A taxi driver died after his vehicle was struck by a Long Island Rail Road train on July 30 at approximately 12:45 p.m, according to Metropolitan Transit Authority police.
Daniel Seagren, 49, of Ronkonkoma, a taxi driver for East End Transportation, was driving northbound on Wading River Road in Manorville with a passenger when he drove around crossing gates in the down position with lights flashing and bells sounding.
The taxi stopped on the tracks ahead of an approaching eastbound Long Island Rail Road train traveling from Ronkonkoma to Greenport, which struck the vehicle east of Yaphank Station, causing major damage to the vehicle.
Seagren was pronounced deceased at Peconic Bay Medical Center. The taxi’s passenger was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital in serious, but stable condition. About 50 passengers were onboard the train, but there were no reported injuries on board.
One of over a dozen derelict buildings that have been removed from the Lawrence Aviation Superfund site in Port Jefferson Station. File photo.
By Mallie Jane Kim
Plans to transform the Lawrence Aviation Superfund site in Port Jefferson Station hit a slowdown this week as a key contract deadline passed. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority requested to extend its June 30 closing deadline to Dec. 31, in a letter addressed to the Suffolk County Landbank Corporation, which is managing the property.
All other terms of the contract, a $10 purchase of land suitable for building a railyard, should remain in effect, according to the letter.
“The MTA’s decision to delay the closing date is understandable given all of the pressing issues that MTA leadership is dealing with right now,” said Landbank board member Peter Scully. “The most important thing is that the community’s long-term vision for the future use of the Lawrence Aviation site is still alive.”
The delay may be related to MTA’s current focus on fallout surrounding Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) June 5 decision to pause congestion pricing for cars entering New York City’s central business district, which had been scheduled to begin at midnight June 30. That plan had been in the works for nearly two decades, but Hochul cited the currently difficult economic conditions as a reason to wait. She has said she did not want to add a financial burden to New Yorkers already struggling with soaring prices of groceries and utilities.
But the pause threw MTA into funding uncertainty. Funding from congestion pricing was designated to go toward critical improvements to subways, buses and rails, according to a congestion pricing information page on the MTA website. Now, $16.5 billion in projects will be deferred, and some projects already in progress have had to be stopped, MTA board members announced at a June 26 meeting.
For advocates of cleaner-energy rail, reserving the Lawrence Aviation space is an opportunity to allow for infrastructure that can make possible future upgrades to the Port Jefferson Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. That line currently runs on diesel.
“Acquiring this property is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Three Village Community Trust President Herb Mones, referring to the fact that it is unusual to find an appropriately-sized space available on Long Island for a railyard. “For MTA not to pursue it full throttle would be really unfortunate.”
The contract previously hinged on an easement agreement with New York’s Department of Transportation that would allow a future railyard to cross a straight line of DOT property that currently hosts the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway trail. In the proposed site plan, the Greenway trail would be adjusted to loop around a railyard once MTA decided to build one — disturbing the flow of any potential highway there.
There was no word whether those negotiations had yet been ironed out.
Mones, whose trust oversees the nonprofit that maintains the biking and walking trail, called the idea of someday replacing it with a four-lane highway “preposterous.”
Sarah Lansdale updates the Three Village Civic Association on plans for the Lawrence Aviation superfund site. Photo by Mallie Jane Kim
By Mallie Jane Kim
A redevelopment plan for the Lawrence Aviation Superfund site in Port Jefferson Station is at risk due to a proposed rail yard intersecting a straight strip of property owned by the New York Department of Transportation, where the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway trail runs, according to Suffolk County Planning Commissioner Sarah Lansdale.
Lansdale, speaking at a Three Village Civic Association meeting on June 3, reviewed the existing plan to transform the former aviation factory into three parcels: a 5-megawatt solar array, space for a rail yard that the MTA will own and protected open space that is earmarked for the Town of Brookhaven.
“We’re in contract with all three parcels right now,” Lansdale said, adding that contract terms require an agreement between DOT and MTA by the end of June. “In order to get to closing, there are conditions that need to be met.”
DOT would need to agree to divert a small section of the Greenway path to make way for the planned rail yard, which would help accommodate future modernization of the Port Jefferson Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. However, this change would interrupt DOT’s solid straight line of property, which they reserve in case the need for a highway arises in the future.
“From what I understand, that would serve as a bypass for Route 25A should sea level rise or climate change impact the navigability of 25A,” Lansdale explained.
The Greenway is not currently protected parkland, though Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) spoke up at the meeting to announce that he had been working with state Assemblyman Fred Thiele (D-Sag Harbor) to fast-track last minute legislation designating the Greenway as parkland.
“The session has the potential to resolve this question,” Englebright said, though as of press time, no related bills had been yet introduced and the 2024 legislative session in Albany is scheduled to end June 6.
Civic association leaders expressed frustration at DOT even considering the possibility of tearing up the Greenway sometime in the future.
