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<title>Portion Road (CR16) Renovation News</title><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/index.html</link><description>Portion Road (CR16) Renovation News</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2007 Lake Ronkonkoma Civic Organization</dc:rights><dc:date>2008-05-05T21:54:03-04:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 21:55:23 -0400</lastBuildDate><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PortionRoadcr16RenovationNews" /><feedburner:info uri="portionroadcr16renovationnews" /><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="hub" href="http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/" /><feedburner:browserFriendly></feedburner:browserFriendly><item><title>Portion Road Visioning Update</title><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-05T21:54:03-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/eb2297f9e195d0c04ce150729df43d55-12.php#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/eb2297f9e195d0c04ce150729df43d55-12.php#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The County arranged the meeting rather quickly because they have realized that they must get the project out to bid by the end of the year or risk losing the Federal funding that would pay for it....  It is expected that two construction seasons will be required to complete the rebuilding of the road, so hopefully the work will be finished by the end of 2010.

As discussed previously, the new road will basically remain one lane in each direction, but will have a continuous center turn lane for its entire length and more right turn lanes to improve inter&not;section capacity.  Additionally, a second through lane will be provided on Portion Road at the four busy intersections that cause most of the delays along the road, namely: Ronkonkoma Avenue, Hawkins Avenue, Smith-Cenacle and Holbrook Road.

At the meeting we discussed and resolved most of the open issues, but were not able to find an acceptable solu&not;tion to the problem of the two through eastbound continuing several blocks east of Hawkins Avenue instead of dropping back to a single lane right after the inter&not;section.

...There was consid&not;erable discussion about the importance of locating the crosswalks carefully so that drivers can easily see the pedestri&not;ans and yield to them, especially when making right turns from Portion Road onto the cross streets.

We also discussed the placement and spacing of the trees that will be planted for the full length of the road, as well as the details for the bus shelters and orna&not;mental light posts that will be provided.  The special lights posts will be provided only in the two business districts: in the vicinity of Ronkonkoma and Hawkins Avenues at the west end of the project and between Warren Avenue and Morris Avenue in Farmingville at the east end of the project.

...The bike lane will remain but it will be marked with stan&not;dard white paint instead and the County has promised to look into moving the bike lane away from the adjacent traffic so that a safety buffer can be provided between the bikes and the adjacent moving traffic.  Another improvement will be the use of much larger street name signs for the Portion Road cross streets so that unfamiliar drivers will be able to identify the street they want sooner and make their turns more easily and safely.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Portion Road: The Last Six Years</title><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2006-06-01T00:16:34-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/c3d2d3a46051ec80414eb65bbeb39450-0.php#unique-entry-id-0</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/c3d2d3a46051ec80414eb65bbeb39450-0.php#unique-entry-id-0</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The community first became involved with the project in December 1999 at a public meeting that the Suffolk County Department of Public Works held to present their proposed plans for the new Portion Road....  They showed two through-lanes in each direction with a continuous painted center lane to be used for left turns for the full length of the project from Ronkonkoma Avenue to Nichols Road.  Most of the attendees questioned the need for so many lanes and expressed fear that the proposed wide road would encourage higher speeds, cause more serious accidents and make it very difficult and unsafe for pedestrians to cross.

...Many left that second meeting feeling that the community&rsquo;s wishes were being ignored and convinced that the County was going to do what it wanted and that it was a waste of time trying to stop them.

...The engineers maintained that their basic design was still the best plan for the road and the political leaders were reluctant to fully support the alternate plan that the CR16 Committee was presenting on behalf of the community.

...The County DPW engineers eventually relented somewhat, and after reviewing the existing and projected traffic volumes, agreed that the traffic conditions along Portion Road east of Holbrook Road were not as severe as at the west end of the project.  They then revised the plan so that, east of Holbrook Road, the new road would only be one lane in each direction with an additional center lane for left turns.

...While the reduced width of Portion Road to three lanes east of Holbrook Road was viewed as a positive accomplishment, the proposal for five full lanes west of Holbrook Road was still unacceptable to the community.

