Webster Avenue Bridge

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Webster Avenue Bridge
Webster Avenue Bridge From Plandome Heights & Manhasset End December 2020.jpg
The Webster Avenue Bridge, looking towards the Flower Hill end, on December 16, 2020.
Coordinates 40°48′5.7″N73°41′41.3″W / 40.801583°N 73.694806°W / 40.801583; -73.694806
CarriesWebster Avenue/Bridge Road
Crosses LIRR Port Washington Branch
LocaleVillages of Plandome Heights and Flower Hill, NY
Official nameWebster Avenue Highway Bridge
Other name(s)Smith's Lane Bridge; D'Oench Bridge
Owner Long Island Rail Road
Maintained by Town of North Hempstead
Characteristics
DesignSteel-stringer
Total length78.7 feet (24.0 m)
Width20.7 feet (6.3 m)
Load limit3 tons
Clearance above 8 feet, 6 inches (2.6 m)
No. of lanes 2 (1 in each direction)
History
Built1897 (original bridge)
Rebuilt2025
ClosedJanuary 6, 2025 (original bridge)
Statistics
Daily traffic 1,252 (2017)
Location
Webster Avenue Bridge
Location of the Webster Avenue Bridge.

The Webster Avenue Bridge (also known as the Smith's Lane Bridge and the D'Oench Bridge) is a road bridge over the Long Island Rail Road's Port Washington Branch between the Long Island, New York villages of Plandome Heights and Flower Hill.

Contents

As of 2025, the original bridge, built in 1897, is being replaced with a new, modern bridge.

Description

A Penn Station-bound train approaching the Manhasset station on December 16, 2020. NYP Bound Train Approaching Manhasset As Seen From Webster Avenue Bridge December 2020.jpg
A Penn Station-bound train approaching the Manhasset station on December 16, 2020.

The Webster Avenue Bridge was built in 1897 using a steel-stringer design. [1] [2] It is 78.7 feet (24.0 m) in length, and is 20.7 feet (6.3 m) in width. [1] [2] The bridge carries two lanes of Webster Avenue/Bridge Road – as well as a sidewalk – over the Port Washington Branch of the LIRR, from Brookwold Drive in Plandome Heights to Pinewood Road in Flower Hill. [3] [4] [5]

The bridge's New York State bridge identification number is NY 2261210. [1] [2]

History

The bridge was constructed in order to allow for traffic to safely cross the Long Island Rail Road's Port Washington Branch, which was extended from Great Neck to Port Washington around the same time. [6] [7] [8] The bridge was rehabilitated in 1953. [2]

By 1979, the bridge's structural integrity severely weakened from the several decades of constant use, which was a major concern for many locals – including then-North Hempstead Town Supervisor Michael J. Tully Jr. (who was, at one point, a Flower Hill resident himself). [9] [10] The bridge was in such poor shape that it was closed by the Town of North Hempstead for repairs on April 20, 1979, following a safety warning from a state inspector that "90 percent" of the bridge was severely deteriorated; the bridge previously had to have its maximum weight limit reduced by the Town of North Hempstead, due to the structural deficiencies. [3]

Tully requested that the bridge be repaired with federal aid as part of a government infrastructure program in 1979. [9] [10] This request for federal aid was denied – despite the fact that several other bridges on Long Island in similar shape were being rehabilitated with federal aid. [9]

The bridge received more repairs in December 2015, and received a weight limit of 3 tons and a height clearance of 8 feet, 6 inches (2.6 meters), due to the bridge's poor structural integrity and overall deterioration. [11] [12] Height barriers were placed on both ends of the bridge to prevent taller vehicles from traversing the bridge, and weight limit signs were posted on both ends; school buses were rerouted to bypass the bridge. [11]

Despite these repairs, the bridge's condition continues to deteriorate, much to the dismay of locals. [11] [13] As of 2019, the sidewalk is severely damaged after decades of being exposed to the elements, and the steel grate road deck is fractured in many places; welded steel plates are used to keep the roadway intact. [11] In 2022, the bridge received a "poor" safety rating from New York, and was one of 11 on Long Island to be receive that rating that year. [14]

Replacement

The Webster Avenue Bridge is slated to be replaced with a new bridge built to modern standards. [8] [12] [13] [15] This announcement was made in 2019, after major concerns were expressed from locals over the bridge's functional obsoleteness, increasing noise, state of disrepair, and structural weakness. [12] [13]

The preliminary design for a future replacement bridge had already been performed between 2017 and 2019, and the new bridge is slated to be built as part of the MTA's 2020–2024 Capital Program. [8] [16] [17]

The new Webster Avenue Bridge, at the time of the announcement, was anticipated to be completed by 2023; construction, however, was postponed. [8]

In 2024, it was announced that the replacement project would commence on January 6, 2025; work is anticipated to be completed by the end of that year. [12] The project would require the temporary closure of the bridge portions of Bridge Road & Webster Avenue, in order to facilitate the original bridge's demolition and the erection of its replacement. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Washington Branch</span> Long Island Rail Road branch

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cow Neck Peninsula</span> Peninsula in Nassau County, New York

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonytown Road</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plandome Road</span> Road on Long Island, New York

Plandome Road is a road in Manhasset and the incorporated villages of Plandome, Plandome Heights, and Plandome Manor in the Town of North Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It serves as a major north–south through street across the west side of the Cow Neck Peninsula, between Northern Boulevard to the south and Stonytown Road and North Plandome Road to the north, and is the main thoroughfare in downtown Manhasset.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "NYSDOT Bridges". data.gis.ny.gov. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Bridge Road Overpass". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  3. 1 2 Ingrassia, Michele (April 21, 1979). "Bridge Closed on State Warning". Newsday – via ProQuest.
  4. ↑ Johnson, Elizabeth (2016-10-21). "Bridge Work In Manhasset". Port Washington News. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  5. ↑ "Bridge Work In Manhasset". Long Island Weekly. 2016-10-21. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  6. ↑ Schaden, Marco (2019-09-04). "Webster Avenue Bridge Noise Is Back". Manhasset Press. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  7. ↑ "LONG ISLAND RAILROAD.; The Branch from Great Neck to Port Washington Opened Yesterday. (Published 1898)". The New York Times. 1898-06-24. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Webster Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation". A Modern LI. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  9. 1 2 3 Long, Irving (April 5, 1980). "2 North Hempstead Bridges Not on List for Federal Aid". Newsday – via ProQuest.
  10. 1 2 Lambert, Bruce (1997-08-06). "Michael J. Tully Jr., 64, Senator Who Fought for a Smoking Ban (Published 1997)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Schaden, Marco (2019-08-10). "Residents Fed Up With Noisy Webster Avenue Bridge". Manhasset Press. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Feeney, Luke (2024-11-05). "Webster Ave. Bridge to close in 2025 for repairs". www.longislandpress.com. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
  13. 1 2 3 "LIRR to Replace Webster Avenue Bridge After Town Voices Concerns". northhempsteadny.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  14. ↑ "Nine LI bridges carrying more than 67,000 total vehicles in 'poor' condition". Newsday. 2022-03-20. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
  15. ↑ Construction, M. T. A.; Development. ""Best Value Analysis" has been Completed for Manhasset's Webster Avenue Bridge, Built in 1897". A Modern LI. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  16. ↑ "Construction Projects for Bid - Dodge Data & Analytics". www.construction.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  17. ↑ Castillo, Alfonso A. (September 23, 2019). "What's In Store for LIRR's Future". Newsday . ProQuest   2295328492.
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