“They shouldn’t be going down that road — that’s insulting to our community,” said Herb Mones, who also heads the Three Village Community Trust which oversees the nonprofit that maintains the trail.
Mones added that the DOT had always been a vital partner in building and maintaining the Greenway. “It would be very disappointing if the DOT as an agency isn’t the most cooperative, most helpful in making sure the future of the Greenway continues without nonsense talk of putting in a highway,” he said.
The Lawrence Aviation plan has been in the works since 2022, though discussions between officials and concerned community members about what to do with the site have been going on much longer.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has already led the demolition of buildings on the site, according to Lansdale, who added that the DEC also completed an environmental investigation to remove the site from the Superfund list, which will clear the way for the solar development.
Lansdale expressed hope that the contract requirements will be ironed out on time, as she said the plan has had the benefit of community involvement and support.
“This is a federal Superfund site,” she explained. “The way that these sites are usually sold is on the auction block, with zero community input, to the highest bidder.”
Advocating for modern train technology
Though the Lawrence Aviation site plan reserves space for a rail yard, the MTA has given no indication it has imminent plans to modernize the Port Jefferson Branch of the LIRR, according to clean-train-energy advocate Bruce Miller, who said he has been talking with MTA officials and keeping tabs on the agency’s plans.
At the civic meeting, Miller urged local civic associations to lobby Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to force the MTA to follow state environmental laws by looking into new train technologies to replace the diesel trains running along Long Island’s North Shore.
“It would be very helpful to be somewhere on the [MTA’s] 20-year plan,” said Miller, who indicated one of his catchphrases when dealing with a New York City-focused MTA is, “We pay taxes, too.”
Miller, who favors hydrogen-powered or separate-car battery trains, said he’d like to get civic leaders and elected officials from both sides of the political aisle to put their heads together and figure out how to get the MTA to explore cleaner train technologies.
Englebright agreed with Miller’s assessment that the MTA is essentially a “rogue agency” not following state directives toward cleaner energy, and suggested lawsuits as a good way to rein it in. He pointed to both the 2021 state constitutional amendment that gives residents the right to clean air and water, and the State Environmental Quality Review Act as bases for lawsuits from the community to force the MTA to look into newer, cleaner trains.
“There should be a lawsuit considered by the civic community to challenge whether the actions or inactions of the MTA and the LIRR are consistent with the Constitution of the State of New York,” Englebright said, adding, “No agency of the state is immune to SEQRA.”
Civic association board member George Hoffman, who said he had listened to LIRR President Rob Free speak earlier in the year, expressed frustration that North Shore trains seem to be an afterthought with the MTA.
“We want to get a solution for the Port Jefferson line,” Hoffman said. “I don’t know if it’s electric, I don’t know if it’s hydrogen — we certainly know it shouldn’t be diesel, it’s one of the dirtiest forms of air pollution.”
Hoffman praised Miller for his leadership on the issue and indicated the civic association hoped to support his advocacy efforts. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” he said
Legislator Steve Englebright. Photo courtesy Office of Leg. Englebright
By Steve Englebright
The dust has barely settled from the demolition of 14 buildings at the long-blighted Lawrence Aviation Industries site. However, the promise the site holds as the only viable location for the rail yard needed to facilitate the modernization of the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Jefferson Branch is quickly fading.
For years, community organizations, business leaders and a united bipartisan coalition of elected officials — from County Executive Ed Romaine (R) to U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) and virtually every elected office in between — have worked tirelessly to craft a community-supported plan to clean up and redevelop the site. In fact, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority/LIRR is currently in contract to purchase a portion of the Lawrence Aviation site for railroad use, including a rail yard, as part of the Port Jefferson Branch modernization project included in the MTA’s recently published 20-Year Needs Assessment. The purchase price from Suffolk County Landbank Corp. to the MTA for the site is only $10.
Now, with a hard-fought victory in sight, the remaining puzzle piece that could derail the community’s vision is a slow-motion negotiation between the New York State Department of Transportation and the MTA to finalize an easement over a state-owned right-of-way for an unbuilt highway that has been converted into the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway trail to make the entire site inclusive of a functioning, relocated rail yard terminus for the LIRR. For the plan to move forward, DOT and MTA must finalize an agreement before June 30.
The modernization of the Port Jefferson railroad line is imperative to address climate change issues and prepare our regional transportation system for the future. The stakes are high — communities along the Port Jefferson Branch comprise 30% of Suffolk County’s population. The branch also serves faculty and students at Stony Brook University, the largest single-site employer on Long Island.
Stations along the Port Jefferson Branch are among the most reliant on outdated and polluting diesel technology in the LIRR system. Further, inferior service on the branch contributes to roadway congestion and additional air pollution as Suffolk residents along the Port Jefferson Branch opt to drive to Ronkonkoma and other stations to access single-seat service to their destinations.
