Speaking Up

Hampton Bays residents who have been vocal privately, and on social media, in opposition to a plan to create the Good Ground Road Bypass missed an opportunity on June 22 to let town officials know how they feel.

They’ll get another chance next week to speak up — or suffer the consequences if the bypass to nowhere is eventually built.

A public hearing on a portion of the proposal will be continued this Tuesday, July 13, at 1 p.m. at Town Hall. Meetings are live and open to the public again, but written comments will be accepted.

The subject of the hearing is a land swap of sorts, switching up a parcel purchased with CPF proceeds on Montauk Highway, near the old diner, for another piece of land along the railroad tracks that was bought with general town funds. The swap is necessary because of restrictions on what can be done on lands bought with CPF money. The state approved the swap, which is necessary when parkland is being alienated, but a public referendum also is mandatory and will be initiated if the Town Board approves the plan.

The swap is part of a larger vision to create a new road to bypass a single block of Montauk Highway, from the intersection of Flanders Road to Springville Road. The proposed new road would run south from the end of Route 24 (where the diner now sits) before turning east and running along the railroad tracks to Springville Road, where it would connect with the end of Good Ground Road.

The multimillion-dollar project has been promoted by town officials as a way to alleviate some of the “trade parade” traffic in the mornings and afternoons by allowing local residents and some visitors speedier access to the heart of the hamlet, and to local beaches.

How exactly bypassing one stop light on Montauk Highway — in exchange for another stoplight at the Springville Road and Good Ground Road intersection — will provide any relief has boggled the minds of some residents opposed to the plan.

Next week’s hearing is only on a portion of the overall plan; as Councilwoman Julie Lofstad pointed out at last week’s hearing, even if the land swap is approved, the board could still opt not to go through with building the road. However, once local government gains momentum on a project, it’s always difficult to convince officials to put on the brakes.

Residents opposed to the bypass — or in favor of it, for that matter — need to share their views with the board next week. Otherwise, the board will plow forward with the project on its own, rather than being guided by public opinion. That’s rarely a recipe for success.