Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto is seeking a $300,000 grant through the New York State Transportation Department Multi-Modal program for street lighting improvements along major roads in Massapequa, Farmingdale, Bethpage and neighboring communities.

"The town has received numerous requests from local community groups, as well as individuals, to convert from low-pressure to high-pressure sodium lights to increase driver visibility after dark," Venditto stated. "At night, high-pressure sodium lighting increases the visibility of color and prevents driver confusion between the street lighting and yellow traffic signals.

"The town has sought the assistance of State Senator Kemp Hannon in obtaining the grant," the supervisor continued. "The senator has been very helpful in the past in securing funding for various town projects, and I know he is working diligently on obtaining funds for this project."

Venditto noted that if the grant is approved, the areas slated for new lighting are Central Avenue, Bethpage; Hempstead Turnpike, Bethpage; Hicksville Road, Bethpage/Plainedge; Stewart Avenue, Bethpage; Merritts Road, Farmingdale; Boundary Avenue, North Massapequa; Broadway, North Massapequa; Bethpage-Sweet Hollow Road, Old Bethpage Road, Old Bethpage; Plainview Road, Old Bethpage; Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage; Winding Road, Old Bethpage; Central Park Road, Plainview; Gerhard Road, Plainview; Haypath Road, Plainview; Southern Parkway, Plainview; Washington Avenue, Plainview; Main Street, South Farmingdale; and Motor Avenue, South Farmingdale.

The supervisor went on to say that the town has already received a $250,000 grant through the Strategic Investment Program administered by the New York State Dormitory Authority for street lighting improvements on major roads in East Norwich, Hicksville, Oyster Bay hamlet, Plainview, Syosset and Woodbury. The grant will cover the cost of converting from low-pressure to high-pressure sodium lights along Rte. 106 from Hicksville to Oyster Bay hamlet; Old Country Road from South Oyster Bay Road to Round Swamp Road, Plainview; South Oyster Bay Road from Old Country Road, Hicksville and Syosset; Manetto Hill Road from Plainview Road /East Bethpage Road to Woodbury Road, Plainview and Woodbury; Woodbury Road from South Oyster Bay Road to Uphill Lane, Plainview and Woodbury; West Main Street, Oyster Bay hamlet; East Main Street, Oyster Bay hamlet; Rte. 25-A through East Norwich; Syosset-Woodbury Road from Woodbury Road to Cold Spring Road, Syosset and Woodbury; and Cold Spring Road from Syosset-Woodbury Road to Syosset downtown.

"In the very early 1980s, the town converted its street lighting system from incandescent and some mercury vapor light fixtures to what was then the more energy-efficient low-pressure sodium light fixtures, which emit a yellow light," Venditto said. "In the late 1990s the town retained the consulting engineering firm of Cashin Associates, Hauppauge, to do a feasibility study on converting to high-pressure sodium light fixtures, which are golden white. The results of that study showed that changing over to high-pressure sodium light fixtures would give the town the most effective and energy-efficient street lighting because it would incorporate the most recent advances in technology in the lighting industry. It would also produce a standardized street lighting system for drivers in Oyster Bay because the State uses high-pressure sodium light fixtures on all its roads.

"The town has already changed fixtures on a number of roads, including Sunrise Highway (town line to town line), Massapequa; Jerusalem Avenue, Massapequa; Merrick Road (town line to town line), Massapequa; and Jericho Turnpike (town line to town line) through Jericho, Syosset and Woodbury," the supervisor said. "These grants will allow the town to continue the conversion program at no additional cost to taxpayers. I am confident that Senator Hannon will be able to obtain the grant to move the project along."