Suffolk County installed new stop signs at an intersection in Blue Point following years of safety concerns raised by residents.
The county unveiled one sign on the corner of Corey Avenue and another on Middle Road.
The signs were installed after an 11-year push from residents and groups like the Bayport-Blue Point Civic Association, who have been making calls and sending emails to local lawmakers demanding that the intersection be made safer.
Resident Patrick Rueb says he has witnessed many accidents at the intersection and won’t allow his 9-year-old daughter to cross it alone.
“I’d like her to be able to go out with her friends and ride bikes, but I don't let her go near this intersection because it was always so dangerous,” he said.
Legislator Dominick Thorne says the community's requests for help spoke to him. As a former EMT with the Patchogue Ambulance Company, he says he witnessed the danger of the intersection firsthand.
“I've been at that intersection picking up people off the road and it's just not acceptable. That's what drove me to stay on it until it was done,” he said.
Thorne, who was sworn into office last January, drafted a resolution to install stop signs at the intersection. The measure passed unanimously last month.
Business owners and residents say they are happy to see their persistence pay off.
“I’m very happy that they put the stop sign in. It's been long overdue,” said Connor Vigliotti, owner of Flo's Luncheonette.