New safety improvements for Saint James

The Town of Smithtown is making several traffic safety improvements to the area surrounding Saint James General Store on the corner of Moriches Road and Harbor Hill Road, Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim announced Wednesday.

The new measures include two solar-powered LED pedestrian signs and a cobblestone-style crosswalk for Moriches Road, as well as upgraded accessible sidewalks and ramps that comply with state guidelines. The crosswalk will connect the general store’s parking lot with the Deepwells Farm Historical Society lot across the street. 

The town also plans to create a “mini half-circle island” in front of the general store to help reduce blind spots for drivers and slow down the traffic coming downhill.

Mitch Crowley, the town’s traffic safety director, says the changes will make a “historically difficult corner safer for shoppers, joggers, bikers and drivers.”

Wehrheim credited Crowley and his department for suggesting the improvements during an unexpected drainpipe repair.

“This is the perfect little downtown revitalization project at the end of the Lake Avenue business district,” Wehrheim said. “This project increases foot traffic for the historic general store and makes the intersection much safer for our residents and visitors.”

Karen Sheedy, the manager at Saint James General Store, approves of the traffic calming efforts.

“Overall, safer pedestrian crosswalks and walkways would be very much welcomed,” she said. “Anything to make this intersection safer would be tremendous.”

The plan is funded with capital leftover from similar previous safety projects, the town said in a statement. Renovations are expected to begin next week.