Lawmakers outline plans for safety improvements on Long Island's Southern State Parkway
HOLBROOK, N.Y. -- It's just 26 miles long but considered one of the most deadly roads in New York.
The winding Southern State Parkway has 4,000 crashes a year -- many are deadly -- and survivors have been crying out for something to be done.
Carol Riggs lost her husband, Richard, a beloved father and grandfather, on the parkway when two weaving, racing drivers in stolen cars caused his fatal crash last year.
"It has destroyed my family," Riggs said. "We were married for 52 years at the time ... It's like a piece of me is gone."
The Southern State Parkway and its notorious 10-mile section nicknamed "Blood Alley" were not built for high-speed travel. The parkway opened in 1927 to give drivers access to Long Island beaches and beauty. Now 200,000 vehicles a day use it.
The AAA calls the Southern State the "poster child of bad roads."
"I have submitted a grant application for $900,000," Sen. John Brooks said.
Brooks stood with lawmakers and transportation leaders, outlining plans for enforcement enhancements recommended by state troopers. The pilot program would bring license plate readers and cameras to the roadway.
"We recognize that there is a need to use technology," Brooks said.
When college student Nafiah Ikram had acid hurled in her face, the suspect escaped on the Southern Parkway. Police say license plate readers could have helped catch him.
READ MORE: Nafiah Ikram's personal message one year after acid attack outside family's home on Long Island
"It's going to make sure that people are held accountable when they use our roadways in a malicious way," Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages said.
Even with the road's twisted layout, many tragedies there are preventable -- caused by distracted driving, inattentiveness, even reckless and intentional drag racing.
"The license plate readers, the extended law enforcement, that will help," Riggs said.
The Riggs family wants enhanced punishments for scofflaws, including drivers who cover their license plates.