...In March 2006 a new plan was presented that had only one through-lane in each direction in the western part of the project.

...Smooth tapers will be provided to safely transition traffic between the one and two lane sections and a center turn lane will be provided for the full length of the project.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Portion Road Visioning Update</title><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2005-12-01T13:27:54-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/b590eef20bc350aca90fc9c5160987fb-3.php#unique-entry-id-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/b590eef20bc350aca90fc9c5160987fb-3.php#unique-entry-id-3</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Civic strongly objected and indicated that it would be detrimental to the community to fully widen more than a mile of Portion Road just because the problems at one intersection in the middle could not be overcome.  The County and the Town agreed to study the problem further with the hope of coming up with an alternate solution. After a brief study period the County engineers contacted the Civic and a meeting was arranged so they could present their plan for a compromise design that they had developed.  Their new plan now calls for a reduced 3-lane wide road design for this section of the road.  However, to meet Federal approval procedures and funding requirements they said that they must space the roadway curbs far enough apart so that the road could theoretically be widened to 5 lanes in the future, if necessary.  They stressed that a future widening would only happen if the community requested it and that they would minimize the impact of the extra pavement width by providing bike lanes, medians and landscaped &ldquo;bump out&rdquo; at the intersections to shorten the pedestrian crossing distance. While the Civic still has some concerns about the extra roadway pavement width, it is a major accomplishment that the new design for this section of the road provides for only one through travel lane in each direction.  The County has promised to work closely with the Civic on the details for this new design and they will most likely present the plan to the community at a public meeting in early 2006. In summary, the proposed design configuration for entire length of the new Portion Road from end to end is now as follows: Ronkonkoma Avenue to Hawkins Avenue: Limited length 5-lane design with 2 through lanes in each direction to handle heavy localized traffic.  Previously agreed to by Civic. Hawkins Avenue to Smith-Cenacle Road: Special 3-lane design with 1 through lane in each direction and room to add an additional travel lane in future if requested by community. Smith-Cenacle Road to Holbrook Road: Limited length 5-lane design with 2 through lanes in each direction to handle heavy localized traffic.  Previously agreed to by Civic. Holbrook Road to Morris Avenue: Basic 3-lane design with 1 through lane in each direction. Center turn lanes will be provided to safely accommodate left turns and tapered sections of roadway will be utilized to safely and smoothly transition between the 5-lane and 3-lane sections of the road.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Suffolk County Department of Public Works Meeting</title><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2005-09-01T13:28:52-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/4bd8be09109d2b8b49a5072be60c609c-4.php#unique-entry-id-4</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/4bd8be09109d2b8b49a5072be60c609c-4.php#unique-entry-id-4</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The County presented a plan for the road that identified the three Town Centers that evolved from the Visioning meetings: the Hawkins Avenue Downtown Center; the proposed High-Point Center adjacent to Waldbaums; and the Morris Avenue Center at the east end of the project.

...The eastern section of the road from Holbrook Road to Morris Avenue is still proposed as a three-lane road with one lane in each direction and a continuous center turn lane.

...The three Modern Roundabouts that were proposed by the Visioning team to replace the signalized intersections at Hans Boulevard-Patchogue Holbrook Road, Cenacle Road-Smith Road and at Holbrook Road have been deleted because the county&rsquo;s estimates for traffic volumes at those intersections would have required large two-lane roundabouts.

...The area where there continues to be disagreement with the County is the western section of the road between Ronkonkoma Avenue and Holbrook Road where the proposed road plan still calls for two travel lanes in each direction with a continuous center turn lane (five lanes in total).

