The 41-year-old former nurse lost most of her eyesight three years ago due to an optical disease. So she has only her sense of hearing and her seeing-eye dog, Twister, to gauge whether it's safe to cross Main Road at the bend near Love Lane.
"It's very difficult for me to cross that street most of the time," said Ms. Desantis, who lives on the south side of Main Road and routinely has close calls with motorists while crossing the busy street. "My dog is good, but she's not perfect."
Help might be on the way.
Eileen Peters, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, said Friday that traffic and safety engineers have started collecting data from the area along Route 25, between Pacific Street and New Suffolk Avenue.
"A comprehensive study should be completed with an analysis soon," she said.
Engineers are conducting speed studies and field observations, learning how people drive and walk in the area to determine the best traffic control method, she said.
The nearest crosswalk, used by high school students and those visiting DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home, is located by Mattituck-Laurel Library, more than 1,000 feet from Ms. Desantis' residence on Main Road between her church and Pacific Street.
"That is an excellent crosswalk, but it's a hike," said Ms. Desantis.
As a member of Mattituck Presbyterian Church, located on the north side of the road, Ms. Desantis needs to cross every Tuesday for Bible study.
"I hold my breath and run," said Ms Desantis, who has lived in Mattituck for eight years. "It's a very isolating feeling."
Mattituck Presbyterian Church Pastor George Gaffga wrote a letter in February to state Assemblyman Marc Alessi, county Legislator Ed Romaine, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell and the state transportation department, stating that Ms. Desantis is not the only one in danger trying to cross the street.
"Children cross Route 25 between Pacific Street and New Suffolk Avenue to access the baseball field on Bay Avenue, Veterans Beach and its playground," he wrote. "In addition to members of the community that cross Route 25 to shop on Love Lane, members of our congregation cross Route 25 to attend services."
He requested a crosswalk be constructed between Pacific Street and New Suffolk Avenue, just west of his church. He also asked that the DOT lower the speed limit to 20 mph between this proposed location and the crosswalk at Mattituck-Laurel Library.
"It's just such a crazy place to cross, with people turning left and right," Pastor Gaffga said. "We really need to do something."
Nick Planamento, owner of La Ferme de la Mer on Love Lane, said he's seen "all kinds of horrible things" in the nine years he's been on the corner of Love Lane and Route 25. But, because Route 25 is a state road, local concerns tend to fall on deaf ears, he said.
"It becomes a bureaucratic thing," he said.
Southold Town Councilman Vincent Orlando said he's heard rumblings for quite some time about a crosswalk on that part of Route 25 -- "something like that, without causing traffic jams," he said.
He added that members of the Town Board and the Mattituck Chamber of Commerce have also discussed the possibility of a traffic circle to make turning left onto Love Lane less dangerous -- and to help increase business for merchants on the south side of Route 25.
"Businesses don't last more than two years there," he said. "Because you're risking your life to get to them."
Ms. Desantis said she'd like to see a crosswalk -- not a traffic light -- placed closer to the Love Lane shopping district and her church.
"I'm a Mattituck person who doesn't want a traffic light," she said. "I like the small-town feel."
In the meantime, she said, she doesn't plan to cross Route 25 by herself anymore unless she "absolutely has to."
"Traffic will get worse with the nicer weather," she said. "And I thank God for that every day because of the economy. If people don't come here, we can't survive.
"But to cross on a nice day," she added. "It's brutal."
eschultz@timesreview.com