Modernization of the Port Jefferson line has been promised for decades. An internal MTA study determined that double-tracking and electrifying the line is feasible. There is overwhelming support among residents and businesses, and long memories of broken promises for change.
If DOT and MTA — two state-controlled agencies — can’t agree to easement language quickly, communities from Huntington to Port Jefferson will lose out on the opportunity to include funding for the early planning and preliminary construction phases of modernization in the upcoming 2025-2029 MTA Capital Program, delaying the planning process for this long overdue and transformative project for at least another five years.
If this hard-fought plan, built on a solid foundation of community and bipartisan political support, is allowed to fall by the wayside, electrification may never happen — to the lasting detriment of the entire region.
State agencies must work together in the weeks ahead to ensure that this unique opportunity to modernize the Port Jefferson Branch can, finally, leave the station.
Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) is the Suffolk County legislator for the 5th Legislative District, and was formerly a New York State assemblyman.
Local officials blast MTA over 'shocking neglect' of Long Island
Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Lauren Sheprow speaks at a July 25 press conference as Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine looks on. Photo by Raymond Janis
A dilapidated bridge and longtime public safety hazard on Sheep Pasture Road in Port Jeff will come down.
“I’m concerned that the MTA has forgotten about this section of Long Island.”
—Ed Romaine
Local and state officials held a press conference Tuesday, July 25, at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville, celebrating a $15.8 million grant through the state Department of Transportation’s BridgeNY Program to replace the bridge.
The new bridge will be owned and maintained by the town.
The Sheep Pasture Road railroad bridge has facilitated vehicle traffic since 1906. The Town of Brookhaven and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had split the tasks for maintaining the structure — the town supervising the vehicle roadbed and the MTA responsible for the physical structure and its replacement.
“The bridge that’s there did belong to the MTA,” said Brookhaven Superintendent of Highways Dan Losquadro (R). NYSDOT “still gave the Town of Brookhaven $15.8 million to build our own bridge. That tells you how serious the concern with the existing structure was and the unwillingness on the part of the MTA to address the concern.”
Town Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) underscored the troubles surrounding the bridge’s structural integrity. “Our fear was that this bridge would collapse,” he said.
The supervisor noted that none of the town’s three train lines are fully electrified, suggesting a lack of public attention or investment.
“I’m concerned that the MTA has forgotten about this section of Long Island,” he added.
Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Lauren Sheprow attended the press event, expressing her support for the project under town supervision.
“On the north side of Sheep Pasture Road, those folks have been anxious for this development for a very long time, as have most of the residents utilizing that bridge,” she said. “The Village of Port Jefferson could not be more excited by the development that there will be a new bridge.”
“I’ll quote a congressman from New Jersey, who said the best way to understand the MTA is looking at the MTA backward. MTA spelled backward stands for ATM.”
— Dan Panico
Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook), whose 1st Council District includes Port Jefferson and Port Jefferson Station, thanked Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) office for “answering the call” of the state delegation.
Kornreich nonetheless acknowledged the need for greater attention by the MTA.
“I’ll echo my colleagues who have pointed out the seeming disregard the MTA has had for our plight and the safety of our residents,” he said. “It’s really been a case of shocking neglect.”
Continuing this theme, Deputy Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Manorville) condemned MTA’s position toward Long Island.
“I’ll quote a congressman from New Jersey, who said the best way to understand the MTA is looking at the MTA backward,” Panico said. “MTA spelled backward stands for ATM.”
New York State Assemblyman Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson) referred to MTA’s inaction on the public safety hazard as “egregious,” decrying the perceived lack of investment by the public railroad into the local area.
“The MTA has no problem increasing taxes on us, our payroll taxes,” the assemblyman said. “Every time they seem to need to go to the well, it’s communities like ours that seem to foot the bill, and we don’t get the proper services.”
Referring to the bridge replacement, he added, “This is just a win for the citizens up here.”
With funding secured, Losquadro said his office is moving toward the planning phase for the project. He maintained that coordinating with emergency services is already underway.
“We will make sure that this process moves as expeditiously as it possibly can,” he said. “We have already spoken with emergency services and first responders to make sure that we have a plan that when this bridge does come down, it will be for the minimum amount of time before the new structure is in place.”
After eight years of service on the Port Jefferson Village Board of Trustees, Bruce Miller will leave office. File photo
After eight years of service on the Port Jefferson Village Board of Trustees, Bruce Miller will leave office after this week.
Miller, who unsuccessfully sought a fifth term as trustee in this year’s election, will leave office on July 4. He will be succeeded by Lauren Sheprow.
In an exclusive interview with Miller, the outgoing trustee reflected upon his time in village government, his greatest challenges and his hopes for the future.
Miller congratulated the winners of the race, saying, “I would like to congratulate the two people that did win, Rebecca [Kassay] and Lauren. I hope they will do good things for the village.” He added, “Obviously, I’m disappointed that I didn’t place in the necessary top two, so I’ll be looking for other things to do. Any assistance that I can provide to the new trustees or the mayor or anyone else associated with the village government, I would be glad to provide.”
