Traffic

Southold Town is studying the potential adverse impacts of a controversial proposal to build two large storage buildings at Strong’s Yacht Center on Mattituck Inlet that will require the transit of 135,000 cubic yards of excavated materials by tractor-trailers through the Town of Riverhead.

The Riverhead Town Board gave a unanimous thumbs-down to the application to hold a second "Latin Music Festival" at the 4-H Camp June 12.

Traffic was at a standstill on Sound Avenue Sunday afternoon in the area of the Nassau County 4-H Camp, where a music festival exceeded its maximum permitted attendance. Town police shut the event down for safety reasons, Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar said.

A ban on parking along the length of both sides of Sound Avenue will again be the subject of a Riverhead Town Board public hearing next month.

The town board Thursday discussed the traffic consulting firm's recommendations for potential solutions to traffic on Sound Avenue, including the unpopular idea of a two-way center turning lane.

Riverhead Town’s chief planner, who is leading the town’s comprehensive plan update, says he’s never personally experienced the heavy traffic on Sound Avenue on a fall weekend — and doesn't want to. The Sag Harbor resident told a Greater Jamesport Civic Association meeting traffic issues on the South Fork make it hard to visit the North Fork on weekends.

Sound Avenue is closed to traffic in both directions between Church Lane and Herricks Lane due to a disabled vehicle on Sound Avenue near Van de Wetering Greenhouses that is completely blocking the roadway, according to police radio reports.

Riverhead Police will deploy a 10-person traffic detail this weekend, the chief said. The special detail includes a sergeant and nine traffic control officers.

Residents of the Duck Pond Estates subdivision in Riverhead say they are "trapped" in their neighborhood by backed-up traffic on Main Road.

The town is assessing the types of events held in Riverhead and their impacts on traffic, and may impose limits on the number of big-draw events allowed to occur simultaneously or on the same weekend. It is also considering a fee hike for the required permit to better cover the town's costs associated with the event.