The design for the western section of the road was discussed in great detail with the County engineers and they explained that the five-lane road is required because of the high traffic volumes at five critical intersections: Ronkonkoma Avenue, Hawkins Avenue, Hans Boulevard-Patchogue Holbrook Road, Cenacle Road &ndash; Smith Road, and Holbrook Road....  It was proposed by the Civic that limited widening to two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane for two short sections of roadway between Ronkonkoma Avenue and Hawkins Avenue, and also between Cenacle Road-Smith Road and Holbrook Road, would overcome the capacity problems at these locations and would be acceptable to the community.  Tapered lanes would be provided to safely transition the traffic from the short widened sections of road, back to the typical three-lane roadway width. The discussion then centered on the Hans Boulevard-Patchogue Holbrook Road intersection, which also has capacity problems according to the County engineers....  And to make matters worse, they have determined that it is then necessary to make all of Portion Road five-lanes wide from the widened section at Hawkins Avenue all the way to the widened section at Cenacle Road-Smith Road.   The Civic strongly indicated that it was unacceptable and detrimental to the community to fully widen out about a mile of road just because the problems at one intersection in the middle could not be overcome. There was then a detailed discussion about the problems at this intersection and possible alternate solutions that could prevent the extensive road widening....  The Visioning meeting had identified many opportunities in this area for trips to, from and within these shopping centers to be made more efficiently by minimizing and/or eliminating the need to travel through the congested Portion Road signalized intersections. Finally, the Town of Brookhaven Traffic Safety staff that were at the meeting agreed to conduct a two-month study of the Hans Boulevard-Patchogue Holbrook Road intersection to see if there are ways to reduce the amount of traffic traveling through that intersection so that Portion Road does not have to be widened as proposed by the County. Hopefully the Town study will result in an alternate solution that will be acceptable to the County and the Community.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Portion Road Visioning Update</title><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2005-08-01T13:30:50-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/ccd23958493d86a6ce1040dc534f06b4-5.php#unique-entry-id-5</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/ccd23958493d86a6ce1040dc534f06b4-5.php#unique-entry-id-5</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The issue is still how to balance the need to move a large amount of traffic along Portion Road and at the same time maintain the road as a community road without turning it into a wide, high-speed road....  There seems to be general agreement that the road will be three lanes wide east of Holbrook Road with one lane in each direction and a center lane to be used for left turns. Besides working with the County on the roadway layout, the Civic has also been working closely with the Town of Brookhaven and several of the developers of the properties along the road, since good land use and development is directly related to the requirements of the road that the customers will be using to access the business being built.  We had discussions with the developers of the Stop and Shop site in the past and most recently have had extensive meetings and discussions about the new Dunkin Donuts that is planned for the vacant site in front of the Green Point Bank between Ronkonkoma and Hawkins Avenues....  The formal concept of Access Management is relatively new and can be defined as follows: A process that provides or manages access to land development while simultaneously preserving the flow of traffic on the surrounding road system in terms of safety, capacity, and speed....  Improved functioning can be measured in terms of roadway capacity, level of traffic service provided, delays, or travel time/speed. This is a formal definition that came from one of many research papers written on the subject.  It means that instead of each development site having its own private in and out driveways that are often unsafe, poorly located, and disrupt the traffic flow of the adjacent road, access should be planned and designed to meet the overall needs of the community and the traveling public.

...Stop and Shop was willing to build a connector to the Movie Theater site that would have allowed exiting traffic wishing to go east on Portion Road to exit at the little used Movie Theatre traffic light....  Instead, exiting traffic is now forced to turn left onto Hans Boulevard and then turn left again at the very congested Hans Boulevard/Portion Road traffic light in order to proceed east.  A similar connection was also proposed between the new Dunkin Donuts and Green Point Bank that would have created safer entering and exiting options, but again, the two properties were unable to reach an agreement for the connection.  Despite these two setbacks, we will continue to advocate for good access management along Portion Road, and fortunately the Town Planning Department is committed to this concept also and has promised to support our efforts.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Portion Road Visioning Update</title><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2005-05-01T13:33:21-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/e8d4256b4af147c9110e685887961bff-6.php#unique-entry-id-6</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/e8d4256b4af147c9110e685887961bff-6.php#unique-entry-id-6</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[However, it will be considerably more challenging to develop the details and implementation plan for the second Town Center area that the visioning team proposed for Portion Road between Hans Boulevard and Cenacle Road.  That area has been &ldquo;victimized&rdquo; over the last 25 years or so by typical suburban sprawl development that has failed to create the &ldquo;sense of place&rdquo; that many at the visioning meetings said was essential to a successful community....  The three centers to the east (The Movie Theatre, Sears Hardware, and Waldbaums) are physically connected to each other but are still perceived as three separate driving destinations that discourage people from walking between them....  The Blockbuster shopping center on the south side of Portion Road is a little better because it was built closer to the road and the parking in front is not as vast and barren as the parking lot on the north side of the road....  But despite the shortcomings of the physical design of these shopping centers by today&rsquo;s smart growth standards, the area was recognized as an important shopping area that the community needs and depends on. The following improvements have been proposed to make the area better and transition it into a true Town Center:

