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Police chiefs to meet with state DOT officials to discuss traffic remedies

Police chiefs in Riverhead and Southold towns are continuing to collaborate on brainstorming ideas to free up traffic on the North Fork this fall.

At a Riverhead Town Board work session Thursday, Riverhead Chief David Hegermiller said he and Southold Chief Martin Flatley would meet with New York State Department of Transportation officials next week to discuss several initiatives.

“It’s a volume issue. Our residents should plan accordingly,” Mr. Hegermiller said.

He said the idea to close Sound Avenue to westbound traffic will not be done this year.

“That’s a very big project to do with a lot of staffing, which I don’t think we can do,” he said.

Though the road will not be closed to westbound traffic, he said their plan for this fall will still focus on diverting westbound cars away from Sound Avenue, and encourage them to use north-south roads such as Herricks Lane in Jamesport.

“It will allow less traffic on Sound Avenue so that people that are heading east can make the turns [into businesses] easier instead of holding up traffic,” Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said.

Mr. Hegermiller said that plan would likely be piloted in September.

“We’ll see how it works and then we’ll take it from there,” he said.

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