When local citizens saw trees coming down on Cove Road near 25A, they were alarmed that the NYS DOT, who were doing the work, had broken a negotiated promise to them.

The Concerned Citizens for Route 25A have been working for several years to make the plans of the NYS Department of Transportation project for the Cold Spring Harbor/Route 108 area of the road more environmentally sensitive. After much negotiations, the citizens worked out a plan on paper, that including several changes - would have made certain that when the DOT began their work, a member of the group would be there to see that all was done as negotiated.

The work was to have been done in the fall of this year. Unfortunately, the DOT has begun the work, forgetting the agreement to alert the concerned citizen group.

The result is while creating a right-hand turning lane onto Route 25A at Cove Road, trees have been cut down and the roots of many, are now exposed to the air. "They promised no major trees would be removed in the project and there are already two cut down on Cove Road," said Fritz Coudert III, one of the members of the CC for 25A group.

Larry Hahn, treasurer of the CC said, "After the CC complained about their loss, the DOT said they were dangerous," he said.

"We were very concerned because Greg Siracusa, the DOT regional director had sent a letter to Jean Thatcher saying they would not start the project until meeting with us - and they were not going to take down trees," he said. Then Mr. Hahn's wife, while driving through the area, saw the tree damage.

He said when they reminded them of the agreement "Mr. Siracusa and the engineer were falling all over themselves with apologies."

Additionally, Mr. Hahn's sons noticed that the site was being littered. The work site was strewn with left over empty bottles, boxes and papers of lunch remains, he said.

"So, I called the man in charge and said - this project is already not very popular and now you are making it into a garbage dump." Mr. Hahn said they were assured that the contractor, J.D. Possilico of Farmingdale would do a cleanup of the site.

The group also sent a letter to the Oyster Bay Enterprise Pilot, noting their concerns.

Eileen Peters, regional coordinator of public affairs for DOT said "We are surprised and sorry to see the letter to the editor, (Oyster Bay Enterprise Pilot, May 13, 1999 issue). Regional Director Greg Siracusa talked to Jean Thatcher of the Concerned Citizens and it seemed they had understood the matter."

Ms. Peters explained the work at Cove Road includes putting in a left turn lane to go north onto Cove Road from 25A. "Therefore the traffic heading on the right-hand lane going east will have a through traffic lane - or a right turn onto White Oak Street. There will not be a right-hand turning lane for White Oak.

"There will be a right-hand turning lane (on the north side of 25A), so when people come over the hill from the east - those cars waiting to get onto Cove Road will be in their own turning lane," said Ms. Peters.

The project will mean widening route 25A in the Cove Road area to create a safer traffic environment.

Work has also been taking place at the top of Cold Spring Harbor Hill in Laurel Hollow. The Beefalo building has been demolished and steel sheeting is in place as the DOT removes contaminated soil left as a result of the gas station that had been located there. The steel is to prevent the earth from caving in as the work is done, she said. All is being done in compliance with environmental standards. There is an environmental inspector at the site, she said.

Mr. Coudert, a member of the CC said he was treated rudely by a construction worker at the Cove Road site. His questions were not answered and he was told to move on.

Ms. Peters said, "All the workers, designers, contractors - everyone - has been involved with sensitivity training. We have a lot invested in this project."

She added that at the same time, DOT is trying to create safety awareness at their sites where workers are stationed next to fast moving traffic. "Now that the season is in full tilt, it is a risky business for workers. Next week we are launching "A Thousand Safe Days of Summer" to emphasize to the workers how important safety is: that they should think before they act. There are a whole host of guidelines," she said.

"People don't realize as they go zipping by construction sites, that there are people putting their lives in danger. On Suffolk County Road 347, (not one of their jobs, but working under a DOT permit) a construction worker was killed last week. They are working with hundreds of pounds of equipment.

"Everyone benefits from road construction, be it new lane lines, road surfaces, new signals - the process is a dangerous one and we hope the public would be understanding. It's not just someone in an orange hat, you can scream at," she said. Many people see the orange cones and get all churned up at the thought of stalled traffic. She said they try to schedule the work during off-peak hours.

"All traffic maintenance plans have built into their design, how to maintain the traffic while the project goes on. This is most important - to keep the traffic going, while moving the earth and changing the roads. In some areas there are 2,000 cars an hour going by while you are moving the very ground they are going over," said Ms. Peters.

As to whom to ask questions, she said that at the Cove Road site, the engineer in charge, on a day to day basis is Carl Tripaldi. She said the CC questioned why the Cove Road Construction Supervisor Jerry Curran has other projects on his list. "We have up to 500 active jobs on Long Island and we do not have 500 construction supervisors. But he is fully aware of how vital this project is to the community and to the DOT.

"We work very closely with the community to form the agreement and have invested a great deal of time, effort and manpower and we have every intention of fulfilling the promises that were made. We want to assure the community that we will do so. The final project will be as promised. We hope the CC of 25A will have patience with us during the construction. After all the work and time invested - it is our reputation too, that we are concerned with," said Ms. Peters.

For the Concerned Citizens, Mr. Hahn said they were much happier dealing with Mr. Siracusa but still said, after the recent events: "We are wary of them and are trying to watch these guys every way (we can)."

Since Cove Road is a Nassau County road, a spokesperson from their Department of Public Works said they will send a tree expert out to the site to see if something has to be done to preserve the trees.

The DOT New York Route 25A Safety Improvements to Cold Spring Road is mainly focused on the area as it approaches Route 108 at the foot of the CSH hill in Laurel Hollow. It consists of a series of intersections and roadway improvements, drainage improvements and road resurfacing. It included safety improvements at the Cove Road intersection west of Cold Spring Road.

That project began last spring, when a light was installed at Cove Road on Route 25A.

The $6.7 million project includes financial incentives for early completion of the work and penalties for exceeding the project completion date. The project is scheduled to be completed during the winter of 1999.

The bulk of the work is centered around the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory entrance/exit and the Fish Hatchery area.