Will a three lane configuration cause back ups on Island Crest Way?
No. The best evidence we have (according to the city’s traffic consultant) is that the existing constriction at Merrimount does not cause back ups. Computer modeling leads to the same conclusion. The constriction that does cause serious back ups on ICW is school activity at Island Park Elementary. When school starts and school ends, significant back ups occur. This problem won’t be made better or worse by the proposed reconfiguration. Northbound traffic will back up at the school and then flow freely beyond the school–whether in two lanes or one. Similarly, southbound traffic will back up at the school and the line up will extend north whether in two lanes or one.