Writing his own story
Miller highlighted several projects that he believes represent the core of his contribution to the village. He said the projects he focused on were those that required long-term vision, carried out over many years.
“Certain things take a long time to accomplish,” he said. “With the green energy aggregated solar, we had to get laws passed in order to have it permitted on Long Island as LIPA resisted.” Miller added that the village could sign up for this program right now, which would reduce utility costs for village ratepayers.
‘I worked in areas kind of on my own. I made my own story.’
— Bruce Miller
The Long Island Rail Road was another trademark issue for Miller. He believes that after years of persistence, funds are finally being made available to improve the rider experience and expedite services. “The money is there,” the retiring trustee said. “There’s $10 billion coming to the MTA and we need to work with our legislatures to ensure that we get a piece of that.” He added, “In the Army we used to have the expression, KISS: Keep it simple, stupid. To the Long Island Rail Road, I would say just streamline this thing and do what you have to do to get us a better ride.”
Miller will be leaving office with “some ideas on the drawing board.” He said that if he had been reelected, he would have explored the possibility of annexing the Lawrence Aviation property and the houses between the property and Sheep Pasture Road.
“There’s 40 acres of open space there where we could declare parkland,” he said. “That would resolve a lot of issues that we have.”
Another idea Miller had was to consider the possibility of constructing underground parking in the Dutch model.
Working as a trustee, Miller said he encountered numerous difficulties along the way. A contrarian and independent voice, Miller said he was often in the minority on many of the major issues.
“I was a minority trustee,” he said. “It’s a very low-leverage situation. I tried to be supportive of the mayor and the priorities of the majority, but in some cases I could not do that and resisted a lot of that.” He continued, “I worked in areas kind of on my own. I made my own story.”
Tradition vs. transformation
Miller said that while much of the village’s character remains unchanged since his first term, the village has undergone some profound changes, most noticeably in Upper Port.
“If you look at the four blocks south of Sheep Pasture and North Country Road, there’s change going on there and there will be a lot more,” Miller said, adding, “The area was pretty blighted and the people who owned the property there allowed it to deteriorate in order to extract consideration for larger zoning, which they got.”
Miller also acknowledged that much of the development in Upper Port is made possible through Industrial Development Agency subsidies, “which means the apartments pay very little taxes, so there’s a great incentive for building and not much desire on the part of the developers to give back,” he said.
One area Miller had hoped developers could compromise on was architecture, which he believes should reflect the New England and maritime traditions of the community and create a sense of continuity between uptown and downtown.
“I had advocated that we use a Victorian, maritime kind of architectural structure on these buildings to tie them in with the downtown, so that we are one village,” he said, adding, “Making a village of quality is of interest to the residents because it improves their property values and their sense of being.”
Miller said he understands the sense of urgency to develop those areas. However, he still believes the developments should be guided by greater oversight from the village. “We’re not looking toward the future in terms of developing an ambiance that is on a par with Cold Spring Harbor or Southampton,” he said.
Leaving office
Miller’s message to the incoming board is to keep his priorities in mind as they are important. Aside from the duties that preoccupy board members from day to day, he said considerable forethought and long-term planning are also necessary.
“There’s a lot that goes on in the village that needs to get done, but we need to get beyond that and make substantial improvements in what we’re focusing on,” he said. “I would hope that they would pick up some of these issues that I had started with.”
He also asked that the trustees and the Planning Board apply greater pressure to real estate developers, who “are getting an extraordinary deal.”
Miller said he favors the construction of condominiums over one-bedroom apartments, which he says can also help offset declining student enrollment in the school district.
When asked if he had any regrets about his time in village government, he replied, “No, I don’t have any regrets. I really see this as a calling and it improves me. I like to contribute. I enjoy putting my energy and creativity into enterprises benefiting the community, and I will continue to do so.” He added, “I just see the value in contributing to and helping my fellow citizens and trying to express a better vision for their future.”
State assemblywoman on Albany’s neglect of Long Island
Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead). Photo from Giglio's website
New York State Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead) has openly criticized the state government for neglecting Long Island communities.
In an interview earlier this week, she addressed the upcoming gubernatorial primary election, her efforts to reach out to colleagues across the political aisle, the backward state of public infrastructure on the Island and more.
What is your professional background and how did you end up in the state Assembly?
I started my own construction company in 1997. I went to Stony Brook [University] at night while working full time during the day. I started to become very active in the construction industry and in land use — we owned 146 acres in East Quogue. My company is a certified Women Business Enterprise and I’m also a member of [the International Union of Operating Engineers] Local 138.
At the time, the Southampton Town Board put us in a moratorium for 2 1/2 years and raised our property taxes from $80,000 to $400,000. I was present at every hearing for the moratorium, where we couldn’t file an application and basically couldn’t do anything with our property. I felt that my property rights had been violated and became very involved in the political spectrum.