...Redesign the vast parking area in front of the north side shopping centers to create a Village Green effect with extensive landscaping and pedestrian amenities, including landscaped strips to divide the parking into more manageable areas.

...Provide direct pedestrian access, and possibly car access, between the Waldbaums shopping center and the Senior Complex behind the shopping center to encourage walking and reduce the amount of car trips on Portion Road.

...Minimize the width of Portion Road through the area and provide medians with attractive landscaping so that pedestrians feel safe and comfortable crossing at the signalized intersections, especially at Smith/Cenacle where several vehicular turning movements make crossing very challenging.

The proposed plan for the High-Point Town Center area is still not finalized and will require a great deal of input from the community as we move forward, but it is nice to know that there is a plan being developed for the area.  Many of the problems and poor planning issues that exist in the area today were caused by proceeding with piecemeal, sprawling development in the past without following a Master Plan for the area.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Roadside Litter in our Community</title><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2005-04-01T13:37:28-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/acd0a3a7a0ddfcba86d14f06c746065d-11.php#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/acd0a3a7a0ddfcba86d14f06c746065d-11.php#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[They point out that they are amazed and disappointed at the amount of litter along our roads and they suggest that something needs to be done about the problem.  They usually mention that they have just returned from vacation and noticed that the rest of the country doesn&rsquo;t have the litter problem that we have here, or they might mention that they had relatives visiting from out-of-town and they were embarrassed by our littered roads when they were showing them all the otherwise beautiful sights of Long Island. It seems obvious that someone in a high and influential position --- perhaps our County or Town political leaders, the Business Community, our Tourism Groups, or even Newsday --- should identify litter as a major problem and make a genuine commitment to clean up Long Island.  But for some reason there is a willingness to accept the status quo and just acknowledge that many of the people who live here are slobs and don&rsquo;t care about how the community.  I used to think that it was government&rsquo;s job to keep all the roadways clean for us, and I thought that if they would just send out maintenance workers on a regular basis to pick-up the litter, then the road would be reasonably clean....  It was very satisfying to see how nice the road looked after it was cleaned, especially the wooded roadsides which collect a great deal of litter, but it was also very disappointing to see that within hours the litter would start to appear again....  Yes they could certainly do more to address the litter problem with regular clean-ups, but it is really up to us as community residents to do something if we want our community roads to be clean. The Lake Ronkonkoma Civic Organization has taken the lead and adopted Portion Road from Ronkonkoma Avenue to Morris Avenue, which is about a 2.5-mile stretch of road.

...This needs to be done on a daily basis, both to keep the area neat and clean, and to prevent the litter from blowing into the adjacent roadways and any nearby wooded areas.

...A small group of neighbors or a family can adopt a section of road on their own as long as they make a commitment to clean it on a regular basis.

...We have highlighted the litter problem in the April Newsletter because it the time of year when we all start to clean and spruce up our yards....  Please consider calling your elected Town and County political leaders and tell them that you are tired of driving on littered roads and want them to solve the problem.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Portion Road Visioning Update</title><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2005-03-01T13:37:27-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/b8212ff116e1dca300c9600e8da65aeb-9.php#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/b8212ff116e1dca300c9600e8da65aeb-9.php#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Business District was identified by many as an important asset to the community, but it was generally recognized that the area was somewhat tired and not living up to its true potential.  The desire was to expand and build upon the character of the shops along Hawkins Avenue and prevent Portion Road from becoming a wide road that would divide the community and discourage pedestrians and walking.

