Politics & Government

New Hyde Park Village Board 'Frustrated' at Jericho Turnpike Progress

Concerns still apparent at removal of traffic light at North Sixth Street.

The Village of New Hyde Park is still experiencing headaches and fallout due to the repaving of Jericho Turnpike with other beautification initiatives that were to have been completed months ago as well as further concerns for pedestrian safety on Jericho Turnpike.

“(The) board’s frustration with the progress of some of the projects on the turnpike,” village trustee Donald Barbieri said during a meeting on Oct. 15 at the village hall.

Describing it as “a real Robe Goldberg going on,” Barbieri reported that for the past three weeks state representatives have given instruction that contractors would be paving the side streets but have not come and were told would be there week of Oct. 28.

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“As a result, our contractor has been unable to hire the surveyor to make some of the markings on those streets that would soon be torn up,” Barbieri said.

Village contractor J. Anthony had recently laid down markings for utilities - gas electric, telephone and water – but has been unable to repair cubing and sidewalks due to state contractors not completing their work on Route 25.

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Regarding the reported removal of the traffic light at North Sixth Street by Dunkin’ Donuts, at one point the village was under the impression that the new medians would extend to the median of North Sixth Street making it difficult for vehicles to turn onto Covert Avenue.

“We are quite apprehensive about people not continuing their efforts or their attempting to access Covert Avenue after that light is removed,” Barbieri said. “The traffic light the State of New York feels does not have a high enough traffic volume and while they have promised to keep an eye on that intersection, they are going to continue with their plans to remove the traffic light at that crossing.”

The state had placed a crosswalk on the west side of Covert Avenue.

“We were aware of the removal of that light,” Lofaro said, referring to a meeting on Sept. 23, 2008, “but we were not aware that they would not extend the center median to the point where you are restricted going eastbound.”

In a written response to petitions by the village read by Lofaro, state officials have stated that they would revisit the decision to remove the signal “once vehicular and pedestrian traffic had a chance to reroute and normalize. If necessary, we will install a replacement signal.”

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