24 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • DECEMBER 2021
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Garbarino’s Courage Gives Hope
for Oakdale Merge Fix
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You may not recall the dreary,
chilling, wind-swept rain that
drenched Long Island during
the evening rush hour on February
6, 2020. While the storm may
have added a little extra drama,
what took place that day is far
too familiar. At one infamous
stretch along Sunrise Highway,
there was typical gridlock. The
NYS Department of Transportation
knows the road formally
as New York State Route 27, but
daily commuters know this area
as the “Oakdale Merge.” Others
disdainfully call it “Malfunction
Junction.” That rainy day,
standing alongside usual bumper
to-bumper traffic, then-Assemblyman
Andrew Garbarino
stood on the shoulder of Sunrise
Highway in Oakdale to demand
action.
Garbarino joined the Long Island
Contractors’ Association
(LICA) and other officials on-site
to deplore the unacceptable traffic
congestion. At that time, he
said, “I stand in solidarity with
LICA, these leaders, and the people
of Long Island in calling for
an overhaul to Oakdale Merge. It
has been a priority for years and
it can no longer be ignored.”
Later that year, rather than seek
re-election to the state legislature,
Garbarino campaigned for
the open seat in New York’s 2nd
congressional district. As part
of his platform for the new position,
he highlighted the need to
fix the Oakdale Merge. His message
resonated, and the people of
the district sent him to Washington
DC as their new Congressman.
If you are unfamiliar with
the Merge area and fortunate
enough never to suffer commuting
through it, please know that
it is located about 1.5 miles east
of the end of the Southern State
Parkway. In that 1.5 mile span,
sixteen highway lanes collapse
into six travel lanes, forcing the
152,000 daily commuters (based
on an annual average) through
the choke point. As a result, accident
reports claim around 600
crashes every two years.
The New York State Department
of Transportation held several
community meetings back
in the winter of 2018 and drew
great crowds, anxious for action.
As part of those sessions,
the department displayed conceptual
drawings of potential
remedy projects, with estimated
costs ranging between $250 and
$750 million. However, what the
department did not have, was
money to advance any of the potential
projects.
Thankfully, Garbarino’s tenacity
and courage dramatically
change the narrative. Placing
his constituents and community
above politics, he and three
other New York Republican colleagues
broke ranks and voted
for the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure
& Investment Jobs Act. As
a result of his efforts, we finally
have a solid opportunity to fix
one of Long Island’s worst traffic
nightmares.
Additionally, his YES vote will
help bring millions of additional
infrastructure funding for New
York’s airports, bridges, highways,
rails, water, and other essential
infrastructure. Notably,
Garbarino’s support snagged
$21.6 million to improve our
busy regional airport, Islip Mac
Arthur Airport. Our Congressman’s
efforts will transform the
airport and the Ronkonkoma
Hub into the superior transportation
hub our region deserves.
We should be grateful that our
freshman Congressman is
breaking Washington legislative
gridlock. His success could
finally help us end the traffic
congestion that tortures our
daily commutes.
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