We would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who helped to bring about the safe turn lanes on Port Boulevard.

In 1977, the State installed the center turn lane at Campus Drive, but this improvement only underscored the need for the continuation of the center turn lane continuing down Port Washington Boulevard. It is apparent to anyone who has braved the traffic at 8 a.m. on any school morning that the safety of our children was at stake.

Over the years the increased traffic has caused many, many accidents and numerous near misses along the stretch from Campus Drive to Willowdale Avenue. Moreover, volume of traffic has also increased, making the left onto Davis Avenue, Vanderventer, Dairy Barn and North Shore Farms, all the more dangerous. It is clear that something had to be done.

Indeed, gas stations and businesses along Port Blvd. begged some safety measures. The tens of thousands of cars that travel Port Blvd. daily (and especially emergency vehicles) as well as all those who live north of this stretch are very appreciative of the newly installed center turn lane. There are some further adjustments that need to be made and we hope will be quickly forthcoming, but for now, thank you to our local and state officials at the NY State DOT for helping to make Port Washington a safer place to live and work.

Please look for a continuation of this letter in next week's paper.

Steve Kaplan and Dan Donatelli