Central Islip residents press for more rail crossing fixes despite MTA's planned eliminations
Drivers along the Long Island Rail Road’s Ronkonkoma Branch corridor routinely face delays lasting up to 30 minutes due to heavy traffic at street-level crossings.
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While the MTA moves forward with plans to eliminate multiple busy at-grade railroad crossings using federal grant money, some Central Islip residents and local officials say critical trouble spots are being left behind.
Drivers along the Long Island Rail Road’s Ronkonkoma Branch corridor routinely face delays lasting up to 30 minutes due to heavy traffic at street-level crossings.
First responders warn that this poses serious risks beyond commuter inconvenience.
"This year alone, we had 105 times our fire trucks were stuck at a train gate," said Richard Johnson Jr., fire commissioner for the Central Islip Fire Department. "There's only one way to go around Central Islip, and you have to cross the tracks to get to the side of town."
In July, officials announced that the MTA received nearly $7.5 million in federal funding through the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program to advance planning and preliminary design for three major crossings: Lowell Avenue in Central Islip, Straight Path in Wyandanch, and Fifth Avenue in Brentwood.
However, residents argue that the busy grade crossing at Suffolk and Carleton avenues should have been prioritized as well.
"Traffic was from the railroad station down Lowell all the way to the firehouse," said Tony Ceccarini, a Central Islip resident.
Ceccarini emphasized that town officials need to act quickly given the growing population. "They have to do something. You just can't leave it like this," he said. "There is more and more people moving into the area, and that's more and more cars."
"The MTA believes that the best way to improve safety and traffic throughput is to eliminate at-grade crossings," MTA Spokesperson Aaron Donovan told News 12. "That is why, in conjunction with Suffolk County, the MTA is studying ways to eliminate three separate crossings, including one in Central Islip. The MTA also welcomes the construction of underpasses or overpasses to replace at-grade crossings provided they are funded through non-MTA sources by appropriate road jurisdiction.”
"We are also working with NYS DOT to study the elimination of the railroad crossings in the County," Donovan added. "It is a total of five, three of which are referenced above: Lowell Avenue in Central Islip, Wicks Road/Fifth Avenue in Brentwood, Straight Path in Wyandanch, and Ocean Avenue and Pond Road in Ronkonkoma."
The MTA did not confirm Carleton Avenue was under evaluation.
