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Coordinates: 40°44′52″N 73°08′58″W / 40.74778°N 73.14944°W / 40.74778; -73.14944
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This is a notable interchange – with several reliable, secondary sources referring to it, by name, throughout its existence; many additional, reliable secondary sources which are not currently cited will be added shortly. Sufficient notability is undeniably present, per WP:GNG.
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{{Infobox road junction|country=USA|name=Oakdale Merge|image=|image_caption=|maint=[[New York State Department of Transportation|NYSDOT]]|location=[[Great River, New York|Great River]]&nbsp;– [[Oakdale, New York]]|coord=|roads={{jct|state=NY|NY|27}}<br/>
#REDIRECT [[New York State Route 27#Oakdale Merge]]
{{jct|state=NY|NY|27A}}<br/>
[[File:Suffolk County Route 85 NY.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] [[County Route 85 (Suffolk County, New York)|County Route 85]]|type=At-grade|const=1953|opened=|height=|other_names=|map=|reconstructed=1989, 1999, 2020|state=NY}}The '''Oakdale Merge''' is a convergence of [[Sunrise Highway|Sunrise Highway (NY 27)]] and [[Montauk Highway|Montauk Highway (NY 27A / CR 85)]] between the hamlets of [[Great River, New York|Great River]] & [[Oakdale, New York|Oakdale]], in [[Suffolk County, New York|Suffolk County]], [[Long Island]], [[New York (state)|New York]], in front of [[Connetquot River State Park Preserve|Connetquot River State Park]].


== Description ==
{{R to section}}
The Oakdale Merge begins at Exit 46A of Sunrise Highway (NY 27); Montauk Highway (NY 27A) becomes CR 85 at this location. Montauk Highway then veers east to parallel Sunrise Highway to just before Exit 47 on the latter highway – at which point CR 85 veers back towards the south, with incomplete access to and from the South Service Road of NY 27.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2018-11-29 |title=DOT reveals options considered for Oakdale Merge fix |url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/oakdale-merge-m57801 |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=Newsday |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Oakdale Merge – Project Home |url=https://www.dot.ny.gov/oakdalemerge |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=[[New York State Department of Transportation]]}}</ref>


According to the [[New York State Department of Transportation]], the interchange handles, on average, approximately 126,000 vehicles per day.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

== History ==
Originally the area featured Montauk Highway, but when Sunrise Highway was extended through the area east from [[Amityville, New York|Amityville]] in the 1930s.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=NYSDOT Highway Record Plans: Beginning 1900 {{!}} State of New York |url=https://data.ny.gov/Transportation/NYSDOT-Highway-Record-Plans-Beginning-1900/6j6c-aqy9/about_data |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=data.ny.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite map|url=http://www.historicmapworks.com/Sections/Maps/viewPlateUS-26976.htm|title=Suffolk County Road Atlas|year=1941|publisher=[[Hagstrom Map]]|accessdate=2024-01-23}}</ref> In 1953, Sunrise Highway was extended further east, to East Patchogue, and Sunrise overlapped Montauk Highway between the two sections.<ref name=":0" /> The western at-grade interchange had a westbound-only ramp to Montauk Highway and an east-to-west U-turn to take motorists to the park entrance. The eastern intersection contained turning ramps in both directions to and from Montauk Highway.<ref name=":0" /> One former segment of Montauk Highway remained at the southwest corner of the east intersection of Sunrise and Montauk. [[New York State Route 27|New York State Routes 27]] and [[New York State Route 27A|27A]] were both multiplexed with each other until Route 27A was truncated to the west end of this merge in 1972.<ref>Hagstrom's Atlas of Western Suffolk County, New York (1958, and other years)</ref> Montauk Highway became [[County Route 85 (Suffolk County, New York)|Suffolk County Route 85]] from here to [[Patchogue, New York|Patchogue]], and [[County Route 80 (Suffolk County, New York)|CR 80]] from Patchogue to The Hamptons.<ref name="scdpw">{{cite web |title=County Road System – County of Suffolk, New York |url=http://www.greaternyroads.info/pdfs/suffcr.pdf |access-date=January 23, 2024 |publisher=Suffolk County Department of Public Works |format=PDF}}</ref>