I started the Riverhead Business Alliance, where I had 50 businesses pay $300 a year so that I could hire somebody to send out emails letting businesses know about zoning changes that would be detrimental to their businesses. I set up a board of directors — and I was the president and the founder — and we just let everyone know what was happening in local government. A couple of years later, the business community asked me to run for the Town Board, which I did. I served on the Riverhead Town Board [as councilwoman] for 10 years.
There was a shift in government when [former state] Sen. [Kenneth] LaValle [R-Port Jefferson], who was a tremendous asset to the 1st Senate District, decided that he was no longer going to run. That’s when Anthony Palumbo [R-New Suffolk] decided to run for Senate. They asked me to run to fill his [state Assembly] seat, which I did, and I’m happy to serve the 2nd Assembly District in Albany.
You have spoken recently about the need to funnel tax dollars back into Long Island communities. In your opinion, are Long Islanders underserved by Albany?
Absolutely. I think all of Long Island is underserved by Albany. The largest concentration of New Yorkers is in New York City, so a lot of the money gets funneled into the five boroughs. I think that we pay a tremendous amount in tax dollars and a tremendous amount in our utility costs and that we are underserved.
However, I am very close to a lot of people on the other side of the aisle. I explain to them the problems that we have in our district and that we need help. I have been inviting them out here to come to different events, such as the Bell Town Heritage Area [in Aquebogue], where a friend of mine in the Assembly, Alicia Hyndman [D-Springfield Gardens], actually came out with her daughter and spent the day with me out here in the district, so that I could show her some of the challenges we face. On Saturday for Juneteenth, I went into Hempstead and spent the day with my dear friend, Taylor Darling [D-Hempstead] who is also in the majority, to see what her population is faced with.
I think that’s what it really takes: Not being a foreigner to other areas of the state, to realize what their needs are, and to make sure that we all work together to bring some of that money and some of those resources back to Long Island.
As local residents enter the voting booth for next week’s gubernatorial primary elections, what are some important issues that they should keep in mind?
The important issues are the high taxes that we pay in New York state and getting people back to work. I think that shutting down the economy and making people dependent on the government is problematic and it hasn’t worked in other countries.
I’ve worked with Congressman Lee Zeldin [R-NY1] since 2009 in his campaigns and have worked very closely with him over the years to make sure that our voices are heard here on Long Island. I think he’s been a pretty good advocate for us. I’ve listened to the debates and I think all of the candidates make great points. They have different areas of expertise that could help the state and I hope that whoever becomes the governor will tap into those assets, knowledge and experience that those others have.
I think that Lee Zeldin is the most experienced person running for governor in that he served in the state Senate and he also served in Congress, so he knows the mechanisms of government and can hit the ground running right away because we need a quick reversal of what is happening right now in the state.
Two Long Islanders will be on the primary ballots next week: Zeldin and Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY3). What does this say about the relationship between Long Island and Albany?
Long Islanders are mad. Whether it’s from the South Shore or the North Shore, the East End or the middle of Long Island, people here are mad. Our Long Island Expressway was a debacle for too many years. We needed that federal infrastructure money and I’m glad to say some of it is coming back to Long Island.
Long Island is a very unique place. There are a lot of people across the state that are spending a lot of time on Long Island, enjoying our waterfronts and our fisheries, our marinas and our farms, our commerce and our beaches. It’s important that we promote ourselves and make sure that Long Island has a strong voice in the state government.
In your opinion, is the MTA-LIRR underperforming? And what can be done to expedite services and make the railroad more responsive to Long Island communities?
I can tell you that the New York State government is a crutch for the MTA whenever the MTA fails or overspends or has issues. I think that the current governor [Kathy Hochul (D)] shutting down the government for so long, especially in New York City — and the city government that shut everything down from theaters to shopping to restaurants — it really showed New York City that Long Island can work from home and that we don’t need to go into the city.
I think that is going to cripple the MTA even more. The fact that the current governor held back and kept shutting everything down, sending the troopers and child protective services into restaurants on Long Island and throughout the state to make sure that everybody was shut down was a further step into government dependency. We were just writing unemployment checks and encouraging people to stay home and not go to work.
How can the state government be brought closer to the people of Long Island?
As I said previously, by bringing people out here. A lot of people on the other side of the aisle in the majority are planning on coming out and spending some time with me out on Long Island this summer, including Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes [D-Buffalo]. We’re going to visit the wineries and the farms, look at the beaches and spend some time together. She has assured me that she will be out here with me and I plan on taking a trip up to Buffalo to see what her hurdles and her struggles are.
I think that by bringing people out farther on Long Island and seeing what we have out here … especially our expressway. Long Island has been neglected for far too long and we need to make sure that our roads are safe, that our law enforcement is making sure that our communities are safe and that there’s always somebody at the other end of the phone to answer the call.
