New Greenport traffic circle causes confusion, pair of accidents
Greenport’s new traffic circle has turned into a confusing one-ring circus for drivers, with two minor accidents already recorded since construction began less than a month ago.
The unfinished mini-roundabout at the junction of County Route 48, Main Street and State Route 25, which started taking shape Sept. 22, has created an awkward traffic pattern that’s baffling drivers — especially visitors racing to or from the Cross Sound Ferry terminal in Orient.
“People approaching it who are not overly familiar with that intersection don’t realize there’s a circle there unless you live in the area,” Southold Police Chief Steve Grattan told The Suffolk Times.
The rotary is part of a $10.9 million state infrastructure project announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul in April 2024 to tackle four East End intersections.
The state designed it to enhance safety at a spot that has seen 15 accidents in the past four years — most of which occurred due to failures to yield the right of way along Routes 48 and 25, also known as Main Road, Chief Grattan said.
But right now, drivers face a half-finished puzzle that features orange-and-white striped pylons to direct traffic. Cars heading east on CR 48 toward Orient or north on Main Street from Greenport must navigate the roundabout’s curve, while westbound traffic from Orient gets a straighter shot through the intersection.
The two fender benders earlier this month involved a driver heading east on CR 48 when a vehicle entering the circle from Main Street crossed into his lane, causing the first driver to veer into a concrete barrier, according to police.
The second incident involved a car heading north on Main Street that entered the circle to go west on CR 48. A second vehicle coming from the east on Route 25 failed to yield to a vehicle already in the circle, causing a collision, police said.
There were no serious injuries from either incident.
Once construction wraps up, all drivers will have to follow the full circle.
“Completing the construction is really what’s going to increase safety at that intersection,” Chief Grattan said.
Roundabouts reduced injury crashes by roughly 75% at intersections where stop signs or signals were previously used for traffic control, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Studies by the IIHS and Federal Highway Administration have shown that roundabouts typically achieve a 37% reduction in overall collisions and a 51% reduction in injury collisions.
Southold Highway Superintendent Dan Goodwin said state crews will complete more concrete work, signage and re-striping as the project continues. Variable message boards and construction signs currently warn approaching drivers.
Once all of the concrete components of the traffic circle are complete, he said, it should slow the flow of traffic in the intersection.
Jurisdiction over the roadway falls between both the state and the county.
The project is expected to be complete by the end of the year, with some additional weather dependent work slated for spring 2026, according to New York State Department of Transportation spokesman Stephen Canzoneri.
