Sagtikos State Parkway
Route information | |
---|---|
Maintained by NYSDOT | |
Length | 5.14 mi[1] (8.27 km) |
Existed | September 29, 1952[2]–present |
History | Constructed 1949–1952 |
Restrictions | No commercial vehicles |
Major junctions | |
South end | Southern State Parkway / Heckscher State Parkway in West Islip |
North end | Northern State Parkway / Sunken Meadow State Parkway in Commack |
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | New York |
Counties | Suffolk |
Highway system | |
The Sagtikos State Parkway (known colloquially as "the Sag") is a 5.14-mile (8.27 km)
The Sagtikos Parkway was proposed by the Long Island State Park Commission to help bridge a gap in the eastern part of the Long Island Parkway system. Construction began in 1949 with the opening of an interchange between Bay Shore Road and the Southern State Parkway. Work on the parkway itself began the following year, with plans calling for connections to three spurs: the Captree State Parkway (now Robert Moses Causeway), the Sunken Meadow Spur (Sunken Meadow State Parkway), and the Heckscher Spur (Heckscher State Parkway). The parkway was completed in 1952, closing the highway loop on Long Island.
Commercial vehicles are prohibited from using the Sagtikos – a restriction that applies to most parkways in New York.
Route description
The Sagtikos State Parkway begins at an interchange with the
Past the exit, the Sagtikos State Parkway crosses under CR 13 and immediately reaches the Sagtikos Interchange at exit S1 – a large, modified cloverleaf interchange with the Long Island Expressway (
According to annual average daily traffic counts compiled in 2011 by NYSDOT, the most-traveled stretch of the Sagtikos State Parkway was the portion between the Southern State Parkway and the Long Island Expressway. The part between the Southern State and Pine Aire Drive handled an average of 87,250 vehicles per day; slightly lower numbers were recorded along the segment between Pine Aire Drive and the Long Island Expressway, with roughly 85,300 vehicles using the section on a daily basis. The portion between the Long Island Expressway and the Northern State Parkway carries an average of 67,600 vehicles per day. All three segments saw a rise in traffic over the course of the previous decade, with the Pine Aire Drive–Long Island Expressway segment gaining 14,000 vehicles per day during that time.[1]
History
Construction and opening
The Sagtikos State Parkway was first proposed in the 1920s as a connector between the Northern and Southern state parkways. In order to construct the freeway, the heirs of the late David Gardiner, who owned the historic Sagtikos Manor in West Bay Shore, donated 197 acres (80 ha) of land to the Long Island State Park Commission (LISPC). This donation was considered unusual by the commission as it would break up the family's estate, which had been constructed in 1692 and served George Washington in 1780.[4] In addition to this donation, James Fisher, a nearby resident, gave the commission 23.5 acres (9.5 ha) of land north of the Gardiner property and another 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) north of the Fisher property to ensure that LISPC had the necessary right-of-way for the new parkway.[5]
The right-of-way on which the parkway was built had originally been part of a private road leading to Sagtikos Manor.[6] The parkway was designed to have connections with the Sunken Meadow Spur (the future Sunken Meadow State Parkway) and the Captree State Parkway (now known as the Robert Moses Causeway) proposed by New York City urban planner Robert Moses.[7] On November 13, 1949, a new interchange between the Southern State Parkway and Bay Shore Road was opened to traffic. This interchange would eventually serve as the Southern State Parkway's junction with the Sagtikos, Heckscher and Captree state parkways. Proposals conceived at this time called for grading on the new Sagtikos State Parkway to begin in early 1950.[8]
In March 1950, $3 million (1950 USD) was earmarked out of a $104.5 million budget for the start of construction on the parkway.
