Route 347 Reconstruction Backs Up Traffic in Port Jeff Station

Long lines of traffic backed up along northbound Route 112 on Tuesday afternoon pair with orange traffic cones signaled the start of construction. 
New York State Department of Transportation plans to reconstruct the Route 112 and Route 347 intersection by adding a jughandle to the intersection, according to the DOT's website. 

Construct crews closed off two northbound lanes and the right turning lane where Route 112 meets Route 347. These same Route 112 lanes shifted to the west on the opposite side of Route 347, causing drivers to slow down. 

Roadway closures had northbound drivers bumper to bumper from Bicycle Path to Route 347 on Tuesday afternoon. 

"Some drivers are very rude. Please tell them to be courteous to the construction crews out here, they are only doing their job," said a construction worker on the site. "It's going to get ugly before it becomes pretty." 

Construction crews have also closed Rose Lane, tearing up pavement for construction and have shutdown a portion of Canal Road alongside Meat Farms. 

The $25.6 million project is part of the Route 347 greenway project, which aims to improve the safety and traffic flow of one of Brookhaven's busiest highways. The intersection's reconstruction will The project will include the addition of another lane, the addition of a jug handle to make left turns, improved drainage and landscaping, tree plantings and a new park to add appeal to the area.

This new road construction at Route 347 and Route 112 follows a project completed in 2011 that added center turning lanes, a raised center median, bike lanes, sidewalks, bus stops, shelters, landscaping and storm-water runoff filtration systems on various parts of Route 112, including within the Port Jefferson Station area.