Taming a Long Island artery

The New York State Department of Transportation will begin converting a 15-mile stretch of suburban highway into “a kind of suburban boulevard” this spring.

The road — Route 347 in the Long Island Towns of Smithtown and Brookhaven — has malls and strip development along its entire length, says Heather Sporn, a landscape architect who is senior policy adviser at DOT. At the urging of residents, community leaders, and the smart growth organization Vision Long Island, DOT agreed to help the corridor evolve into a setting where pedestrians and bicyclists will feel considerably more comfortable.

The speed limit will drop to 45 from 55 mph. Travel lanes will be trimmed to 11 feet from 12 feet. Ten-foot shoulders will be narrowed to six feet. Many new pedestrian crossings will be installed. A planted median will be added, creating areas of refuge for people crossing the busy road — it carries 70,000 vehicles a day.

“There will be continuous walkways on both sides; they can serve as the backbone of a bicycle network,” Sporn says. A Shakespeare park that’s planned along the route would, like the stores and malls, be able to be reached without driving, she says. Pull-off areas for buses will

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