Plans to upgrade Sunrise Highway and Montauk Highway have pre-dated the extension of the former to Oakdale. In the early 1960s, the Suffolk County Department of Public Works had even considered adding a county highway leading from [[County Route 97 (Suffolk County, New York)|Nicolls Road (CR 97)]] in [[Lake Grove, New York|Lake Grove]] to the east end of the Oakdale Merge, by way of [[Long Island MacArthur Airport]].<ref name="scdpw" /> By the 1980s, the [[New York State Department of Transportation]] has planned to add service roads and a proper interchange with the two segments of Montauk Highway, although technically not a split-diamond interchange, the eastern Montauk Highway bridge was to include a westbound-only flyover.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Ketcham |first=Diane |date=March 2, 1986 |title=SUNRISE HIGHWAY: NO END IN SIGHT |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/02/nyregion/sunrise-highway-no-end-in-sight.html |access-date=2024-01-23 |work=[[The New York Times]] |pages=1, 10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Giorgianni |first=Anthony |date=December 31, 1981 |title=Oakdale Interchange Awaits Approval |newspaper=Suffolk County News}}</ref> However, pressure from environmental groups seeking to avoid damaging the parkland stalled construction.<ref name=":5" />

When NYSDOT upgraded Sunrise Highway into a controlled-access expressway through the [[Town of Islip, New York|Town of Islip]] during the 1980s, they settled on the present interchange design, which relocated Montauk Highway onto a tight, parallel road, with only eastbound connections from Sunrise Highway via off-ramps and one service road; this configuration eliminated the at-grade, signalized intersection, which was notorious for backups.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Bunch |first=William |date=March 9, 1986 |title=A $4M Fix for 'Oakdale Merge' |work=[[Newsday]] |pages=3 |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Horvath |first=Adam Z. |date=September 17, 1993 |title=Plans for a Safer Oakdale Merge |work=[[Newsday]] |pages=6 |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref> The entrance to Connetquot River Park, however remained as an at-grade intersection, accessible only from the westbound lane.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> Former segments of Montauk Highway now existed on both sides of the interchange, and both roads were converted into fishing areas owned by the [[New York State Department of Environmental Conservation]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gonzalez |first=Decire |date=2020-08-10 |title=Sunrise Highway (NY-27) Oakdale Merge Planning / Feasibility Study – KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. |url=https://kcepc.com/sunrise-highway-ny-27-oakdale-merge-planning-feasibility-study/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The current design of the interchange frequently causes congestion between Great River and Oakdale, has forced the use of convoluted routes to some destinations.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Horvath |first=Adam Z. |date=August 29, 1993 |title=A 'Twilight Zone Feeling' Called the Oakdale Merge |work=[[Newsday]] |pages=29 |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref> In order to gain access to westbound Montauk Highway from westbound Sunrise Highway, motorists must either use Exit 47A and turn south on Oakdale-Bohemia Road, or use Exit 46 and take either Connetquot Avenue or [[Heckscher State Parkway]] south. To gain access to Connetquot River State Park from eastbound Sunrise Highway, motorists must use Exit 47A and make a [[U-turn]] back onto westbound Sunrise Highway.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> The current design has also been criticized as frequently causing drivers to become confused & disoriented – in addition to it being a safety hazard: the east end of the merge has been the scene of numerous accidents, which have involved the access to the eastbound service roads from both directions on Montauk Highway.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" /> The issues have led to the Oakdale Merge being colloquially referred to by locals as "The Twilight Zone" and as a "death trap".<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last= |last2= |last3= |first3= |last4= |first4= |date=November 28, 2018 |title=DOT, residents converge for meeting on Oakdale merge 'death trap' |url=https://bronx.news12.com/dot-residents-converge-for-meeting-on-oakdale-merge-death-trap-39556567 |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=News 12 - The Bronx}}</ref>

In 1999, the east-to-east entrance to the service road was closed, a new off-ramp to the service road for Pond Road was built, and the off-ramp for Montauk Highway was renumbered from Exit 47 to Exit 46A. The other problems with the interchange remain.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

