Nassau County residents rally against LIRR construction project
CARLE PLACE, Long Island (WABC) -- Many Long Island Rail Road passengers say the Third Track expansion project is badly needed.
But homeowners living near the construction aren't happy because they say the noise is unbearable, and they want something done about it.
The LIRR has run through Cherry Lane in Carle Place, Nassau County for generations.
But what has changed is a major construction project that is driving residents to distraction.
They say they weren't prepared for an apparent change in plans that has forced work on the main line of the railroad into the middle of the street, blocking the street off all day for two months.
It's part of the LIRR's $2.6 billion dollar plan to build a third track between Floral Park and Hicksville.
The railroad is rebuilding stations and replacing an entire bridge over Cherry Lane.
Residents say the noise and disruption is far worse than they were promised.
The traffic and detours are clogging their side streets and large noise barrier walls will only be installed on the north side of the tracks, not the south side.
These are changes residents say they weren't ready for.
"We were never told that they would be building a bridge on Cherry Lane," said Carle Place resident Antonia Pisani. "We were given only two weeks notice that all the traffic would be diverted onto our little block. We have buses that are now coming onto our block, we have added traffic and there are people blowing stop signs left and right. It's making for a really dangerous condition."
When it's finished, the third track program will allow the LIRR to run more trains and keep trains running when there are delays.
Residents, many of whom take the LIRR, say they understand that it will be a better system, but say the project should be better managed.
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