$27M Long Island Expressway Project Is Now Complete: Hochul

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A $27 million construction project that began on the Long Island Expressway in 2022 is now complete, Governor Kathy Hochul said Wednesday.

The project modernized Exit 53 of the LIE in Suffolk County and aimed to give drivers quicker access to shopping, commerce and recreation near Crooked Hill Road.

Huchul's office called the project one of the most significant upgrades to the LIE since the addition of High Occupancy Vehicle lanes in the 1990s and said it transformed the interchange by adding two new exit ramps from the expressway to Crooked Hill Road, creating smoother travel conditions and more direct access to many of the area’s most visited businesses as well as nearby recreational and educational destinations.

In addition, connections between the LIE and the nearby Sagtikos State Parkway were also improved as part of the project and a new detection system was installed to mitigate instances of trucks and other over-height vehicles entering the parkway.

“Long Island residents are all too familiar with the frustrations and hardships that come from traveling along congested and outdated roadways, and we are determined to do something about it,” Hochul said. “The transformation of the Exit 53 interchange will make the commute to and from work easier for thousands of motorists who travel these roadways every day and also improve access to many of Long Island’s most popular stores, restaurants, schools and parks, which will boost our economy, reduce stress and improve quality of life.”

Officials said the reconstructed Exit 53 interchange, which is located at the border of the towns of Islip and Smithtown, will negate the need for motorists to take circuitous routes involving service roads and congested local intersections to reach Crooked Hill Road and allow for more convenient travel to destinations such as Brentwood State Park, Suffolk County Community College’s Michael J. Grant campus in Brentwood, retail outlets in Commack and the industrial parks in Hauppauge, Brentwood and Deer Park.

In addition to the new ramps, the project added seven new overhead signs and three new electronic message signs that display advisory messages. Each ramp terminus at Crooked Hill Road (Suffolk County Route 13) also features an enhanced traffic signal with audible pedestrian crossing signals and handicapped accessible curb ramps, both compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to Huchul's office.

On the Sagtikos State Parkway, lanes for traffic merging from the LIE and from Pilgrim Psychiatric Center were extended southbound to enhance safety and mobility. A second lane was added throughout the ramp from the eastbound LIE towards the southbound parkway and a third travel lane was extended for traffic merging onto the southbound parkway to the G Road bridge with additional improvements at Exit S2.

Countermeasures to prevent over-height vehicles from illegally entering the Sagtikos State Parkway include a laser detection system that triggers LED warning signs urging them to pull over immediately and alerts the State Department of Transportation's regional traffic management center. Ground-mounted and overhead signs that warn of the parkway’s truck restrictions were also added, officials said.

The project also addressed drainage issues, and an existing 3.5-acre recharge basin that filters highway stormwater runoff was reconditioned by removing approximately 3,100 tons of organic material to prevent blockages and allow for more adequate filtration. The basin was also expanded and over a mile of new drainage pipes were installed to accept more water in anticipation of heavier rains due to changing weather patterns.

Over 2,600 new trees and shrubs were planted as part of the project, including a mix of wildflowers developed specifically to create a safe habitat for pollinators and Monarch butterflies and to prevent erosion on the slopes of the recharge basin, the governor said.