PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — A coalition of New York State and Suffolk County elected officials is calling for a major expansion of Sunrise Highway, proposing that its three-lane configuration be extended more than 10 additional miles east to Wading River Road.
According to a media advisory issued by New York State Senator Dean Murray, officials are holding a press conference in Patchogue to advocate for widening the highway in both the eastbound and westbound directions.
The proposal would continue the existing three-lane portion of Sunrise Highway for more than 10 miles, reaching Wading River Road at Exit 59.
Murray is expected to be joined by New York State Assemblyman Joe DeStefano, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer Anthony Piccirillo, and County Legislators Jim Mazzarella and Dominick Thorne.
Representatives from South Country Ambulance, Long Island Contractors’ Association Executive Director Marc Herbst, and representatives from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 138 are also scheduled to participate.
The involvement of elected officials, emergency-service representatives and organized labor gives the proposal a broader focus than simply adding another travel lane. The press conference is expected to make the case for extending the highway’s capacity farther east as officials push for action on one of Suffolk County’s major east-west transportation corridors.
The proposal is particularly significant for communities in the Brookhaven and greater eastern Suffolk area, where Sunrise Highway serves residents, commuters, commercial traffic and emergency responders traveling across the region.
The media advisory describes the initiative as a call for the widening of Sunrise Highway. It does not indicate that construction has been approved, funded or scheduled.
That distinction is important: the officials are advocating for the expansion, but the press conference itself does not constitute state authorization for the project.
The event is scheduled to take place at the southwest portion of the ShopRite parking lot at 95 Sunrise Highway in Patchogue.
Additional details about the proposed expansion, including potential costs, engineering requirements, environmental review, funding sources and a possible construction timeline, could emerge as officials publicly present their case.
For now, the central proposal is clear: extend the three-lane section of Sunrise Highway more than 10 miles eastward in both directions and carry it to Wading River Road at Exit 59.