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Crime & Safety

Southampton Commuters Abandon Hope of Getting to Work

Backups are déjà vu for motorists who sat in similar traffic one year ago this week.

Frustrated with traffic, many drivers made illegal U-turns across Sunrise Highway's grass median Thursday morning, giving up on getting to work in Southampton and points east.

Cars are backed up for miles both eastbound and westbound on the South Fork, as a bus-versus-SUV fatal accident shortly after 7 a.m. closed all four lanes of County Road 39, the main artery through Southampton. One of two eastbound lanes was reopened around 12:15 p.m.

With County Road being closed between Tuckahoe Lane and Tuckahoe Road, traffic was diverted around the accident, pushing congestion onto Montauk Highway and other secondary roads.

On Facebook and Twitter commuters bemoaned the traffic, and one reported that work was called off for the day due to the road closure.

The traffic is reminiscent of a similar situation one year ago this week. On July 24, 2012, a crash involving a 2012 Mercedes Benz and a 2004 Western Star truck and the subsequent investigation closed County Road 39 for six hours, crippling the South Fork. That crash happened in the afternoon, leaving many commuters stuck at work or sitting in traffic. Thursday morning's accident caused many commuters — who didn't just give up and go home — to be hours late to work.

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