An Albertson civic group is working to make it safer for children and seniors to cross one of the hamlet’s main streets.
The Albertson Square Civic Association and the Town of North Hempstead plan to repair the sidewalks and install stop signs and crosswalks on I.U. Willets Road between Roslyn Road and Willis Avenue, a stretch where too few currently exist, Ed Scott, the civic group’s president, said.
“You have no stop signs, no lights, no nothing. It’s a one-shot to Willis Avenue” from Roslyn Road, Scott said.
The plans are still preliminary, but the sidewalk work should be done by late spring, said town Councilman Peter Zuckerman (D-East Hills), who represents Albertson.
The new sidewalks on the half-mile stretch will especially improve safety for the children at the Meadow Drive School, an elementary school, and the residents who walk to shops on Willis Avenue, Zuckerman said.
“Those sidewalks have really taken a beating because of the weather and use over the years, and so we’re excited about improving those,” Zuckerman said.
The town’s public works department will handle the repairs and fund them with its annual sidewalk repair budget, said Jim Moran, a spokesman for Zuckerman. It’s currently uncertain exactly how much they will cost.
Scott said he and Zuckerman are also working to identify possible locations for new crosswalks and stop signs.
The stretch has only one crosswalk with a cautionary light at the Meadow Drive intersection, where cars are not required to stop. That’s the only place where it’s truly safe to cross, Scott said.
Scott wants to add crosswalks at “strategic locations,” he said. One may go near the Albertson Long Island Rail Road station so commuters can cross safely, he said.
The town is trying to promote safety on all its major thoroughfares, including I.U. Willets Road and the nearby Roslyn and Searingtown roads, Zuckerman said.
“You have several traffic centers, you have religious institutions there,” he said. “So as government officials … we’re always looking at ways to improve those areas to help our motorists and our residents.”
The civic association also hopes to beautify I.U. Willets Road with additional trees and banners on street light posts, Scott said.
The group finished beautification projects last year on Willis Avenue funded by grants from former state Sen. Jack Martins (R-Old Westbury) and Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park).
