Traffic Woes Addressed As First Round Of U.S. Open Nears

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Officials are working furiously to mitigate escalating traffic snarls as the first round of the U.S. Open approaches on Thursday.

Suffolk County, Southampton Town, and Southampton Village officials issued a joint statement on Wednesday, announcing transportation efforts being made by joint police operations to help mitigate travel difficulties "for the tens of thousands of attendees making their way to this iconic event each day."

Those who must travel during the morning rush hours, officials said, are asked leave extra time and be advised of the following:

After studying traffic patterns both normal and associated with the U.S. Open, traffic signal lights at several intersections along Montauk Highway and on County Road 39 are set to flash to avoid unnecessary stops during peak hours, and traffic posts continue to be monitored to react to changing patterns in real time, officials said.

"Officers are directing traffic at main intersections during various heavy traffic times. Police operations have also worked with the USGA to modify some of the original shuttle bus movements," a release said. "Traffic lanes on County Road 31 in the area of Gabreski Airport have been better defined, providing improvements in traffic flow."

Traffic delays should be anticipated, especially on routes impacted by U.S. Open traffic, including New York State Route 27, County Road 39, Montauk Highway and New York State Route 24.

Officials urged those traveling to the championship to utilize the Long Island Rail Road to help relieve congestion and avoid vehicular traffic delays.

The Long Island Rail Road is adding additional trains over weekend to accommodate U.S. Open fans. To view schedules and routes, click here.

"Keep in mind that this area is burdened with very heavy morning, from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., and evening, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., vehicular volume this time of year, and although significant steps have been taken to keep traffic moving, the volume of attendees and resultant traffic expected will likely create delays throughout the morning. If possible, please be flexible with your travel times, and if you must travel during these hours, prepare accordingly," officials said.

For a list of all travel info and road closures, click here.

The 2018 U.S. Open Golf Championship kicked off in Southampton Monday, bringing thousands of sports enthusiasts to the East End — and sparking an escalating chorus of traffic woes voiced by residents just trying to get to work.

With a commute of only a few miles taking hours, residents have turned to social media to vent their frustration.

"I'll be glad when the U.S. Open is over," Kristina Gale said "I saw a video this week of a guy in Germany that floats down the river to work. I was wishing I could do that!"

Gale said she had to go from Lynn Avenue in Hampton Bays to Sag Harbor, and the trip took an hour and a half. Others have said trips that normally take minutes are lasting up to three hours. Some said the idea of leaving points east to head to Riverhead was pretty much unthinkable for the week.

According to Southampton Town Police Lt. Susan Ralph, traffic was heavier on Montauk Highway due to people avoiding Sunrise Highway.

Southampton Town Police asked all taxi services to utilize the drop off designated area on Montauk Highway to drop off passengers.

"Discontinue utilizing County Road 39 as it is extremely dangerous for passengers to walk along County Road 39 to walk across four lanes of traffic," a release said.

Also, police have said motorists are encouraged to utilize Sunrise Highway, or NYS Route 27, Montauk Highway, or County Route 80, and County Road 39 during the week of the tournament, which takes place through Sunday.

"Utilization of these roadways will alleviate some traffic issues," police said.

This is the fifth time the championship is being hosted at the historic Shinnecock Hills Golf Glub in Southampton.

The golf championship, which brought more than 550 jobs to the area, is anticipated to generate between $120 million to $130 million in economic impact for the region, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. The analysis, he said, is based on expected weekly attendance of more than 200,000 people, including players, fans, volunteers, vendors and media.

Patch photo by Lisa Finn.