...Locate the buildings closer to the road, making them two stories high with residential units on the second floor, providing parking in the rear, keeping the roadway width to a minimum, limiting driveway curb cuts and eventually permitting on-street parking.  The Civic is currently working with the developers of the vacant site near GreenPoint Bank to ensure that it is developed in a manner consistent with the plan that evolved from the visioning process.

...Handle the heavy traffic in this area by encouraging local traffic to bypass Portion Road, utilizing a new network of local feeder roads that would connect Hawkins and Ronkonkoma Avenues and run parallel to Portion Road.  The idea is to allow through traffic to use Portion through the business district in a controlled manner without over-expanding the road and encouraging large amounts of traffic to divert to Portion Road from the LIE and Middle Country Road.

...Develop a network of trails and walkways to connect the Business District to the many natural resources that are nearby, including the Nature Preserve that is north of Greenpoint Bank, Raynor Park, which is located on Ronkonkoma Avenue and is currently being refurbished, and of course the lake of Lake Ronkonkoma, which has had a glorious past but has been floundering for the past 35 years or so.

...Three bus routes cover the Business District and also serve the nearby Ronkonkoma Railroad Station and Smith Haven Mall, but very few people use the buses due to infrequent service, the bad image that buses have and poor coordination with the train schedules.  Many residents commented that much of the traffic congestion on Portion Road, Hawkins Avenue and Ronkonkoma Avenue is caused by the large numbers of commuters that drive their car to the station.

The exact plan for the Business District is still very sketchy and will require detailed development and ongoing input from the community, but it is quite evident that Lake Ronkonkoma, and the surrounding communities, have the ingredients and potential to become better than they are today, and the community residents have demonstrated an interest and willingness to work hard to improve things.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Portion Road Visioning Update</title><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2005-02-01T13:37:26-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/5f5dbae47698aa99a33ff7c2af6f7510-8.php#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/5f5dbae47698aa99a33ff7c2af6f7510-8.php#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[ A concept that was mentioned frequently during the Visioning was the possible use of roundabouts to replace traditional signalized intersections where appropriate. The use of roundabouts is currently under study for two locations along Portion Road.  The first location is the offset intersection of Portion Road where it intersects with Hans Boulevard on the north and Patchogue-Holbrook Road on the south; the second is the Portion Road/Holbrook Road intersection.  The planners and the design engineers are currently analyzing the traffic volumes at these two locations to determine if it is possible to replace the signalized intersections with modern roundabouts.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Portion Road Visioning Update</title><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2005-01-01T13:37:26-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/f9c87cff839b8dd7a19828ad7c5a2eb3-7.php#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/f9c87cff839b8dd7a19828ad7c5a2eb3-7.php#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The professional planners and designers who conducted the sessions looked at the overall Portion Road corridor, beginning at the eastern end of the Lake, near the Windows On The Lake restaurant, and stretching all the way to the Nicolls Road, where the hamlets of Farmingville and Holtsville abut Portion Road.  They identified a high level of enthusiasm and community spirit from the many members of the community who participated in the presentations, workshops and walking tours.  It became apparent to the planning experts that the Portion Road community has many natural assets and attributes, and a lot of potential to be better than it is now. However, they also pointed out that the development along the road has been very haphazard and poorly planned, leading to typical suburban sprawl and a declining sense of being part of a true community.  Some very interesting concepts and ideas were developed and presented by the community participants to counteract the problems that were identified.  Since the total length of the corridor that was considered is very long, the recommendation was to create three separate mini-town-center areas along the road to promote smart growth development, encourage people to walk and create the sense of community that many said they wanted.  The areas that were identified as potential town centers are as follows: o The Downtown Lake Ronkonkoma Business District at Hawkins/Ronkonkoma Avenues o The sprawling business area near Waldbaum&rsquo;s, that we are now referring to as &ldquo;High-Point&rdquo;  o The shopping center and professional building zone near Morris Avenue at the east end of the project  Future newsletter articles will describe the plans and vision for developing these three specific areas, as well as the connecting areas in between.  A key part of smart growth is setting aside &ldquo;green space&rdquo;; several areas were identified in the visioning.  As always, community input and involvement is welcomed and appreciated as we continue the planning process.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Portion Road Visioning Update</title><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2004-12-01T13:37:27-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/fad4fbe84206f9add8ec4098845046f2-10.php#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/fad4fbe84206f9add8ec4098845046f2-10.php#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The road will be still be re-built and capacity improvements will be included to make traffic flow better, but the emphasis will not just be on a wider road with more pavement.  Instead of looking only at the road, the visioning process identified several innovative land use and smart growth strategies to improve pedestrian and vehicular mobility, including: the creation of parallel local access roads; better connection of residential areas to businesses and shopping; and improved connectivity between adjacent shopping centers.  This strategy will decrease the number of local trips on Portion Road and reduce the amount of widening and extra lanes that will be required.  Pedestrian activity and bicycle use will be encouraged as alternatives to always using the car for local trips. The primary goal of the Portion Road project has been expanded to include the improvement of the quality of life in the community, as well as the improvement of traffic flow through the community.  The process to finalize the plan and complete the actual construction will still take some time and require ongoing input from the community, but we can all expect to be very proud of the new road and its associated amenities when it is finished.

