Shinnecock say concerns over express lane for golf tourney have been resolved

The Shinnecock Indian Nation on Wednesday said its concerns about the creation of a temporary express lane on a section of Sunrise Highway that traverses tribal land have been resolved following discussions with operators of the U.S. Open.

In a statement, the Shinnecock Nation said it had "worked diligently to ensure that traffic management and transportation planning efforts respected tribal sovereignty, protected the Nation's governmental interests, preserved safe and reliable access for tribal citizens, and maintained critical emergency response capabilities within the territory. The Nation appreciates the collaborative approach taken by its partners in addressing these important considerations."

Assurances came in the form of a letter from Eric Steimer, the U.S. Golf Association’s senior director of U.S. Open Championships, to Shinnecock leadership, clarifying the use of a newly created, temporary express lane during the June 15-21 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. Temporary changes that involved road work would not be done on Shinnecock-owned land, the tribe has been assured. 

The plan involved "stabilizing" an existing crossover on Sunrise Highway at a point west of the Shinnecock Nation's Westwoods land, which would allow express buses traveling east to the tournament to use as a westbound lane of the highway from 5 to 10 a.m.

"Working with [the state Department of Transportation], we have finished stabilizing the existing Sunrise Highway turnaround and shoulder that is located 0.5 miles east of the NY-27/NY-24 interchange," Steimer wrote. "This crossover will be used to allow U.S. Open shuttle buses traveling from Calverton Airfield and other points west to navigate from the existing eastbound [Sunrise Highway] lanes into the westbound lanes during the heavy morning commuter hours."

The Shinnecock Indian Nation has been in a protracted legal battle with the state DOT, which in 2019 sued nation leaders over the erection of 61-foot digital billboards. Decisions in that case, most favoring the state, have spilled over into a separate action by Southampton Town, which is suing tribal leaders over a gas station begun on Westwoods land in Hampton Bays.

The nation has taken the fight to federal court, where it’s seeking a ruling to declare that a 1959 Sunrise Highway right of way claimed by New York State was improperly taken and therefore invalid. No tribal members signed the easement, and the tribe has never received compensation for use of the 3½ acres, as do other tribes in the state for similar uses, the suit said. The Shinnecock, who are federally recognized, argue that state courts and local governments have no authority to rule on federal matters pertaining to its land, particularly after the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2025 affirmed that Westwoods is specially protected, aboriginal tribal land.

Last week, Shinnecock chairwoman Lisa Goree expressed outrage that the plan to alter traffic patterns on the highway didn’t involve direct consultations with the nation, particularly given the involvement of the DOT. On Wednesday, the nation indicated her frustrations had been addressed.

"The Shinnecock Nation has always supported efforts that balance regional transportation needs with the rights, safety, and well-being of our citizens," Shinnecock vice chairman Lance Gumbs said in a statement. "We are pleased that our concerns were heard and addressed through constructive dialogue."

Gumbs in an email said there has not been a discussion with the DOT about the highway plan.

"The major concern in our community was that there was going to be new construction for the express lane over our land," Gumbs said, a concern that he said proved unfounded.

Nevertheless, he said, "It would have been appropriate for the DOT to confer with the nation on the actual plans to the send the eastbound traffic into the westbound lane through our property on a government-to-government basis since there is pending litigation over the use of the roadway through our land."

Last week, a DOT spokesman, Glenn Blain, emphasized that the work didn’t involve an expansion of the highway and that it wasn’t on that portion of the highway owned by the Shinnecock Nation.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.