Last Updated: January 20, 2010

Your Tax Dollars At Work

• LC Colgate
Whether you like it or not, traffic lights have been upgraded and pedestrian signals have been added to the intersection of Birch Hill Road and Forest Avenue in Locust Valley.
Finding out exactly what was going on took this reporter on a trip through the byzantine maze of government bureaucracy. After first calling public works, and then public safety, planning and development, the lighting department and a garage in Glen Cove, it became clear that no one knew what was being done about the light installation or who was in charge. Each person who answered the phone in each department was cordial but had “no idea,” as to who was responsible for the overseeing and implentation of this rebuilding project. After many frustrating phones calls, and several hours or wasted time, there was light at the end of the tunnel thanks to Brian Devine, public information officer for the Town of Oyster Bay. Even though Forest Avenue and Birch Hill Roads are county roads, Mr. Devine knew whom to call to get some answers, and he knew what was going on, even though it was a county and not a town project.
Sheila Dukacz, head of traffic engineering and the signal management section for Nassau County was the person “in the know.” The new pedestrian walk signs and traffic lights are part of a larger project going on throughout Nassau County. They are being installed on Forest Avenue in both Locust Valley and Glen Cove; Hempstead Avenue in West Hempstead/Malverne and Atlantic Avenue in East Rockaway/Oceanside. According to Dukacz the purpose is “to rebuild traffic signals that report back to the central traffic computer in order to improve timing and progressions on major roadways.” Whether this is a good use of hard-earned tax dollars is another story.
The cold temperatures have hindered efforts to complete the work on a timely basis but Ms. Dukacz anticipates all work to be completed before the summer of 2010.
A second article will follow next week (January 27) and will feature community reaction to this project.

 

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