Great South Bay Bridge

Last updated
Great South Bay Bridge
GreatSouth-B-B.jpg
The twin bridge spans, as seen at night.
Coordinates 40°40′34″N73°16′27″W / 40.67611°N 73.27417°W / 40.67611; -73.27417
Carries5 lanes of Robert Moses Cswy Pkwy Shield.svg Robert Moses Causeway
Crosses Great South Bay
Other name(s)Captree Bridge
Maintained by NYSDOT
Characteristics
DesignTwin through arch spans
Total length10,519.5 feet (3,206.3 m)
Width26.6 feet (8.1 m)
Longest span600 feet (180 m)
Clearance above 16.2 feet (4.9 m)
Statistics
Daily traffic 7,659 (as of 2007)
Location
Great South Bay Bridge

The Great South Bay Bridge (historically known as the Captree Bridge) is a twin-span bridge on the southwest side of Suffolk County, New York, on Long Island. It carries the Robert Moses Causeway over the Great South Bay, between Long Island's South Shore and Captree Island. [1] It serves as access via the Robert Moses Causeway to both of the downstream crossings, the State Boat Channel Bridge and the Fire Island Inlet Bridge, also leading visitors and on-lookers to the Captree State Park, Fire Island Lighthouse, Jones Beach Island, or Robert Moses State Park.

Contents

History

The bridge was originally a single span, that opened in 1954 and was called the Captree Bridge. [2] Today, the original span carries all southbound traffic.

In 1964, a second, parallel span opened to traffic and carried all northbound traffic. This brought much-needed relief to traffic heading back from Jones Beach, Robert Moses, and Captree parks. The bridges are through trusses and are painted in a traditional "bridge green" hue.

In 1997, a major rebuild of the deck of the older span began and was completed in 2000. Safety compliant railings were installed on the older span. In 2013–2014, the northbound span received upgraded railings. Major improvements NYSDOT is considering is a cycle/pedestrian path shared with the northbound lanes. NYSDOT has not released any official plans.

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Town of Babylon is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, United States. Its population was 218,223 as of the 2020 census. Parts of Jones Beach Island, Captree Island and Fire Island are in the southernmost part of the town. It borders Nassau County to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. At its westernmost point, it is about 20 miles (32 km) from New York City at the Queens border, and about 30 miles (48 km) from Manhattan. The village of Babylon is also within the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great South Bay</span>

The Great South Bay is a lagoon situated between Long Island and Fire Island, in the State of New York. It is about 45 miles (72 km) long and has an average depth of 4 feet 3 inches (1.3 m) and is 20 feet (6.1 m) at its deepest. It is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by Fire Island, a barrier island, as well as the eastern end of Jones Beach Island and Captree Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jones Beach Island</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Moses Causeway</span>

The Robert Moses Causeway is an 8.10-mile-long (13.04 km) north-south parkway in Suffolk County, New York on Long Island. It is named for the master builder and urban planner Robert Moses. The parkway, originally known as the Captree Causeway, connects West Islip on Long Island to the barrier beach islands, such as Captree Island, Jones Beach Island, and the western tip of Fire Island, to the south. It is designated New York State Route 908J (NY 908J), an unsigned reference route.

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Captree State Park is a 340-acre (1.4 km2) state park located in the towns of Babylon and Islip in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The park is located south of Captree Island on the easternmost end of Jones Beach Island, and overlooks the Fire Island Inlet and the westernmost section of Fire Island.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wantagh State Parkway</span> Highway in Nassau County, New York

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The Ocean Parkway is a 15.59-mile (25.09 km) limited-access parkway that traverses Jones Beach Island between Jones Beach State Park and Captree State Park on Long Island, New York, in the United States. It begins at the southern terminus of the Meadowbrook State Parkway and heads east across Jones Beach Island, intersecting the south end of the Wantagh State Parkway before ending just past the southern terminus of the Robert Moses Causeway.

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The Sagtikos State Parkway is a 5.14-mile (8.27 km) controlled-access parkway in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, in the United States. It begins at an interchange with the Southern State and Heckscher Parkways in the hamlet of West Islip and goes north to a large cloverleaf interchange with the Northern State Parkway in the Town of Smithtown, where the Sagtikos ends and the road becomes the Sunken Meadow State Parkway. The parkway comprises the southern half of New York State Route 908K (NY 908K), an unsigned reference route, with the Sunken Meadow State Parkway forming the northern portion.

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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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Boat Channel Bridge</span> Bridge

The State Boat Channel Bridge is a twin-span bascule bridge in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It carries the Robert Moses Causeway over the Long Island New York State Boat Channel between Captree Island and Jones Beach Island, in Oak Beach and Captree on the Babylon–Islip town border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 135</span> State highway in Nassau County, New York, US

New York State Route 135 (NY 135) is a 10.8-mile (17.4 km) freeway in eastern Nassau County, New York, in the United States. The route connects Seaford with Syosset. The highway runs from Merrick Road in Seaford to NY 25 in Syosset. In between, NY 135 passes through Bethpage and Plainview and serves Bethpage State Park. The highway is ceremoniously designated as the Ralph J. Marino Expressway; however, it is more commonly known as the Seaford–Oyster Bay Expressway.

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". www.nycroads.com. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  2. "Moses to preside at Captree Bridge opening, June 12". Newsday. 1954-05-28. p. 7. Retrieved 2021-06-08.