Cuomo: LIE rest stop will highlight Long Island

Gov. Andrew Cuomo was on Long Island Friday morning to tout the 15,000-square-foot rest stop under construction along the Long Island Expressway in Dix Hills. The $20 million welcome center is being

News 12 Staff

Jun 4, 2016, 1:38 AM

Updated 3,049 days ago

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo was on Long Island Friday morning to tout the 15,000-square-foot rest stop under construction along the Long Island Expressway in Dix Hills.
The $20 million welcome center is being built between exits 51 and 52. It will include a food court, 30 bathrooms, parking for 135 vehicles and charging stations for electric cars. Cuomo says it will also spotlight products that are made and grown locally.
"The point of it is to highlight Long Island, and Long Island products, and Long Island tourism," the governor said.
But the project isn't sitting well with everyone. Some homeowners who live directly behind the rest stop site expressed concerns about noise and traffic, while others are worried about the potential sale of bottled Long Island wines and liquor.
Gov. Cuomo says no decision has been made about selling alcohol at the rest stop, but he added, "I don't think you're going to solve DWI by stopping the sale of alcohol."
Some truck drivers are also worried about the impact to their routines, because trucks that currently stop in the area will not be permitted to park at the rest stop. They will instead have stop areas at Exit 66 westbound and Exit 56 eastbound.
The facility is set to open in October.