During the weekend of October 21-22, workers using cranes and a movable industrial-grade hydraulic lift will remove the 103-year-old Post Avenue Bridge and roll a new pre-assembled one into place. To facilitate the bridge swap, the Long Island Rail Road will need to suspend train service between Mineola and Hicksville for 48 hours. Buses will substitute for Port Jefferson Branch trains and some Ronkonkoma Branch trains.  Most Ronkonkoma Branch trains will operate over the Babylon Branch and reach Hicksville via the Central Branch.

 

“We’re working hard to minimize the impacts that our customers will experience during the 48-hour period where service will be disrupted, and we’re working equally hard to get the word out to all our customers well in advance of the work,” said Patrick Nowakowski, President of the Long Island Rail Road. “This location is of central importance to the railroad, figuratively and literally, and all branches will be impacted in some way. Anyone thinking of using the LIRR on Saturday, October 21, or Sunday, October 22, should pick up a copy of our special timetables.”

 

Copies of all branch timetables, and an overview of the bridge work and service changes, can be found at this link:

 

The new bridge, which carries the Main Line over Post Avenue at the Westbury Station, will result in long-term improvements to service. It will be 13 feet wider than the current span, offering enough space for the future Main Line Third Track. The new bridge will be two feet, two inches higher than the current bridge, allowing trucks of up to 14 feet to safely pass underneath. The current bridge’s height left it susceptible to strikes by overheight vehicles, causing delays to trains while inspectors determine the structure’s stability and safety.

 

Port Jefferson Branch and Ronkonkoma Branch customers riding the LIRR during this weekend should plan for an additional 40 to 60 minutes of extra travel time, or should consider traveling on alternate branches, including the Montauk Branch or Babylon Branch.

 

Specifics for service changes on the weekend of Oct. 21-22 are detailed by branch below.

 

 

 

 

 

Post Avenue will be closed between Railroad Avenue and Union Avenue between 8 p.m. on Friday, October 20, and 6 a.m. on Monday, October 23. Motorists are advised to take an alternate route during this period. The marked detour will take motorists nine tenths of a mile east, to cross the railroad at School Street. 

 

 

Motorists looking to travel northbound on Post Avenue would turn right at Railroad Avenue and travel for one block, to School Street, to make a left, followed immediately by another left onto Union Avenue for a two-block drive back to Post Avenue to make a right and continue northbound.

 

 

Motorists looking to travel southbound on Post Avenue would turn left at Union Avenue and travel for two blocks, to School Street, to make a right, followed immediately by another right onto Railroad Avenue for a one-block drive back to Post Avenue to make a left and continue southbound.

 

 

Information about the planned service changes noted in this press release, and all planned service changes, is available through the LIRR’s real-time service information sources:

 

Email and text message service updates – Customers are urged to sign up to receive the alerts by visiting MyMTAAlerts.com. To avoid unwanted messages, a user can tailor the messages to the specific branch, and the specific times of day.

 

LIRR Train Time app – Customers who use the LIRR Train Time app will see up-to-the-minute status for each upcoming train at each station. As a caution, trains that start out their trips on time may experience delays en route.

MTA.info – The rail tab of the “Service Status” box at the left side of www.MTA.info is always the definitive source for the latest status for each branch, updated every minute. In addition, customers can visit www.mta.info/lirr to see special service notices in the upper center of the page.

 

@LIRR on Twitter – Twitter users can follow @LIRR to receive updates of a similar nature to the email and text alerts, shortened to fit Twitter’s format.

 

The above communications channels can be accessed while at home or on the go. For customers who are located at stations, the LIRR will post the latest service updates on digital signs at station platforms and will make audio announcements over public address systems, and on-board announcements made by train crews.

 

For those who prefer the telephone, information is available from the LIRR’s Customer Service Center by calling 511, the New York State Travel Information Line, and saying: “Long Island Rail Road” Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can use their preferred service provider for the free 711 relay to reach the LIRR at 511.