It was good to learn that a Sunrise Highway safety and renovation project in the works for a decade and a half has finally moved to the final stages before construction. The state expects to have bids out this month and begin work by the fall.

This work will address longstanding design problems and traffic issues that drivers who traverse this roadway from Louden Avenue in Amityville, west to Park Boulevard in Massapequa Park have had to deal with on a regular basis.

Try coming on to Sunrise Highway from Old Sunrise Highway and get into a lane of traffic so you can make a turn heading south. You take your life into your hands.

Try getting out of the Sunrise Mall through the west exit, move into traffic on Sunrise Highway and make a turn to get into one of the shopping centers on the south or to head east. It's almost impossible and extremely dangerous.

Try turning into the Phillips shopping mall from the westbound lane or move onto Sunrise Highway from one of those exits. Again, the traffic patterns are difficult and dangerous to maneuver.

The state has taken a tremendous amount of time and energy in putting together a plan that traffic engineers believe will alleviate many of these problems. It's been too long in coming, but we are glad to see that the work is at hand and we would hope

that drivers have patience as the construction proceeds.