The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) recently received a $7.5 million federal grant to advance planning and preliminary design to eliminate three grade crossings along the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Ronkonkoma Branch.
The goal is to improve safety, reduce congestion, enhance rail reliability, and strengthen the surrounding communities.
“This grant paves the path for the LIRR to be a better neighbor to the communities it serves, as seen by the Third Track project’s eight eliminated grade crossings,” Rob Free, LIRR president, said. “Eliminating these three grade crossings would provide more reliable service for our riders while helping residents get around their community more easily and safely, with less traffic and noise. It’s a win for everyone.”
The locations, the WicksRd/Fifth Avenue grade crossing in Brentwood, the Straight Path crossing in Wyandanch and the Lowell Avenue crossing in Central Islip, were selected by MTA and Suffolk County leadership, planners, and engineers who identified crossings where grade separation would provide the greatest public benefit. The officials considered safety, traffic volumes, operational impacts, and community needs.
The crossings support vehicular, pedestrian, and transit movement along the Ronkonkoma Branch corridor and more than 63,000 vehicles use the at-grade crossings daily. The Wicks Rd/Fifth Avenue crossing is among the top five busiest crossings on Long Island with more than 35,000 vehicles daily.