=== 21st century improvement projects ===
In 2018, NYSDOT announced preliminary proposals to improve the Oakdale Merge. These proposals included grade separating the roadways, installing movable barriers to create reversible lanes, and adding express lanes.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":7" /> Construction soon began on a $7.2-million project to implement short-term improvements, which saw the installation of ramp meters, improved emergency access, refreshed pavement & lane markings, and baffles on the barriers to reduce glare from headlights; the short-term safety improvement project was completed in 2020. Planning for the future reconstruction of the Oakdale Merge would continue, and in 2022, $30 million was allocated in New York's state budget for the reconstruction project.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fuentes |first=Nicole |date=2020-04-30 |title=Study on Oakdale Merge gives hope for traffic relief |url=https://www.longislandadvance.net/stories/study-on-oakdale-merge-gives-hope-for-traffic-relief,85661 |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=The Long Island Advance |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 9, 2022 |title=NYS Budget Commits $30MM For Oakdale Merge Reconfiguration |url=https://www.longisland.com/news/05-09-22/nys-budget-commits-30mm-for-oakdale-merge-reconfiguration2.html |access-date=2024-01-23 |work=LongIsland.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Reconfiguring the Oakdale Merge - New York State Department of Transportation |url=https://projects.constructconnect.com/details/5787280-reconfiguring-the-oakdale-merge-new-york-state-department-of-transportation&find_loc=new-york-11949 |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=projects.constructconnect.com |language=en}}</ref> Additional funding would be budgeted in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-01 |title=Hochul’s budget funds transit, transportation projects statewide |url=https://www.news10.com/news/ny-news/hochuls-budget-funds-transit-transportation-projects-statewide/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=NEWS10 ABC |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Governor Hochul Announces Record $32.8 Billion for Transportation Infrastructure as Part of FY 2023 Budget {{!}} Informed Infrastructure |url=https://informedinfrastructure.com/72889/governor-hochul-announces-record-32-8-billion-for-transportation-infrastructure-as-part-of-fy-2023-budget/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In January 2024, it was announced that [[Governor of New York|Governor]] [[Kathleen C. Hochul]]'s 2024 State Budget would include further funds for studying how best to reconstruct the interchange.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Upstate transit systems get boost in Hochul's budget plan |url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/politics/2024/01/16/road-infrastructure-investment-numbers-in-hochul-s-budget-proposal |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=spectrumlocalnews.com |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
<references group="" responsive="1"></references>

== External links ==

* [https://www.dot.ny.gov/oakdalemerge Oakdale Merge official site – NYSDOT]
* [http://www.empirestateroads.com/week/week76.html Oakdale Merge on Empire State Roads]
* [http://www.nycroads.com/roads/sunrise/ NY 27 on NYCRoads.com]

{{coord|40|44|52|N|73|08|58|W|display=title}}
[[Category:Transportation in Suffolk County, New York]]
[[Category:Transportation in Suffolk County, New York]]
[[Category:Road interchanges in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Road interchanges in New York (state)]]

Revision as of 20:58, 23 January 2024

Oakdale Merge
Map
Location
Great River – Oakdale, New York
Roads at
junction		 NY 27

NY 27A

County Route 85
Construction
TypeAt-grade
Constructed1953
Reconstructed1989, 1999, 2020
Maintained byNYSDOT

The Oakdale Merge is a convergence of Sunrise Highway (NY 27) and Montauk Highway (NY 27A / CR 85) between the hamlets of Great River & Oakdale, in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, in front of Connetquot River State Park.

Description

The Oakdale Merge begins at Exit 46A of Sunrise Highway (NY 27); Montauk Highway (NY 27A) becomes CR 85 at this location. Montauk Highway then veers east to parallel Sunrise Highway to just before Exit 47 on the latter highway – at which point CR 85 veers back towards the south, with incomplete access to and from the South Service Road of NY 27.[1][2]

According to the New York State Department of Transportation, the interchange handles, on average, approximately 126,000 vehicles per day.[1][2]

History

Originally the area featured Montauk Highway, but when Sunrise Highway was extended through the area east from Amityville in the 1930s.[2][3][4] In 1953, Sunrise Highway was extended further east, to East Patchogue, and Sunrise overlapped Montauk Highway between the two sections.[1] The western at-grade interchange had a westbound-only ramp to Montauk Highway and an east-to-west U-turn to take motorists to the park entrance. The eastern intersection contained turning ramps in both directions to and from Montauk Highway.[1] One former segment of Montauk Highway remained at the southwest corner of the east intersection of Sunrise and Montauk. New York State Routes 27 and 27A were both multiplexed with each other until Route 27A was truncated to the west end of this merge in 1972.[5] Montauk Highway became Suffolk County Route 85 from here to Patchogue, and CR 80 from Patchogue to The Hamptons.[6]

Plans to upgrade Sunrise Highway and Montauk Highway have pre-dated the extension of the former to Oakdale. In the early 1960s, the Suffolk County Department of Public Works had even considered adding a county highway leading from Nicolls Road (CR 97) in Lake Grove to the east end of the Oakdale Merge, by way of Long Island MacArthur Airport.[6] By the 1980s, the New York State Department of Transportation has planned to add service roads and a proper interchange with the two segments of Montauk Highway, although technically not a split-diamond interchange, the eastern Montauk Highway bridge was to include a westbound-only flyover.[7][8] However, pressure from environmental groups seeking to avoid damaging the parkland stalled construction.[7]

When NYSDOT upgraded Sunrise Highway into a controlled-access expressway through the Town of Islip during the 1980s, they settled on the present interchange design, which relocated Montauk Highway onto a tight, parallel road, with only eastbound connections from Sunrise Highway via off-ramps and one service road; this configuration eliminated the at-grade, signalized intersection, which was notorious for backups.[1][7][9][10] The entrance to Connetquot River Park, however remained as an at-grade intersection, accessible only from the westbound lane.[1][9][10] Former segments of Montauk Highway now existed on both sides of the interchange, and both roads were converted into fishing areas owned by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.[3][7][10][11]

