New Traffic Light Installed On Montauk Highway

A new traffic light has been installed at a West Islip intersection where a high school student was critically injured in 2011.

The new light sits where Barberry Road and Wagstaff Lane each meet Montauk Highway. The intersection, located just west of Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, is a crosswalk for high school students that gain access to the high school campus through the Barberry Road entrance.

In October 2011, an elderly driver hit a 16-year old high school student as he was walking across Montauk Highway at Barberry Road. The student was crossing the street with the aid of a school crossing guard.

Following the incident, the state Department of Transportation completed a traffic study and school district officials convened a meeting with state representatives and Suffolk County Police to discuss safety issues at the intersection.