Commuting with Seawolves: How Route 347 Affects Stony Brook Commuters

The work and school commutes are among the biggest headaches which face drivers around the country, but State Route 347 in New York can sometimes seem like a migraine to students who commute to Stony Brook University.

“If you’re looking to travel far, the lights are a little bit of an annoyance, and some of the roadwork,” Jenna Mascia, a senior health science major at the university who commutes from Shoreham, N.Y. said.

Route 347, a 15-mile highway that stretches from east-west between the Northern State Parkway in Hauppauge and Route 25A in Mount Sinai, is one of the major roads which provide students with access to Stony Brook University, a school with over 13,000 commuters. The highway connects students coming from points east and west of the university to the two roads that connect to the university’s entrances at Stony Brook Road in Stony Brook, and Nicoll’s Road in South Setauket. The highway features numerous traffic lights at several intersections, and recently, the New York State Department of Transportation and Suffolk County have undertaken several new projects which aim to improve the highway’s safety and environmental standards.

The Transportation Department began a major renovation project in August 2010 to transform the high-traffic highway, which has roughly 71,000 cars using it on a daily basis, to a safer, more environmentally sustainable, and less congested boulevard. The $26.8 million initiative will increase the number of traffic lanes, add more bicycle and pedestrian pathways, as well as bus stops with eco-friendly bus shelters and planted medians, and change the speed limit from 55 to 45 mph.

“The new speed limit should prevent bottlenecks, which is a larger problem on the road overall right now,” Eileen Peters, the public information officer for the Long Island region of NYSDOT said.

Construction for this project officially broke ground on the first one-mile stretch of road located in Smithtown between where Routes 347 and 454 split off of the Northern State Parkway and Route 111, and is expected to take until 2020 to thoroughly complete, which has left those who use the road divided on their opinions.

“Anything that’s going to make the roads more safe and more environmentally friendly is a good idea to me,” Jordan Stamatakis, a senior business management major at Stony Brook who commuter to school and work from Center Moriches, N.Y. said.

“This is going to affect the quality of life and I don’t honestly think it’s going to improve the road that much,” Charles Heine, 25, of Centereach, N.Y. said.

The project has gone through numerous revisions and phases to get to where it is now. Past proposals have included adding a sound wall and overpasses at Routes 111 and 112 and Nicoll’s Road, and making the road more like NY 27, with service roads and exits which would direct traffic into neighborhoods and likely hurt businesses off of the highway. Both plans were later revised in favor of the new project.

Commuters coming from points east have also dealt with construction at Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station. Two separate projects have been underway on the road since 2009. The first, a $37.9 million project renovates a section of the road between Pine Road in Coram and Route 347, while the second, a $33.1 million venture, renovates between Old Town and Pine Roads, and continues past Route 347 to where 112 reaches Route 25A in Port Jefferson. This project has included repaving, new turning lanes and central medians, as well the addition of new bike lanes, sidewalks, bus stops and shelters. Construction work takes place on the road between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and will include daytime travel lane closures, which have extended onto 347.

“It definitely takes me longer to get home now,” Mascia said. “There is a lot of traffic buildup at 112 now because of the construction, and it’s definitely frustrating.”

Suffolk County has also made some changes along 347, recently installing several new red light cameras along the road as part of a Red Light Safety Program which began in June 2010. The cameras are set up to capture images of the back of cars running red lights and also record a short video of the infraction, which those who receive citations can view online.

A total of 12 cameras have been installed at a total of five intersections along 347. Two are located at the intersections of NY 25 and 347 in Nesconset, Stony Brook Road and 347 in Stony Brook, Mark Tree Road and 347 in South Setauket, and Old Town Road and 347 in Port Jefferson Station. Four cameras are located at the intersection of Nicoll’s Road and 347. These cameras are also an issue which has left those who use the road divided, especially students who try to get to school on time.

“I’m kind of in between on those lights,” Stamatakis said. “From one point of view it’s cutting back on people running red lights, but it’s also creating a more dangerous environment if you know the camera’s there, and the light’s turning from yellow to red, and you try to force yourself to stop, and if it’s raining out, or there’s snow on the ground, it could potentially cause a more dangerous situation as you try to stop and slide into the intersection to avoid getting a ticket.”

“I was actually excited about in a weird way,” Mascia said. “I think it’s beneficial, it’s not right to be blowing those lights and everything, it’s just not safe.”

All of these factors combined frustrate commuter students at Stony Brook.

“If you’re late by 10-15 minutes, that could mean that much longer of a wait for the bus at South P [Commuter parking lot], so it’s kind of like this domino effect,” Mascia said

“I’m never really late for my classes because of traffic, but I’ve been late by 15-20 minutes before,” Stamatakis said. “It’s frustrating, especially when you can’t find parking on campus closer to buildings. It makes you that much later.”