The current design of the interchange frequently causes congestion between Great River and Oakdale, has forced the use of convoluted routes to some destinations.[1][12] In order to gain access to westbound Montauk Highway from westbound Sunrise Highway, motorists must either use Exit 47A and turn south on Oakdale-Bohemia Road, or use Exit 46 and take either Connetquot Avenue or Heckscher State Parkway south. To gain access to Connetquot River State Park from eastbound Sunrise Highway, motorists must use Exit 47A and make a U-turn back onto westbound Sunrise Highway.[1][9][10] The current design has also been criticized as frequently causing drivers to become confused & disoriented – in addition to it being a safety hazard: the east end of the merge has been the scene of numerous accidents, which have involved the access to the eastbound service roads from both directions on Montauk Highway.[1][12] The issues have led to the Oakdale Merge being colloquially referred to by locals as "The Twilight Zone" and as a "death trap".[12][13]

In 1999, the east-to-east entrance to the service road was closed, a new off-ramp to the service road for Pond Road was built, and the off-ramp for Montauk Highway was renumbered from Exit 47 to Exit 46A. The other problems with the interchange remain.[1][3]

21st century improvement projects

In 2018, NYSDOT announced preliminary proposals to improve the Oakdale Merge. These proposals included grade separating the roadways, installing movable barriers to create reversible lanes, and adding express lanes.[1][13] Construction soon began on a $7.2-million project to implement short-term improvements, which saw the installation of ramp meters, improved emergency access, refreshed pavement & lane markings, and baffles on the barriers to reduce glare from headlights; the short-term safety improvement project was completed in 2020. Planning for the future reconstruction of the Oakdale Merge would continue, and in 2022, $30 million was allocated in New York's state budget for the reconstruction project.[2][14][15][16] Additional funding would be budgeted in 2023.[17][18]

In January 2024, it was announced that Governor Kathleen C. Hochul's 2024 State Budget would include further funds for studying how best to reconstruct the interchange.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "DOT reveals options considered for Oakdale Merge fix". Newsday. 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  2. ^ a b c d "Oakdale Merge – Project Home". New York State Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  3. ^ a b c "NYSDOT Highway Record Plans: Beginning 1900 | State of New York". data.ny.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  4. ^ Suffolk County Road Atlas (Map). Hagstrom Map. 1941. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  5. ^ Hagstrom's Atlas of Western Suffolk County, New York (1958, and other years)
  6. ^ a b "County Road System – County of Suffolk, New York" (PDF). Suffolk County Department of Public Works. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Ketcham, Diane (March 2, 1986). "SUNRISE HIGHWAY: NO END IN SIGHT". The New York Times. pp. 1, 10. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  8. ^ Giorgianni, Anthony (December 31, 1981). "Oakdale Interchange Awaits Approval". Suffolk County News.
  9. ^ a b c Bunch, William (March 9, 1986). "A $4M Fix for 'Oakdale Merge'". Newsday. p. 3 – via ProQuest.
  10. ^ a b c d Horvath, Adam Z. (September 17, 1993). "Plans for a Safer Oakdale Merge". Newsday. p. 6 – via ProQuest.
  11. ^ Gonzalez, Decire (2020-08-10). "Sunrise Highway (NY-27) Oakdale Merge Planning / Feasibility Study – KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C." Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  12. ^ a b c Horvath, Adam Z. (August 29, 1993). "A 'Twilight Zone Feeling' Called the Oakdale Merge". Newsday. p. 29 – via ProQuest.
  13. ^ a b "DOT, residents converge for meeting on Oakdale merge 'death trap'". News 12 - The Bronx. November 28, 2018. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  14. ^ Fuentes, Nicole (2020-04-30). "Study on Oakdale Merge gives hope for traffic relief". The Long Island Advance. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  15. ^ "NYS Budget Commits $30MM For Oakdale Merge Reconfiguration". LongIsland.com. May 9, 2022. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  16. ^ "Reconfiguring the Oakdale Merge - New York State Department of Transportation". projects.constructconnect.com. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  17. ^ "Hochul's budget funds transit, transportation projects statewide". NEWS10 ABC. 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  18. ^ "Governor Hochul Announces Record $32.8 Billion for Transportation Infrastructure as Part of FY 2023 Budget | Informed Infrastructure". Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  19. ^ "Upstate transit systems get boost in Hochul's budget plan". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved 2024-01-23.

40°44′52″N 73°08′58″W / 40.74778°N 73.14944°W / 40.74778; -73.14944

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