Hempstead Turnpike -- 16 deadly miles
Design issues and human error make Hempstead Turnpike Long Island's most dangerous road for pedestrians -- far more deadly than Sunrise Highway, Hillside Avenue or Jericho Turnpike.
Six lanes wide in most places, the 16-mile thoroughfare slices through the downtowns of Elmont, Franklin Square and Hempstead Village and the hubs of suburban commerce in East Meadow, Levittown, Wantagh and Farmingdale.
Portions of the roadway have led the state and watchdog groups' lists of high-accident danger zones for both drivers and pedestrians. Some changes have been made, including the addition of countdown clocks for pedestrians, but some call for comprehensive redesigns as the deadly conflict between cars and pedestrians continues to play out.
Newsday in this investigation examines the human toll, contributing factors for danger and some proposed solutions.
This special report was reported and written by Keith Herbert and Jennifer Maloney. An interactive database for these reports was compiled by Kathy Diamond.
Photo credit: Howard Schnapp | The intersection of Poplar Street and the Hempstead Turnpike in West Hempstead where a fatal hit and run occurred. (Jun. 16, 2011)
Hempstead Turnpike a real danger
Thoughts on dangerous TurnpikeGalleries
Hempstead Turnpike accidents
Map: Hempstead Tpke. fatalities
Map: Hempstead Tpke. injuries
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article Nassau 2/28/12 Pastor leads effort to make road safer The Rev. Msgr. Michael Flynn's experiences trying to walk across busy Conklin Street in front ... Read More »
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article Long Island 2/16/12 Solutions for Hempstead Tpke. woes offered Federal money targeted at roads with numerous pedestrian crashes, a beefed-up law enforcement effort and ... Read More »
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article Long Island 2/15/12 DOT chief wants Hempstead Tpke. fixes State Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald said Wednesday that she wants short-term safety fixes and long-term ... Read More »
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article Nassau 2/12/12 Design changes for Hempstead Tpke. urged Queens Boulevard was notorious as the "Boulevard of Death" in the 1990s because pedestrian fatalities ... Read More »
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article Nassau 2/15/12 Dangerous crossings: Hempstead Turnpike The conflict between cars and pedestrians plays out more violently and more often along Hempstead ... Read More »
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article Nassau 2/11/12 Hempstead Tpke.: A danger for pedestrians Cases of pedestrian injury and death on Hempstead Turnpike in Nassau County divide almost equally ... Read More »
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article Nassau 2/11/12 Hempstead Turnpike: Purabi Nandi On a warm July evening in 2009, Purabi Nandi and a visiting friend set out ... Read More »
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article Nassau 2/11/12 Hempstead Turnpike: Syed Hussain Syed S. Hussain was on the way to his 3-year-old granddaughter's birthday party on the ... Read More »
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article Nassau 2/14/12 Hempstead Turnpike: Keith Cerrato Keith Cerrato was a popular Hofstra University finance major who was pointed toward getting his ... Read More »
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