Our volunteer firefighters and our volunteer EMS workers, they are finding it very unaffordable to live here. We need to make sure that there are incentives for them to stay as another aspect of public safety. That is the fundamental reason why we have a government: public health, safety, welfare and prosperity.
Is there anything else you would like to say to our local readers?
I would like to say that elections have consequences. It’s very important that everyone pays attention to who is running for office. Look them up on the internet. We have easy access now to look at the platforms of the people running for office. Pay attention to who’s running and who best represents your ideals, your values and your concerns.
The bench above — which includes armrests arranged to prevent people from sleeping on it — is one of only two available outdoor seating options at Port Jefferson train station. Photo by Raymond Janis
By Amanda Olsen
Recent reporting on benches at the Port Jefferson train station [Port Times Record, May 26] prompted further investigation into this practice in public spaces throughout the area.
When reached via email for comment, MTA spokesperson, Sean Butler, defended the present layout of Port Jeff station.
“Long Island Rail Road’s Enhanced Station Initiative brought transformative renovations to the Port Jefferson station in 2019,” he said. “We are committed to working closely with the community to give our riders the best possible experience, including through the siting of station benches.”
Butler pointed to the various changes made to the layout of the station, which he suggests sufficiently assuage concerns from passengers and residents.
“The ESI project installed three benches inside the station house in 2019,” he said. “One existing bench was also provided inside the new platform shelter shed. In response to customers, LIRR added an additional outdoor bench this year.”
This seating arrangement seems to be the standard for railroad stations across Long Island. Browsing photos on the LIRR renovation website reveals divided benches at every building.
Hostile design in perspective
While employing design elements to manage public behavior is nothing new, modern hostile architecture gained momentum in the 1980s and ’90s as homelessness in the United States reached crisis levels.
Hostile architecture in seating is about more than just benches divided by armrests. Sometimes a bench can be too deep or too shallow, or it slopes. Often through choice of material, such as rounded metal pipes, these benches are made intentionally uncomfortable. Through hostile design, the shape of the bench causes eventual discomfort to the user, and the person moves on.
It can also mean opting for seats that aren’t seats. Select subway stations in New York City have added “leaning bars” instead of more benches. These wooden blocks are supported by a metal frame along the wall that provides little support for the elderly or the physically disabled.
Surfaces that would normally be flat can also receive this treatment. Ridges and spikes keep people from sitting or leaning against walls and also deter skateboarders. Sloping or rounding the surface has a similar effect. Longer spikes, reminiscent of bird barriers, keep people from sleeping on warm exhaust vents.
Cordoning off doorways, windowsills and stairs to prevent people from resting or loitering is a common practice, but hedges can also act as barriers. Fences with points keep dogs from investigating shrubs and other plants.
These measures are usually implemented to keep people from lingering or sleeping in public spaces. But they also have the unintended consequence of making spaces uncomfortable for other populations.
Changing the configuration of benches can often render them unusable for those who need them most. Seating is of particular importance for the elderly and disabled. Someone whose limitations do not allow them to get up easily might struggle in the space created by the dividing armrests. Larger people also cannot use this narrow seating.
The only guidance for outdoor bench armrests outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act states, “Benches will be most useful if they have full back support and armrests to assist in sitting and standing.” Placing armrests at intervals along the seat of the bench is a convenient manipulation to skirt this advice.
Local representatives gathered at the Lawrence Aviation property last year to identify where a rail yard could be built. Photo from state Sen. Anthony Palumbo’s office
Discussions have dragged on and on, and even as years turned to decades the dream of an electrified northern line of the Long Island Rail Road has shuddered along, like a train limping forward on little to no steam.
Though local leaders now say the time is ripe. With state reps championing the cause in Albany, local leaders are holding up a plum location for the necessary rail yard: Lawrence Aviation.
The former site of Lawrence Aviation Industries. File photo
The 126-acre superfund site in Port Jefferson Station has sat vacant since 2000, after the airplane parts company was accused of leaching chemicals into the ground. Ground cleanup was completed in 2009, and asbestos was removed from some of the buildings in 2015, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Various sources confirmed that late last year, local civic leaders as well as representatives from Brookhaven, Smithtown and Huntington townships, joined Suffolk County and state leaders on the superfund site property to identify where such a rail yard could be built. The latest update on the property by the EPA, dated October 2021, stated that the site consists of 10 buildings, a drum crushing site, and a vacant lagoon and woods.
Yet officials across both parties have long supported the project, which has been talked about for over four decades. It’s a project the environmental and economics-minded people have been on board with. Both previous state Sens. Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) and John Flanagan (R-East Northport) were proponents, and many electeds like Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) have long called on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to move the project forward.
