Frustrated drivers hope overhaul of LIE Exit 53 brings needed relief
COMMACK, N.Y. - Motorists are coping with a difficult drive on parts of Long Island.
Exit 53 of the Long Island Expressway is being overhauled. Thousands of drivers have to maneuver around the service road and through neighborhood streets. It's an overwhelmed area in need of relief.
The area is home to massive shopping centers in Commack, Brentwood, Smithtown, and Hauppauge, with the largest industrial park on the East Coast. All of that is dependent on Long Island Expressway Exit 53.
"For years, you guys have faced frustrating traffic congestion"
Two new offramps for direct access to Crooked Hill Road are now open. They are part of $27 million project transforming and connecting the interchange.
New York State Transformation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez believes removing the notorious bottleneck will boost safety and improve the economy for the entire region.
"For years, you guys have faced frustrating traffic congestion and delays trying to navigate this interchange. I'm hoping those days are no more," Dominguez said.
For Eric Metzger, driving to the grocery store can be unnerving.
"Getting off the Expressway at Exit 53, it was totally backed up," he said.
Multiple drivers said they didn't know why they've been stuck in traffic. Eric Alexander of Vision Long Island thinks the DOT needs to better communicate, plan and listen.
"They need the public's input in these decisions," Alexander said.
At the Premier Diner on Commack Road, Archie Georgatos said he and his customers didn't know about, but now welcome, the direct route off the LIE.
"I think people get confused the most because there is no Exit 52 heading from west to east," Georgatos said.
He's banking on the new road upgrades bringing in more hungry diners.