Village Taking Multiple Approaches, In Conjunction With Other Entities, To Address Traffic Concerns

“Unbearable.”

That’s the word Southampton Village Mayor Jesse Warren uses to describe the traffic situation for those who work or reside in the village right now.

He says that addressing that problem is one of his top priorities — and to that end he’s been working with officials from Southampton Town, Suffolk County and New York State on potential solutions.

Warren and other local leaders are tackling the problem with a combination of short-term and long-term approaches.

“The only way to address the chronic traffic issues is to try different solutions, and that’s what we’re doing,” Warren said earlier this week. “Doing nothing is not an option.”

Warren said that he, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman and Southampton Town Highway Superintendent Charlie McArdle all agree that there are more cars on the road than the roads can handle during rush hour, and that moving cars more quickly through certain areas of the town and village — such as Montauk Highway and Hill Street, as well as County Road 39 — is crucial.

One problem area primed for improvement is the traffic light on Montauk Highway at St. Andrews Road, which Warren said stays red for too long for east-west traffic during rush hour. He said he has reached out to the State Department of Transportation, which controls that light, in the hope of setting off a process that would allow that light to stay green for longer.

Warren said he’s asked the State DOT to conduct a traffic study to determine how long the light should stay green. Recognizing that will take time, and that motorists who go through that corridor on a regular basis need relief now, Warren said his administration has been working with Southampton Town to have that light flash yellow at certain times of the day for east-west traffic, which has required the presence of either a town or village traffic control officer to be there during those times. He added that he’s also invited Shinnecock Nation Public Safety officials to help in that effort.

He said the feedback so far has been good, but he recognized that it’s not a complete solution.

There is broad consensus, among town and village officials, as well as residents, that the biggest offender when it comes to traffic issues is County Road 39.

As the name of that thoroughfare implies, neither the town or village have direct control over that road. But because it is the main corridor in and out of the village, it has a direct impact on residents and those who work there.

Warren said he has been in contact with several county officials, including County Legislator Bridget Fleming, and has requested a complete traffic study of County Road 39 in the village and town area, from Tuckahoe Lane in the west to the Water Mill area in the east. In that zone, the county controls nearly all of the lights — one of them is controlled by the state.

In the interim, Warren said he’s worked alongside Schneiderman and McArdle to pursue permitting for flashing yellow lights along County Road 39, including the light at North Main Street, and, what he says is the most crucial one, at Tuckahoe Road.

“That one, to me, is holding up everything,” Warren said.

Traffic control officers will need to be deployed anywhere there are flashing yellow lights, for an added layer of safety and control.

Warren said he and village officials have also been working on trying to alleviate the issue of cars speeding down side streets and residential streets in the village in an attempt to avoid traffic. A new state law that will now allow local municipalities to institute a global 25 mph speed limit will help the village lower the limit on many side streets from 30 to 25 mph, which should help address the issue, Warren said.

In conjunction with that, the village will look at raising the speed limit from 25 to 30 mph on some of the more major thoroughfares in the village. He added that the village would not make any changes with proper backup and recommendations from traffic engineers and studies.

A traffic study the village commissioned some time ago related to these issues is about 90 percent complete, Warren said, meaning a public hearing on the matter is imminent.

Warren said he wanted to make it clear that he and village officials recognize the traffic woes that have been plaguing residents and other visitors to the village.

“We want to show the public that we’re working on any and all possibilities here,” he said. “Obviously, having the state come in and get a study of that light done will be a big step forward as it relates to Hill Street and Montauk Highway. But we just wanted to take some action now.”

He said the engagement and cooperation of village, town, county and state officials on the issue has been key to moving forward, and making an unbearable situation more bearable, even if it’s incrementally.

“It’s important that we’re all working together and we’re trying,” he said. “We’ll do whatever we need to do to fix this problem.”