Letter to Stephanie Pollack, Deputy Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration - Schumer Calls for Federal Safety Audit on Long Island's "deadliest Roads,' Including Routes 25 & 27; Jericho Turnpike & Middle County Road--alone--have Logged Dozens of Deaths With Fed Safety Admin; Senator Says Audit Could Drive Critical Transpo/safety Funds--he'll Push for--to LI

Letter

Dear Acting Administrator Pollack:

I write to urge the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to work with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and local officials in Nassau and Suffolk counties to address roadway safety throughout several stretches of road on Long Island.

A recent Newsday report detailed concerning data obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the number of crashes and road deaths on roads on Long Island. According to the report, the five deadliest roads, excluding expressways and parkways from the analysis, had a combined total of fatalities of 188 drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists from 2016 -- 2020. In addition, these roads also had the highest rate of fatalities per 100 million vehicles of all the roads analyzed on Long Island. These include:

NY State Route 25 with 62 fatalities, including 18 pedestrians and four cyclists;
NY State Route 27 with 61 fatalities, including 22 pedestrians and three cyclists;
NY State Route 25A with 26 fatalities, including five pedestrians and one a cyclist;
Suffolk County Route 80 with 20 fatalities, including two pedestrians and one cyclist;
NY State Route 24 with 19 total fatalities, including eight pedestrians and two cyclists.
These five routes weave their way across Long Island, and in many communities they are designed as wide routes that both attempt to serve as a street, meant to facilitate commerce and daily life by connecting drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to shops and businesses, and a road, meant purely to facilitate swift throughput of cars. Indeed, this combination of activity has led to the high number of incidents and fatalities in the past few years.

Fortunately, New York State Department of Transportation and local communities in Nassau and Suffolk counties have taken, and continue to take, steps to improve the safety of many of these roadways and intersections. However, it is clear that challenges remain, and federal expertise and resources can help address the issue by identifying the areas that are most in need of improvements, develop recommendations, and help communities implement the needed safety measures. I urge FHWA to work with local stakeholders on this issue, and to conduct Road Safety Audits as needed. Road Safety Audits would examine and analyze the roadways or key intersections along them, studying road design, mix and flow of traffic, as well as other characteristics, and identify possible safety improvements.

I applaud the state and the local communities' efforts so far and urge FHWA to stand with them and any requests they have to further help improve these roadways.

Thank you for your time and attention to this important request.

Sincerely,

Source