On Thursday, July 26 in village hall, 155 Washington Avenue in Mineola, the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) will hold a public meeting to receive input on a proposed project developed in cooperation with the Long Island Rail Road, Nassau County and Village of Mineola. The objective of the project is to improve safety and traffic flow in the village by either eliminating or improving the safety of the LIRR road crossing at Roslyn Road, Willis Avenue, Main Street and Second Street.

"It is important to be knowledgeable about what's happening in our downtown and how we're trying to improve our community," said Village of Mineola Mayor John P. Colbert.

The village's railroad crossings have been the subject of discussion in the past and now it is apparently time to improve the ways in which traffic flows and safety around the crossings. For example, at times at the Roslyn Road crossing, with the gates down in anticipation of an oncoming train, traffic backs up on both sides of the crossing.

Residents as well as business owners and those who frequently cross over train tracks in their normal, everyday commutes are encouraged to give their input concerning the meeting. DOT representatives and engineers will be on hand to discuss issues and answer questions.

Part of the funds for the project are coming from New York State and encompasses state and county funds as well as funds from the railroad. "We're looking for input," said Hashem Masri of the DOT's design department.

The meeting will be open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on July 26. During that time, any residents can leave a comment on a comment sheet. However, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., there will be a formal session in which residents can express their opinions in front of a judge and a stenographer.

Here is a summary of what is being considered for the project. This summary has been taken from the design plans for the project.

There are four alternatives - three build and a no-build, that have been identified and are presented for the grade crossings as follows:

The No-Build alternative maintains all existing at-grade Main Line and Oyster Bay Branch crossings, i.e. Main Street, Willis Avenue and Roslyn Road and Second Street. This alternative proposes installing median barriers and/or safety measures now under study by the LIRR at the LIRR Main Line/Main Street, LIRR Main Line/Willis Avenue, LIRR Oyster Bay Branch/Willis Avenue, LIRR Oyster Bay Branch/Second Street and LIRR Main Line/Roslyn Road at-grade crossings. The median barriers and/or other safety measures will provide increased safety at the crossings by preventing vehicles from driving around the gates when they are down.

The Alternative proposes that Roslyn Road would be depressed under the LIRR. The grade crossings at LIRR Main Line/Main Street, LIRR Oyster Bay Branch/Willis Avenue and LIRR Oyster Bay Branch/Second Street would remain at-grade with additional safety improvements as described in Alternative 2.

At the intersection of the LIRR and Roslyn Road, a rail bridge will be constructed to carry the LIRR over Roslyn Road. Additionally, the LIRR Main Line will be raised approximately 0.6 m (two feet) to reduce the depth of cut for the vehicular roadway. The roadway will continue to be four lanes wide, have 4.45 m (14 feet, 7 inches) minimum vertical clearance, and have a design speed of 50 km/h (30 miles per hour).

This Alternative has all the features of Alternative 3 including the proposed depression of Roslyn Road under the LIRR Main Line with the addition features noted. It should be noted that each feature is distinct and independent of the other features and may be implemented on an individual basis in conjunction with Alternative 3.

A connector road would be constructed on the north side of the LIRR Main Line between Willis Avenue and Roslyn Road, which would allow drivers heading south on Willis Avenue who observe a railroad gate closure, to head east to Roslyn Road so as to avoid delays created by the gate closure. The horizontal alignment of the connector road will be constructed half in the LIRR right-of-way and half within private property. This option will require the acquisition of some private property.

The Willis Avenue southbound approach would be restriped to provide a left turn lane at the proposed connector road. The enlarged southbound approach would use a portion of the existing travel lane and shoulders to avoid road widening. The left run lane would extend northward so that it would be directly accessible from the Second Street intersection, and thereby avoids any delays associated with the LIRR Main Line gate closure at the Willis Avenue intersection.

Circulation improvements at the current eastern terminus of Station Road South are proposed to provide better vehicular and pedestrian circulation at and around the south side of LIRR Mineola station. The improvements will enable cars and pedestrians to use the area underneath the Mineola Boulevard Bridge for circulation. In addition, a one-way roadway (southbound) will connect the east end of Station Road South with Third Street. Right turns only will be allowed onto 3rd Street.

A new 120 space parking area is proposed at a site currently occupied by the Kozy Shack property, which is located on the south side of Second Street, between Main and Willis Avenues, and north of the LIRR Oyster Bay Branch. This alternative provides a final design solution for the property for which authorization has already been given for acquisition. It would involve the construction of an at-grade parking facility, which would provide much needed parking for downtown Mineola. During construction, it could serve as a contractor staging area.

The complete draft design report/environmental assessment is now available at Mineola Village and the Mineola Memorial Library on Marcellus Road.

Written comments can be given anytime before August 9 to either Richard Schneider, P.E., or Hashem Masri, P.E., NYSDOT, 250 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788.

For more information regarding the meeting, call (631) 952-6931.