Suffolk County Earmarks $350K For Sidewalk Study Targeting County Road 39 Corridor And Bus Stop

Suffolk County officials have set aside $350,000 to study the feasibility of installing sidewalks along a dangerous two-and-a-half-mile stretch of County Road 39 in Southampton.

In addition to examining the cost of installing sidewalks along both sides of the highway, the study will look at the possibility of installing a traffic signal at the Sunrise Highway merge.

Secured earlier this month with the help of Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming, the money will fund an examination of the corridor between the terminus of Sunrise Highway and Tuckahoe Road to the east and offer estimates on the cost of installing a shelter for those who wait for the county bus stop along the south side of the road. Currently, commuters must stand in the dirt just off the shoulder of Sunrise Highway.

“There’s a critical need to address pedestrian safety there,” Ms. Fleming said, referring specifically to the bus stop near the merge. “It’s clear that the bus stop is not adequate in any way. We drive past people who are really in a difficult position there, and we have to deal with it.”

The Suffolk County Legislature’s Committee of Public Works, Transportation and Energy is funding the study and is expected to put out a request for bids next month.

The goal of the initiative, according to Ms. Fleming, a former Southampton Town councilwoman, is to improve pedestrian safety. She noted that the new sidewalks, if eventually installed, would comply with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. Certain sections of road also could be repaved.

According to Ms. Fleming, there was not enough money in the county’s budget for sidewalks when it decided to widen County Road 39 nearly a decade earlier and add a second eastbound lane between Sunrise Highway and North Sea Road, a 4.5-mile span. She noted that the new funding will finance only the upcoming study; the county does not yet know how it would fund any of the proposed work, including the new sidewalks, though Ms. Fleming expects that the county will try to secure some federal money.

Still, Ms. Fleming is optimistic that a consulting firm could be picked by August, and that the feasibility study could begin as early as November. She noted that much of the work will examine how much land the county owns along County Road 39, and whether it has any right to private property.

A main concern for Town Councilwoman Julie Lofstad, who worked with Ms. Fleming to obtain the funding, is the condition of the bus stop.

“There’s usually eight, 10 people—sometimes in the rain,” Ms. Lofstad said. “You can see the little path they make on a sloped hill on the busiest road out here. Just seeing that big group of kids standing out there every day, rain or shine, and seeing that little dirt path that they walk on to get to that bus stop … I thought it was important to get this study.

“I’ll be very happy if I can see those kids walking on a sidewalk and standing in a bus shelter,” she added.

Ms. Fleming concurred, noting that the county is now completing traffic counts at the merge to determine if a signal is also needed at the location. She noted that those living on Inlet Road have expressed concerns about accessing the eastbound lanes of County Road 39 from their street.