An intersection on William Floyd Parkway, County Route (CR)-46, has been the subject of scrutiny on a consistent basis, so much so that residents are planning to petition Suffolk County to make desired changes.
The intersection in question is where William Floyd Parkway meets two roads, Ridgewood Drive on the west side, and Grand Avenue on the east side. The side streets are two lanes, one in either direction, with CR-46 being four lanes, two in either direction. There is currently no traffic light at the junction, although drivers looking to board the parkway from both streets are faced with stop signs.
This, according to locals, is not enough. The uncontrolled intersection, heavy traffic flow at peak hours, and high speeds, especially after dark, are what some say have contributed to the long list of accidents at the site.
Gurmukh Rathour, 25, of Shirley, sat down with The Messenger to discuss the issue that he feels should be investigated by the County.
“This intersection has been a problem for years,” Rathour said. “People have complained to the town to put a light there and it never happened. Every month there’s about one to three crazy accidents.”
Rathour lives on Ridgewood Drive, one of the streets that make up the problematic junction. He’s also lived in the area for many years and realized the issues at the intersection when he first started driving.
“I got T-boned when I was 18. A lady going 90 miles an hour blew through the intersection and totaled my car. The intersection is tough for everyone, but especially for young drivers,” Rathour explained.
He also spared no expense in listing some recent accidents, two of which affected his father’s office just a few hundred feet from the intersection.
Satpal Singh Rathour, M.D. operates a psychiatry office situated directly on CR-46 on the northbound side, approaching the intersection.
Rathour explained about the incidents involving his father’s practice: “Recently, someone was flying down the road at night and crashed into a neighbor’s car that was parked near my dad’s practice. The neighbor was in the car at the time. The driver veered off and took down the sign at our office. The neighbor needed physical therapy for a pretty long time.”
Rathour also shared another experience involving the family business: “Another situation at my dad’s office, someone flying down the road, lost control while high, took down our office sign again. Luckily, my dad was at the office at the time. The driver was unresponsive, but my dad and nephew were there and did CPR on the driver, who survived.”
The Rathour practice, although relatively unscathed through the incidents, has nonetheless served as a lightning rod for inattentive, negligent, or inebriated drivers, allowing them to shed light on the problems that could be mitigated with intervention by the County’s Department of Public Works.
Rathour also said that just last month, a car flipped over at the intersection. Although the exact cause of the accident was unclear, Rathour said it was a “nasty accident.”
A Mastic resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said the intersection is a tough issue to manage: “The big issue I’ve seen is when people are trying to make a left onto William Floyd or cross over, but that’s only an issue during high traffic times, in my opinion. Most of the day, it’s fine. I’ve had people pull bold moves in front of me from the side street, but I’ve never seen it from their point of view.”
When asked if a traffic light might help lower speeds and curb accidents, the resident said: “It’s already heavily congested during rush hour. I don’t know if it would cause more of a pile-up, but it would help the side street drivers get across more safely and easily. That said, they can always go up a block or two on the parallel streets and go to the blocks that have lights.”
The resident offered this final expression: “During normal traffic, I don’t think another light would be a problem. During rush hour, it could get painful, but who knows.”
The Messenger will continue to monitor activity at the intersection. The Department of Public Works said that they have not received any complaints about the intersection or any petitions for a traffic light.
