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An initiative to improve safety along a 10-mile stretch of the Southern State Parkway will bring 22 license-plate-reading cameras to the roadway.
The collection of data obtained from the license plate readers will allow police to check license plate information across various databases and identify drivers with outstanding warrants, as well as garner general information on traffic patterns and behavior. The cameras are also aimed to function as visible deterrents to speeding, as well as reckless driving, which officials say have plagued the Southern State.
Funding for the project will come from a $900,000 SAM (System for Award Management) grant to the New York State Police, which was secured by State Sen. John Brooks.
“I am proud to be working in conjunction with New York State Troopers to implement license plate readers along the Southern State Parkway,” Brooks said in a written statement. “For far too long, this 10-mile stretch of road has proven to be a danger to motorists, causing a litany of deadly crashes as a result, so we must do everything we can to protect our community. By installing these license plate readers, we can ensure that our police officers are able to better navigate the hazardous conditions presented by the SSP, and ultimately ensure that Long Islanders are protected.”
Brooks has also proposed legislation that would increase fines for traffic violations on the parkway.
“Long Island Contractors’ Association will continue the critical work of making the Southern State Parkway a safer place for all Long Islanders,” Marc Herbst, LICA’s executive director, said in the statement. “We are proud to have worked hand and hand with Senator Brooks in crafting the package of legislative priorities, and we will continue to advocate for additional funds to prevent more loss of life. We won’t stop until change is made.”
In August, LICA Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages released a report on the use of public-private partnerships that could be employed to make safety improvements on the Southern State, including adding a special toll lane.
The parkway, particularly a 10-mile stretch between Exit 17 in Malverne and Exit 32 in Farmingdale that has earned the moniker “Blood Alley,” is in dire need of work to improve the safety of the roadway, according to the report produced by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association and commissioned by LICA.
The report says the hazardous conditions on the parkway, which contributed to 4,166 accidents on the 25.5-mile road in 2019, include sharp curves, short acceleration and deceleration ramps, the profusion of smaller exits, and the proximity of three major intersecting north-south highways. It suggests considering a high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane throughout the Southern State and rebuilding the roadway to today’s engineering safety specifications.
The use of a public-private partnership (P3) could help fund the parkway’s reconstruction with a funding stream supported through a HOT lane, the report says. Similar to a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane like the one along the Long Island Expressway, a HOT lane includes tolling that may adjust pricing according to congestion levels, with the existing six-lanes remaining toll-free.
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Image and article originally from libn.com. Read the original article here.