Ms. de la Puente was excited to hear that the state Department of Transportation plans to install a crosswalk across Route 25 near Handy Pantry in early spring. The closest crosswalk, used frequently by high school students and visitors to DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home, is by Mattituck-Laurel Library, about a half-mile east of the shopping plaza.

"I should be able to walk to the supermarket without having to walk all the way down to the library," Ms. de la Puente said. "Standing on the shoulder, I can't tell if cars are slowing down or not, or if they even see me."

Eileen Peters, spokeswoman for the DOT, confirmed that a crosswalk will be installed just west of New Suffolk Avenue on Route 25. It will include curb cuts for wheelchairs and special "yield to the blind" signs because there are blind pedestrians living in the area.

Jill Desantis is one of them. The partially blind Route 25 resident has had to rely on her seeing-eye dog to decide when it's safe to cross the road. Ms. Desantis, along with fellow Mattituck Presbyterian Church member Tom Gahan and Pastor George Gaffga, lobbied for the crosswalk.

"We'll be installing the signs as soon as work crews are available in the area," said Ms. Peters. "And the crosswalk itself will be constructed as soon as the weather breaks."

DOT engineers spent months conducting speed studies and field observations, learning how people drive and walk in the area, to determine the best traffic control method, Ms. Peters said. They studied traffic on typical weekdays and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. along the 30 mph stretch of road.

Though Pastor Gaffga also asked that the DOT lower the speed limit to 20 mph between the new crosswalk and the one at Mattituck-Laurel Library, Ms. Peters said a lower limit was not feasible for the area.

"We have asked the Southold Town Police Department for increased enforcement" of the current limit, she said.

Ms. Peters added that a crosswalk isn't feasible closer to Love Lane because of the geometry of the intersection and the limited sight distance around the bend. Other possible traffic control methods around Love Lane were not included in this particular traffic study, she said.

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell called the proposed crosswalk a "very small start" to a much larger traffic project in that part of Mattituck.

"Our plans for traffic calming and other initiatives are still pending," he said, adding that the town has been pursuing stimulus money to pay for them without success so far. "But we are persistent and hopefully will find money soon," Mr. Russell said.

Mattituck, he said, has essentially two downtowns ¬­-- the shopping center and Love Lane ¬­-- and it will take more than one crosswalk or a traffic circle to link the two areas.

"The goal of our plans is to link all the businesses in a pedestrian-friendly way and have better traffic management," he said. "I am still convinced that the area will benefit greatly from closing that one-way section of road between the Presbyterian Church and the parking area of Love Lane. We can work with the church to ensure they still have access for their handicapped parking needs and create a very nice village green there to focus on the stores of Love Lane as the center of that hamlet."

eschultz@timesreview.com