tuesday’s meeting to lobby for the three-color light, saying the blinking signal in place now is insufficient to allow drivers on Halsey Manor to safely cross 111. Keith Botts, who lives on Halsey Manor, compared it to “taking your life into your own hands.”

“Do we need another family to lose a loved one?” he asked.

Public works officials started a study of a two-mile stretch of 111 in the wake of an October crash that killed a mother and her 7-year-old child. Another person died on the roadway, at Halsey Manor Road, in September, preceded by a nearby death in November 2010.

Because that full road study might not be completed until next spring, public works officials recommended tabling the stoplight resolution, sponsored by Legis. Edward Romaine (R-Center Moriches). But lawmakers asked for a specific study of the Halsey Manor intersection to be expedited, allowing for the light to be legally installed before then.
“The residents are demanding that we do something and we do it now,” said Legis. Thomas Barraga (R-West Islip).