What’s different now? Charlie Lefkowitz, president of Three Village Chamber of Commerce, said the most recent change in state leadership has resulted in a “newfound focus” on electrification. He agreed that Lawrence Aviation, which is tucked far enough away from residential houses to be not detrimental to homeowners, would be an optimal place for a yard.
The chamber leader also cited how much of a beneficial impact electrifying the line would have on the surrounding economy, especially with how Stony Brook students can use the train to traverse to hotspots like Port Jefferson or Huntington villages.
“Creating viable, sustainable public transportation really has to be looked at hard here,” Lefkowitz said.
In a written statement, state Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) further put his support behind the project.
“There is broad and bipartisan support to turn the site into a new rail yard to provide greater service to the region,” he wrote. “It is also a crucial component in the plan to electrify the Port Jefferson line. With the state and federal government investing billions of dollars in infrastructure there is no excuse not to get these projects completed now.”
“Creating viable, sustainable public transportation really has to be looked at hard here.”
— Charlie Lefkowitz
Suffolk County officials said they have had this property in mind for civic development since at least 2015. Deputy County Executive Peter Scully, known as the county’s water quality czar, said that there’s a current $860,000 annual cost to taxpayers due to a number of liens on the property, and the federal government is also looking to make up costs on the $150 million cleanup.
The county has already received legislative approval to settle with all the lien claimants, and execution on those settlements will likely happen in the next six to eight weeks, according to the deputy county executive.
“We have developed a cooperative working relationship with the state and federal governments to process those liens,” Scully said during a Zoom interview.
The Suffolk County Landbank put out a request for proposal in July of last year for companies to develop the Lawrence Aviation site. Early concepts of the site detail a portion of the property zoned for light industrial, while another section on the eastern end will be preserved as open space. Notably, the north end of the property conceptualizes an MTA railyard. The study also mentions potential plans to reroute the train tracks and potentially moving the Port Jefferson train station onto the Lawrence Aviation site as well, which would eliminate the crossing on Route 112.
Sarah Lansdale, president of the landbank and the county’s planning and environment director, said that and other concepts are on the table.
She confirmed the county received one bid back on the RFP for a solar farm on the industrial part of the property, though she did not offer further details as negotiations are ongoing.
Waiting on the MTA
With those claims out of the way, all that’s left is for the MTA to make a decision regarding electrification, but the transportation entity has been notoriously tight-lipped regarding this and other projects. The MTA included $4 million in their five-year 2015-19 capital plan to pay for a feasibility study on electrification of the Port Jefferson Branch, and while the transportation entity confirmed the study is in motion, there is no word on when it will be completed.
Dave Steckel, a spokesperson for the MTA, said in a statement that a feasibility study is one “among a variety of transit proposals throughout the region” and that “the authority will assess the study and other regional proposals using consistent metrics — such as cost, ridership, etc. — so that they can be comparatively evaluated.”
The analysis will also be used in MTA’s 20-year needs assessment, which is due next year.
That’s not to say the project is unknown to transportation officials. Kevin Law, past president of the Long Island Association who just recently stepped down from the MTA board, offered his support to two Island-based projects, according to Newsday. One was to finish the Yaphank station and the other to finish Port Jeff line electrification. Law is moving on to be the new director of Empire State Development.
Anthony Figliola, a civic leader in the Three Village area who is running for the New York District 1 congressional seat on the Republican ticket, said that he has talked to railroad officials who have confirmed the feasibility study is ongoing, though he and other civic leaders have not seen it yet. He added he’s spoken to the NYS Senate transportation committee leader, and that the local state electeds are on board.
“We’re on the radar as far as Albany is concerned,” Figliola said. “These are big capital projects that take a lot of time and planning. So while you know, while it may not happen right now, we need to start planning for this for the future, because COVID will be over, and life will get back to normal.”
Some transportation advocates say the silence is a bad sign. Larry Penner, a self-described transportation historian and writer from Great Neck, spent 31 years in the U.S. Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office. In a phone interview, he said riders should not expect anything on electrification until 2034, at least.
“We’re on the radar as far as Albany is concerned.”
— Anthony Figliol
He pointed to the Feb. 8 public hearing from the MTA which did not include mention of Port Jeff electrification. He also mentioned that there’s no money for the project in the MTA’s 2020-24 five-year capital plan. After the feasibility study is released, the MTA will then need to do the EPA’s environmental review process, which will allow for further FTA funding. The same amount of lead up time to acquiring a rail yard is likely to be the same.
“It’s a package deal,” Penner said. “You can’t build a storage without electrification and Federal Transit Administration funding. With this requirement that you fund a transportation improvement project, it has to go to beneficial use. So you couldn’t build a yard and have it sit there for 15 years.”
Scully said they have been in communication with MTA board members, but emphasized that timing is important for the MTA to start making moves on both electrification and Lawrence Aviation. Lansdale said the county is tasked with disposing all parts of the property, and without an agreement they may have to move on.
