Fire Island Inlet Bridge

Last updated
Fire Island Inlet Bridge
Fire Island Inlet Bridge.jpg
Fire Island Inlet Bridge
Coordinates 40°37′56″N73°15′46″W / 40.6322°N 73.2628°W / 40.6322; -73.2628
CarriesRobert Moses Cswy Pkwy Shield.svg Robert Moses Causeway
CrossesFire Island Inlet
Characteristics
MaterialSteel
Width2 lane
History
Construction cost$10 million
Opened1964
Location
Fire Island Inlet Bridge

The Fire Island Inlet Bridge, an integral part of the Robert Moses Causeway, is a two-lane, steel tied arch span with a concrete deck that carries the parkway over Fire Island Inlet.

Contents

Construction of the Fire Island Bridge was completed in 1964 and although a relatively young structure, (less than 60 years old), its concrete deck has suffered from severe chloride ingress resulting in cracks, spalling, and the formation of potholes. [1]

The Fire Island Inlet span of the Robert Moses Causeway connects to Robert Moses State Park on the western tip of Fire Island.

The Fire Island Inlet Bridge is located south of the State Boat Channel Bridge, a 665-foot (203 m) long bascule bridge modeled after Brooklyn's Mill Basin Drawbridge.

History

The bridge in 2020 Fire Island Inlet Bridge 2020.jpg
The bridge in 2020

The Fire Island Inlet span cost $10 million to complete and opened to traffic on June 13, 1964. [2] [3] By 1985, a dual span was supposed to be built to alleviate traffic; the second bridge proposal was never implemented. [4] As first proposed in 1938, the span was to be a vertical-lift span with a design similar to that of the Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge. The design was changed to conform with that of the Great South Bay Bridge, a 600-foot (180 m) steel-arch span with a 60-foot (18 m) clearance. [4]

In 2004, the New York State Department of Transportation began studies on the Fire Island Inlet span after the realization that it was rapidly decomposing due to flaws in the cement during its construction. [4] [5] A 5-short-ton (4,500 kg) weight restriction was enforced by local police until permanent repairs could be made. [6]

Currently repairs are being undertaken to extend the life and safety of the bridge; groundbreaking for a new bridge was expected in 2010. It is assumed that the new bridge will be built to the west of the current structure; the new span will be four lanes, two southbound and two northbound. The new Fire Island Bridge will keep the look of the old one for aesthetic conformity with the other bridges over the bay.[ citation needed ]

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Ponquogue Parkway

In 1938, after the destruction to Fire Island from the Long Island Express hurricane, Robert Moses and W. Earle Andrews, both part of the Long Island State Park Commission, proposed reconstruction of the island. This proposal included an extension of the Ocean Parkway out from its terminus at Captree State Park across Fire Island to Westhampton. This new parkway, which would boast 22 feet (6.7 m) wide roadways, would have connections back to the mainland at Smith Point County Park and Ponquogue with parkway spurs across Shinnecock Bay and the Great South Bay. The new spur at Ponquogue, deemed the Ponquogue Parkway, would have marked the eastern terminus of the new Ocean Parkway extension. The proposal lived until the cut-back to Smith Point County Park in 1962 for environmental issues with such a construction, ending any proposal for a parkway in the area of Hampton Bays.

Captree is a census-designated place (CDP) in the towns of Islip and Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It occupies Captree Island in Great South Bay, as well as the east end of Jones Beach Island to the south, comprising Captree State Park. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. Prior to that it was part of the Oak Beach–Captree CDP.

References

  1. ↑ "Robert Moses Causeway" (PDF). Stirling Lloyd. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  2. ↑ Porterfield, Byron (June 4, 1964). "$10 Million Fire Island Bridge To Be Opened to Public June 13". The New York Times . p. 39. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  3. ↑ Maiorana, Ronald (June 14, 1964). "New L.I. Bridge Opened By Moses". The New York Times . p. 82. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  4. 1 2 3 Anderson, Steve. "Robert Moses Causeway". NYCRoads. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  5. ↑ Constantino, Frank (February 2004). "New York Stretches Bridge Deck Life". Better Roads. 74 (2): 98–99. Archived from the original on 17 April 2004. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "Featured Project: Gusset Plate Replacement Robert Moses Causeway over Fire Island Inlet, BIN 1058770" (PDF). Bridge Maintenance News. 2 (6): 1. November 2009. Retrieved 2011-11-05.

Coordinates: 40°37′56″N73°15′46″W / 40.63222°N 73.26278°W / 40.63222; -73.26278

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