Despite strong public opposition, Suffolk County posted a legal notice last week indicating that it was moving ahead to acquire land for the widening of Portion Road in Lake Ronkonkoma.

The legal notice, posted in Newsday May 5, says that the County’s widening plan would include traffic and pedestrian safety improvements and that the "general effect of the proposed project on the residents of the locality is positive because it will provide a safer, less congested and more aesthetically pleasing roadway." The decision is supposed to be based on the February public hearing testimony and other public comments. However, community reaction to the plan said overwhelmingly that it would increase congestion and traffic-related fatalities, encourage sprawl, and discourage economic development. The county has also failed to recognize a string of protests against its plan, like the one held last Monday by one hundred Lake Ronkonkoma residents.

News stations contacted County Executive Gaffney’s office after Monday’s protest. Gaffney’s office claimed no final decisions on the road expansion had been made, despite the recent legal notice.

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