33rd Year, Volume 34 ⢠Issue 35
The Peopleâs Newspaper - Covering All of Brookhaven
August 30, 2017
Public Hearing for More LIRR Crossings in Tri Hamlet Community
2017 William Floyd Scholarship Golf Outing
Page 23
photo by Ron Monteleone
Improving Legion Field Sports Complex
Page 24
MBPOA Annual Blue Claw Crab Festival
Page 21
by Barbara LaMonica Over 150 residents and elected oï¬cials at virtually every level of government turned out for a public hearing last week to testify about the need for additional at grade railroad crossings in the Tri Hamlet peninsula. The hearing was conducted following a 30-year saga of eï¬orts to get the LIRR to build another crossing to lessen volumes of traï¬c at various intersections, and in anticipation of an emergency where residents would have to evacuate the peninsula when time is of the essence. From a logistical standpoint, Brookhaven Town Planning Commissioner Tullio Bertoli explained that the Tri Hamlet Community is a seven-mile long peninsula with one way in and one way out. Brookhaven Town Sixth District Councilman Dan Panico directed the hearing where listeners heard results of a comprehensive âLong Island Railroad At-Grade Crossing Traï¬c Impact Studyâ by Nelson & Pope Engineers and Land Surveyors which was commissioned by the town as part of a legal process the town is following under
Section 90 of the New York State Railroad Law. According to Brookhaven Town Senior Assistant Town Attorney Kenneth Lauri, the legal process includes the town giving notice to the LIRR about the public hearing. Nelson & Popeâs ï¬ndings, together with testimony from the hearing are being submitted to the New York State Department of Transportation prior to the case going before a law judge. According to statistics cited by Nelson & Pope, the Patchogue/North Patchogue/Patchogue Village communities to the west of the Tri Hamlet Community have a population of 45,420 and 12 at-grade railroad crossings. The Center Moriches community to the east of the Tri Hamlet Community has a population of 8,043 with four at-grade railroad crossings. The Tri Hamlet peninsula has a population of 56,649 with three railroad crossings. Upon calculation of those statistics, the Tri Hamlet has an appreciably larger population with signiï¬cantly fewer atgrade crossings. Add to the mix that the Tri Hamlet Continued on Page 3