In Syosset, There exists a Highway Stub located on the Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway. Exit 14, New York 25 otherwise known as the Jericho Turnpike. This interchange is unique, as any other in the nation. Traffic traveling Northward is forced to exit onto the Turnpike heading West. This however, wasn’t meant be the case.
The Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway, once known as the Wantagh-Oyster Bay Expressway, was supposed to go all the way up to Rye, New York, branching out to become the Oyster Bay-Rye Bridge, where it would connect with the Cross Westchester Expressway (I-287), completing the New York City Beltway that begins in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
But, the Bridge proposal faced fierce opposition. During the 1960s, Robert Moses’ proposals were being left and right, in part due to the fallout of the Cross Bronx Expressway, which caused protests that shut down many projects, including this one. It was formally cancelled in 1973, and to this day, the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway remains a stub, ending in Syosset.
There have been attempts to build a Long Island Sound Crossing since, in multiple locations including Shoreham where the William Floyd Parkway could connect with I-91 New Haven, Connecticut, even in Orient Point to linkup with I-495 in Rhode Island.
More recently, Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a 55 Billion Sound Crossing Connecting Bayville and Rye, but it too was killed, and now the stub remains vacant.
But New York City, especially now, cannot afford to continue as it is, and as each day passes, it shows that A Long Island Sound Tunnel is Desperately Needed.
The Average Commute time for Long Islanders is about 34.5 Minutes, and the Commute from Long Island to Westchester itself is even longer. If you live in Sea Cliff and are driving to Rye, New York during Rush Hour, it takes anywhere between 50 and 75 Minutes, depending on Traffic. Currently, travelers to Rye would have to take the Long Island Expressway to the Throggs Neck Bridge, and if traffic persists, it forces travelers to take other crossings, which would expand travel time even further.
If a Tunnel were built, it would cut down that travel time significantly, though Suffolk residents would still have to drive through Nassau County, the Commute time for travelers in Nassau County, where most of the population on Long Island lives, would be cut significantly, as a Tunnel between NY 25 and I-95 would be 18 miles in length.
The Tunnel Would Have Economic Benefits for the area as well. The Crossing would allow for more immediate growth and truck drivers and commuters from upstate would be able to enter the Island more freely, and not have to navigate through New York City traffic
The Creation of an Additional Crossing off the Island would also create another evacuation route, which after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, became an apparent need, especially as Climate Change Intensifies, and its effects begin to become more visible.
The Issue of Local Opposition remains the biggest roadblock. The Misguided and Illusion-Bound residents of the communities that would be “affected” this project have concerns, but those concerns are misguided. The Sound Tunnel would have no exits north of NY 25, and should be aligned through Stilwell Woods Park, which would allow it to bypass Bayville, thus preventing the people of those communities from feeling the need to fight this tunnel.
The Island’s dynamic is rapidly changing once more, with projects like the Nassau Hub breathing new life into the Suburban landscape, and the need for a Long Island Sound Tunnel has never been more present, its time for New York State to do the right thing, its time for the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway to finally be finished.