Passerbys on Main Street may have noticed, and perhaps even been perturbed by, the abundance of construction at the intersections of Fulton Street and Motor Avenue in recent months. According to village and county officials, the disruption will soon bear fruit.

The construction is due to the Nassau County Department of Public Works' Main Street Improvement Project for the county road. It will widen the street at the intersections of Fulton and Motor Avenue in order to create extra turning lanes to alleviate traffic congestion.

The project was first requested by the village in 1990, and approved by the county in 1992. However, work was delayed for several years because of objections from landowners whose property was acquired to make way for the widening, as well as the complexity of engineering plans, according to Francis Higgins, superintendent of Highway Drainage Construction for Nassau County. According to Farmingdale Village Clerk John Giordano, financing problems also played a part in the delay.

"They're widening two intersections. They're widening the intersection at Fulton Street and also down at Motor Avenue...Main Street at that point will be a four-lane road. Now, it's a two-lane road," said Giordano. "The whole point of the project is to relieve the traffic congestion for people who wait at that light at Fulton Street when you come up Main Street. It backs up all the way down to Motor Avenue."

Giordano added, "About 30,000 cars a day pass Main Street and Route 109."

As part of the installation of the additional turn lanes, the county is updating the drainage in the area, and replacing sidewalks, curbs, and pavement, according to Higgins. The nearby railroad crossing is also being widened and updated.

Excavation and preparation work with area utilities began in the fall (The utilities relocated some poles and installed some new gas mains.) Drainage construction began around Jan 1.

The project, which extends from Lockwood Avenue to Richard Street, is about 10 to 15 percent complete, Higgins noted. "There's going to be major disruption within the next six months, until we get the project complete, and we're looking for patience from the surrounding community," he said. "It's very necessary because of the traffic tie-ups at Motor Avenue and Route 109. The main object of the project is to relieve the traffic tie-ups."

As part of the project, a small traffic island will be created near the railroad tracks, for traffic control purposes. The Village Beautification Committee is looking into adorning the island with plantings after the construction is complete. "We may ask [the county] to allow us to garden that area," said Sylvia Claase, chairperson of the committee. "The less concrete the better."

Prior to the road project, the committee had maintained a planter and village sign in the vicinity, but this was removed due to construction.

The Main Street Improvement Project is expected to be completed by the summer.

"We look at it as a temporary inconvenience that will result in a long term improvement," said Giordano.