The sounds of screeching and sirens, and the sight of scattered wreckage alongside homeowners' properties may finally disappear for neighbors living on Manetto Hill Road who for decades have lobbied for a traffic signal to safeguard a treacherous intersection.

As a reward for their perseverance, the Nassau County Department of Public Works this week installed a traffic signal, and posted two signs, where Manetto Hill crosses with the Northern State Parkway's eastbound exit.

"We are so excited. It's working very well," said Nassau County Legislator Judy Jacobs, who had held a press conference on January 26 as part of a campaign to influence the DPW to build a light. Aside from Jacobs' effort, parents from nearby Parkway Elementary School in Plainview, who were concerned that the intersection was a danger to their children, became involved in a letter-writing project aimed at the DPW. Town Councilman Leonard Symons was also a strong advocate for a signal.

The sudden attention the intersection received led to an announcement one month later by DPW Director of Traffic Engineering Joseph Pecora that a traffic light would be installed.

Drivers, including many Woodbury residents traveling to Plainview by heading south on Manetto Hill Road, or traveling east to Woodbury via the Northern State Parkway, had been endangered for decades by this intersection which features a poor sightline and a lot of speed.

The accidents at the site have always been similar. A steep incline in Manetto Hill Road blocks a motorist's view of what's ahead as he travels south. A driver turning from the Northern State onto Manetto Hill Road misjudges the amount of time he has, and is struck by the car headed south. No one has ever died at the intersection, but accidents have resulted in serious injuries and caused property damage to local homes.

The traffic signal was hung high enough so that motorists will hopefully spot the actual light in enough time to stop. For extra protection, an electronic yellow warning sign, placed north of the light on Manetto Hill Road, was installed to alert motorists driving up the incline that they will be approaching a traffic signal, and what color that signal currently is. "It gives people the opportunity to know that they're going to have to stop for a light," said Jacobs. Public Works also placed a NO TURN ON RED sign at the parkway exit, which, obviously, was necessary if the traffic light is going to be more effective than the previous traffic control, which consisted of merely a stop sign.

Local resident Abby Berton, who organized the petition, was thrilled that the group campaign worked. After years of individual complaints that bore inconsequential weight, progress was made "once the community formed a cohesive unit," she said. Berton said she was relieved that it did not ultimately take a tragic death to force action by the county.

Jacobs also saw the potential for such a fatality. "Without being dramatic, I guarantee you [the DPW is] saving many lives ¬ more than you can imagine," said the legislator. "It's a big plus for this entire community, long-awaited and long-needed."

The lesson to be learned from the residents' seemingly endless struggle, said Berton, is "Don't take 'No' for an answer if you know it's wrong. The best thing that came out of this is that the people in the community have a voice."