...They were able to offer an incredible Vision of our community that delighted all participants present, which included local Town and County politicians, The Lake Ronkonkoma Civic, The Lake Ronkonkoma Chamber of Commerce, and hundreds of community participants.  Final recommendations to the County will be presented some time in December after further input from additional community groups are considered. The unique ideas included traffic congestion relief on Portion Road by providing additional parallel roads, allowing shoppers to get to their destinations without having to get on Portion Road.  These roads would be placed in the current blacktop parking areas that exist in underutilized parking areas of our shopping centers....  Trees and other greenery, benches, and garbage cans would line the roads and paths. A town square was envisioned at the corner of Hawkins Ave....  Businesses would either be next to the main road, or near the parallel road in the parking lot off Portion Road. Achieving this Vision will require a concerted effort and a lot of support from the municipalities and the community.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Portion Road Visioning</title><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2004-10-26T13:21:53-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/cbc0f2593df8f38334399ab4b858c82a-1.php#unique-entry-id-1</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/cbc0f2593df8f38334399ab4b858c82a-1.php#unique-entry-id-1</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Residents and business owners concerned about the future of Portion Road participated in the event.  They worked together to develop a &ldquo;vision&rdquo; of what the corridor could look like from Lake Ronkonkoma to Farmingville.  It was easily the most amazing community event to ever occur in this area.  The Civic has created a Visioning Committee to implement the community's goals.  Read more about the committee...]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Portion Road Renovation Committee: A History</title><dc:creator>webmaster@lakeronkonkomacivic.org</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2003-03-23T13:24:19-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/35ecdcb0f900ab798bc560f38d700bba-2.php#unique-entry-id-2</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.lakeronkonkomacivic.org/inside/cr16/files/35ecdcb0f900ab798bc560f38d700bba-2.php#unique-entry-id-2</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In fact, according to numerous studies, the number of cars driving through our community could double in three years if two new lanes are added to Portion Road.

Drivers are attracted to new or widened highways because they are initially free from traffic and often have higher speed limits than surrounding roads.  The intially uncongested roadway can also lure new drivers -- people who were taking public transit, carpool riders and people who were biking or walking.  Eventually, so many new drivers flock to the road that the new lanes are filled with traffic congestion.

...Or, think of trying to dig a ditch through a swamp -- water pours in from the surrounding land much like traffic pouring into a new highway from other congested or slower streets.

...As people live farther away from places for work, shopping and recreation, they spend more time in their cars and congestion becomes even worse.  The added traffic spills over from the widened road and clogs streets on either end of the widening, where the amount of road capacity has stayed the same.  This can create pressure to widen more roads, creating a never-ending cycle of congestion and road building.

Research has shown that traffic congestion comes quickly to new highways, within just a couple of years of adding new lanes.  Studies have shown that in less than three years, new drivers fill 10-50% of the new capacity (the number of cars that can travel on the roadway without causing congestion).]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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