State DOT to hold public hearing on proposed construction at Greenport, Calverton intersections

The New York State Department of Transportation will conduct a virtual public hearing Wednesday to discuss the acquisition of land through eminent domain for proposed construction to address safety at four intersections on the East End.

The intersections include State Route 25 and Edwards Avenue in Calverton and State Route 25 and County Route 48 in Greenport.

Specifically, the hearings will be on proposals to acquire land in order to add turning lanes to the Calverton intersection and to construct a mini-roundabout at the Greenport intersection. 

Two other projects, both in East Hampton Town, are also included in the hearing. 

State officials say that including several locations in one project is used to save on design and legal costs. The plans were first pitched in 2018.

Greenport mini-roundabout

The corner of State Route 25 at County Road 48 in the unincorporated section of Greenport is proposed for construction of a “mini-roundabout,” according to the state report. 

The intersection currently has a blinking caution light for east and westbound traffic and a blinking stop light and a stop sign for traffic heading north out of Greenport.

“Roundabouts represent a potential solution for intersections with many conflict points and have demonstrated reduction in crashes,” the report says.

Roundabouts reduced injury crashes by 75 percent at intersections where stop signs or signals were previously used for traffic control, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). 

Studies by the IIHS and Federal Highway Administration have shown that roundabouts typically achieve a 37% reduction in overall collisions, a 75% reduction in injury collisions and a 90% reduction in fatality collisions, according to the DOT.

Construction costs are estimated at $2.76 million. 

Calverton intersection

This intersection had 40 crashes between 2016 and 2019, according to the state.

The posted speed limit along Route 25 at the intersection in Calverton is 50 mph and there are no turn lanes. Edwards Avenue has a 12-foot travel lane in each direction and the speed limit is 40 mph. 

The DOT seeks to widen the intersection and add turn lanes on all approaches. An ‘exclusive’ left turn lane is proposed for Road 25 at Edwards Avenue. 

“Exclusive left-turn lanes for vehicles remove stopped vehicles waiting to make turns from the through-traffic stream, thus substantially reducing the potential for rear-end crashes,” the DOT says in its report.

“A major synthesis of research on left-turn lanes demonstrated that exclusive turn lanes reduce crashes between 18 to 77 percent, or 50 percent average, and reduce rear-end collisions between 60 and 88 percent.”

The Edwards Avenue project carries a price tag of $5.12 million.

State officials on Wednesday will present the proposed work for review, answer questions and seek comments.

An informal question and answer session will be held prior to the public hearing from 6–6:30 p.m.

The presentation and formal comment period will be from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

To access the public hearing, click here or dial in by calling 1 (844) 621-3956 with access code 26319050736# and meeting passcode 45298333#.

Call (631) 904-3029 for any technical difficulties joining the hearing.