A roundabout under construction by the state transportation department at the intersection of State Route 25 and County Route 48 in Greenport. (Photo Credit: Brendan Carpenter.)
How many jurisdictions does it take to screw up a traffic circle? Apparently at least two on the North Fork.
The state and county have had more than a year to build what should be a seemingly easy task. Instead, it stalled like an old Chevy and its off-center design has already led to at least two car crashes as drivers adjust to the circle of doom. The layout forces eastbound drivers to slam the brakes as they go around the circle at Main Street, while westbound traffic blasts straight through the less-curved portion of the roundabout.
Complicating matters is that the county is in charge of Route 48 west of the circle, while Route 25 east of the rotary is a state road. Southold Town and highway boss Dan Goodwin are out of the jurisdictional loop, leaving Greenport residents coming north on Main Street in a jam.
Work began Sept. 22 and officials initially said it would be done in a matter of weeks. That deadline has come and gone. Now, the state DOT says the traffic circle won’t be completely done until next spring — depending on the weather.
This is government incompetence at its worst. Communities across America build these projects without breaking a sweat. Yet on the North Fork, we’ve managed to create a hazard that’s more dangerous than the intersection it was meant to fix.
The numbers don’t lie. There were 15 accidents in four years before construction started. Now, we’ve had two accidents — and who knows how many near-misses — in less than a month. Thankfully, there have not been any serious injuries but at this rate, the “safety improvement” may set a new record for mayhem.
And here’s the kicker: This isn’t some backroad patch job. It’s the main thoroughfare on the North Fork. The roundabout is part of a $10.9 million state infrastructure project announced with great fanfare by Gov. Kathy Hochul in April 2024.
Meanwhile, locals — and tourists racing from or to the Cross Sound Ferry in Orient — are left to navigate this puzzle on their own. Police Chief Steve Grattan is right that people need time to adjust to new traffic patterns. But they shouldn’t have to adjust to bad engineering.
The fix isn’t complicated. Cut through the bureaucratic traffic and finish the job.
If that means working nights and weekends to get it done, so be it. If it means bringing in additional crews or paying overtime, that’s the cost of doing business right the first time.
In the meantime, more clear signage needs to be added to slow down traffic.
This isn’t just about engineering — it’s about accountability. When public officials promise safety improvements and deliver the opposite, that’s a breach of trust with the communities they serve.
For $10.9 million, we deserve more than a demolition derby. We deserve results.
Until then, slow down — or become a possible casualty of the circle of doom.