MASTIC, NY — Most weekdays, traffic is backed up in Mastic-Shirley around rush hour — a near-dead crawl that runs into Brookhaven to the west and Center Moriches to the east.
Beach traffic on the weekend causes further congestion, and when a Long Island Rail Road train comes in at the Mastic-Shirley train station, William Floyd Parkway is brought to a standstill. Sometimes it can take a half hour to reach the Long Island Expressway. And some residents say the traffic reminds them of Queens at times.
But is there a solution?
Some civic leaders on the peninsula hope so.
A group of them, who have concerns over traffic congestion that has grown in recent years and what it will mean once several large-scale developments slated for construction on the peninsula are completed, have called upon local politicians to troubleshoot some ideas on how the problem can be alleviated.
Brookhaven Town officials, including Supervisor Dan Panico, Councilwoman Karen Dunne-Kesnig, and Highways Superintendent Dan Losquadro, as well as Suffolk County Ed Romaine and Legis. Jim Mazarella, among others, have been invited to discuss traffic mitigation plans at a meeting at the Mastic Firehouse on Sept. 16.
Also invited to the meeting are the members of the Manor Park Civic Association, William Floyd Community Summit, and the Mastic-Shirley Chamber of Commerce, as well as the community at large.
State Sen. Dean Murray told Patch he was not sure if he had been invited to the meeting.
"If I could make it, I would be more than happy to attend and discuss the issues," he said, adding, that traffic "is a real problem."
Town spokesman Drew Scott told Patch that Panico and Kesnig's attendance are pending and that there will be no further comment.
Mazzarella's office said he will be unable to attend the meeting because he previously committed to attending the Firefighter's Recognition Dinner.
Patch has reached out to the offices of Romaine and Losquadro.
Civic association president John Scicignano says that about seven politicians have been invited to the meeting to speak about the road conditions because once the builders of the projects start developing, and finish them, it will be more congested with vehicles.
"We're going to get even more traffic, and we're backed up into the Moriches," he said of the area's current congestion.
In the coming years, at least three projects are expected to be completed, with the largest being the Beechwood development along Neighborhood Road. The plan includes the redevelopment of what has come to be known as the tiny beachfront hamlet's Main Street thoroughfare, which will include a retail component and reportedly more than 500 housing units.
Other projects coming down the pike include the construction of two large venues, including a two-story catering hall on Montauk Highway in Mastic. There are also plans to construct a larger Islamic Center of Mastic-Shirley on William Floyd Parkway in Shirley.
Both projects will include parking lots.
A representative from the Islamic center said its leadership is open to discussing traffic concerns.
"We understand that responsible development and traffic management are important issues for the entire community, and we welcome the opportunity to have a constructive conversation about them," the stated in an email.
Patch has reached out for comment from Beechwood and the catering hall.
The peninsula has only two main arteries from north to south, including the William Floyd Parkway and Mastic Road. William Floyd Parkway runs from Smith Point County Park in Shirley to the south, and to Route 25A in Shoreham in the north. It is mostly two lanes, with the exception of some extra lanes for turning closer to junctures like Robinwood Drive, Sunrise Highway, and the Long Island Expressway.
Mastic Road has single lanes in both directions, with the exception of some extra turning lanes.
For more than 20 years, the area's fire departments have been concerned about the lack of another route away from the shore in the event of an emergency, in which homes have to be evacuated.
Mastic Fire Department Chief Rudy Sunderman Jr. said that it is likely that some of his members are also part of the civic association and would likely attend the meeting.
Patch has reached out to the Mastic Beach Fire Department.
Scicignano says that the area's elected officials need to start thinking now about better arteries that can be opened up to improve the traffic flow, like the North Service Road and Titmus Drive.
"I want to start getting involved in the conversation because it's going to get really bad," he said. "It's bad now. Once all the stuff starts to go five years from now, it's going to be a disaster."
Traveling Mastic Road can take a half hour to get to Mastic to Mastic Beach when traffic is heavy and backed up at red lights, Scicignano says.
"You're not zipping around like you used to in the area, where all this traffic is," he said. "It has gotten worse. Mastic Road is a disaster."
The civic has ideas to improve the traffic flow, such as expanding on the shortcut motorists currently use to avoid William Floyd Parkway, by taking Titmus Drive at Montauk Highway to the North Service Road and accessing Sunrise Highway there, Scicignano says.
"Why would you wait on all that?" he asked, adding, "Just get straight on, you know. There's things that you could do to speed things up a little bit with the ideas that we have. So, I'm going to bring them forward that night and see what can happen. They can take it and do something with it."
He is hoping the dialogue will move the situation along, so to speak.
"I'm trying to get a dialogue going between the people that could make the difference, and we got some ideas of our own," he said.
The Mastic Park Civic Association's meeting will kick off at 7 p.m. at the firehouse located on Mastic Road.
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