Roadway improvements
From 1997–2001, engineers from NYSDOT worked on a $6.5 million (2001 USD) study aimed to improve Long Island's transportation system by 2020. The resulting plan included proposals to widen 130 miles (210 km) of roads, including the entirety of the Sagtikos State Parkway – from the Southern State Parkway to the Northern State Parkway.[12] These proposals would give the Sagtikos a restricted-access lane for buses and carpooling drivers, which would be part of a 60-mile (97 km) system of similar lanes across Long Island.[12]
In 2002, the Wolkoffs, a family of real estate developers, bought land used by the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center for $20 million (2002 USD) with the intent of redeveloping the property as a new smart growth community named Heartland Town Square.[13] The community, situated near the interchange between the Sagtikos Parkway and the Long Island Expressway (I-495), would have 9,000 housing units and various commercial & recreational buildings.[14] As part of the redevelopment of the property, a study was done on the existing facilities and the surrounding area, which noted several deficiencies in the area's transportation system – including several related to the Sagtikos. The study determined that the deficiencies would be "exacerbated" if no changes were made.[15]
In response, the study suggested that a third lane be constructed along the Sagtikos from the Southern State Parkway to the Long Island Expressway. The bridges over the Sagtikos at Campus Road and Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) would have to be reconstructed to make room for the added lane, and the interchange with Pine Aire Drive (exit S3) would be completely rebuilt. A new interchange would also be constructed on the parkway between Pine Aire Drive and Campus Road, creating a junction with
As of 2012, progress on the project has been stalled by disagreements between the Wolkoffs and the Town of Islip, over the amount the Wolkoffs would spend for the transportation piece of the project, and between the family and labor unions over wages and health care. The town of Islip has stated that the Wolkoffs agreed to spend $75 million (2011 USD) for the infrastructure improvements; however, the family stated in a September 2011 letter that they would only commit to $27 million (2011 USD) and that they never agreed to the original figure.
Exit list
The entire route is in Suffolk County.
Location | mi[1][18] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York | Southern terminus | ||||
S4 | Heckscher State Parkway east – East Islip | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; exit 41A on Heckscher Parkway | |||
Brentwood | 2.00 | 3.22 | S3 | Pine Aire Drive – Deer Park, Brentwood | |
3.10– 3.50 | 4.99– 5.63 | S2 | Crooked Hill Road ( CR 13) – Pilgrim Psychiatric Center | Northbound access via G Road; southbound access via Pilgrim Center Road | |
4.00 | 6.44 | S1 | Riverhead | Signed as exits S1E (east) and S1W (west); exit 53 on I-495 | |
Vanderbilt Motor Parkway ) | Northbound entrance only | ||||
5.14 | 8.27 | SM1 | New York | Signed as exits SM1E (east) and SM1W (west); exit 44 on Northern Parkway; exit nos. correspond to Sunken Meadow | |
– | Sunken Meadow Park | Continuation north | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
References
- ^ a b c "2011 Traffic Volume Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. September 25, 2012. p. 259. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
- ^ a b "Two Main Long Island Parkways to Be Linked at East Ends Today". The New York Times. September 29, 1952. p. 25. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ a b Microsoft; Nokia (May 3, 2012). "overview map of the Sagtikos State Parkway" (Map). Bing Maps. Microsoft. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
- ^ Rather, John (December 8, 2002). "Suffolk Purchases Sagtikos Manor". The New York Times. p. LI2.
- ^ "Long Island Estate Donated as State Park Through Transfer of Historic Sagtikos Tract". The New York Times. July 22, 1928. p. 25.
- ^ Road Atlas of Western Suffolk County (Map). Hagstrom Map. 1941. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
- ^ "Asks New Parkway, Link to Jones Beach". The New York Times. February 28, 1939. p. 21.
- ^ "Parkway Addition Will Open Today". The New York Times. November 14, 1949. p. 14.
- ^ "$104,500,000 Roads Planned in State". The New York Times. March 29, 1950. p. 32.
- ^ "Bids Made on State Jobs". The New York Times. June 7, 1951. p. 49.
- ^ "Long Island To Add 3-Mile Park Link". The New York Times. July 11, 1951. p. 22.
- ^ a b Cotsalas, Valerie (July 1, 2001). "A Transportation Vision for 2020: Is It 20/20?". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ a b "Editorial: Reality time for Heartland". Newsday. New York City. October 10, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
- ^ "Heartland Town Square". Heartland. The Louis Marketing Group. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ a b "Existing Environmental Conditions" (PDF). Vanasse Hangen Brustlin. 2009. pp. 145–46. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ a b Crichton, Sarah (September 25, 2011). "Money, labor disputes stall Heartland plan". Newsday. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "$101M state award to Long Island just the start". Newsday. New York City. December 9, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
- ^ Google (January 9, 2016). "Sagtikos State Parkway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
External links
- Sagtikos State Parkway at
- Sagtikos Parkway Article from NYCROADS Web Site
- Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center Map (showing Exit S2) (Long Island Oddities Website)
- Interchange of the Week; Monday, March 19, 2001 (Empire State Roads)
- Sagtikos Parkway (Greater New York Roads)