But another piece of the puzzle remains whether riders will return to the LIRR, especially as the pandemic continues. Many workers have realized the benefits of working from home, and many city offices remain in remote work. Though it had increased marginally in October of last year, weekday ridership on the LIRR continues to be about 50% of what it was in 2019, before the pandemic.
Penner said that problem likely overshadows any attempt to add more services on existing lines. The existing MTA projects like the ongoing $11.2 billion East Side Access to Grand Central Station promised tens of thousands of new riders when originally proposed, but with the ongoing pandemic he remains skeptical. “You want to protect and maintain the existing service before you expand service,” the transportation historian said.
Still, locals like Lefkowitz and Figliola remain optimistic about ridership bouncing back.
“As a New Yorker who lived through tragedies like 9/11 and others, I think there will be people going back from the trains,” Lefkowitz said. “I do believe that at some point, these things will get back to whatever the next transition of our future is, but I believe people will be riding the trains.”
Local and state officials have long talked about electrification of the Port Jefferson rail line, but missed deadlines and other issues may push any real project back decades. File photo
By Larry Penner
If the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, on behalf of the Long Island Rail Road, will not progress a planning study to look into the feasibility of extending electrification from Huntington to Port Jefferson, this project may never be completed in our lifetime.
Larry Penner
There is $4 million in real funding from the MTA $32 billion 2015 -2019 Five Year Capital Plan to pay for this study. The MTA previously promised that a contract would be awarded in the summer of 2019. They are now 15 months late in awarding a contract. There is no new recovery schedule for the contract award. If the MTA is unable to initiate a planning study, it may be an indication that this project will never go forward.
Estimated costs for electrification are $18 million per mile. The $260 million funding provided for electrification of the 7-mile Central Branch, running east of Hicksville on the Ronkonkoma line to Babylon is also on hold. This is due to the ongoing MTA financial crisis. This capital improvement would provide additional options for thousands of Babylon riders. They could travel from the Central Branch to Jamaica via the $2.6 billion Main Line Third Track and on to either Penn Station or future Grand Central Terminal by December 2022. Electrification of the Central Branch could also afford creation of a new north/south scoot service, running from Huntington via Hicksville and to Babylon. If results from any planning studies are positive, the next step would be the environmental review process, which would cost millions more. Funding would have to be included under the next MTA 2025 to 2029 Five Year Capital Plan.
The MTA2020 – 2040 Twenty Year Long Range Capital Needs Plan documents how much money, years or decades will be required before each MTA operating agency, including New York City Transit subway and bus, Staten Island Railway, Manhattan Bronx Surface Operating bus, MTA bus, Long Island and Metro North Rail Roads have reached a state of good repair.Categories for each agency include such assets as existing bus, subway and commuter rail fleet, stations and elevators to meet Americans with Disabilities Act and escalators, track including switches, signals and interlockings, communications, line structures, and painting, protective netting on elevated structures and bridges, line equipment including tunnel lighting and pump rooms, traction power, power substations, yards and shops and supervisory vehicles. It would be revealing if the MTA and LIRR is serious about extending electrification to Port Jefferson over this time period, it would be included within this report. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and the MTA promised that this document would be made public by December 2019. It is now eleven months late.
Extending electrification of the Port Jefferson branch east of Huntington has been talked about for decades. In the 1980’s, discussions took place between the MTA, LIRR, Suffolk County and various elected officials over which branch should be electrified first. The Ronkonkoma branch was selected over the Port Jefferson branch.
Without electrification east of Huntington, Port Jefferson branch riders may not have a one seat ride to the future LIRR Grand Central Terminal. Service is promised to begin by the end of December 2022. Thousands of daily LIRR riders from diesel territory branches, including those commuting from stations east of Huntington to Port Jefferson, east of East Williston to Oyster Bay, east of Babylon to Speonk and east of Ronkonkoma, will still have to change at Jamaica for travel to the future Grand Central Terminal or Atlantic Avenue to Brooklyn.
Future opportunities for funding to progress this project beyond a planning study will be under upcoming MTA 2025 – 2029, 2030 – 2034 and 2035 -2039 Five Year Capital Plans. The estimated cost will grow over time to $1 billion or more. This is necessary to pay for planning, design and engineering, environmental review, land acquisition for construction of power substations, expansion of commuter parking, potential relocation and/or consolidation of existing stations, new stations and platforms, new electric Multiple Unit car storage yard, new track, third rail and signals. From start to finish, the project could require 15 to 20 years. Based upon my past experiences on other FTA, MTA and LIRR projects, I would not be surprised if electrification of the Port Jefferson branch is not completed until 2040.
Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously worked for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office. This included the development, review, approval and oversight for billions in capital projects and programs for the MTA, NYC Transit, Long Island Rail Road, Metro North Rail Road, MTA Bus, Suffolk County Transit, Town of Huntington HART Bus, New Jersey Transit along with 30 other transit agencies in NY & NJ.
