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Suffolk County says Montauk Highway bridge must be replaced; plans 7–8 month detour and years-long construction
Summary
County engineers presented a plan to replace the Montauk Highway bridge over the LIRR in Hampton Bays, citing severe structural deterioration and utility constraints. Construction is expected to start in 2029 with a 7–8 month detour planned for fall–spring; residents raised traffic, safety and cultural‑resource concerns.
Suffolk County officials and their design team presented plans to replace the Montauk Highway bridge over the Long Island Rail Road in Hampton Bays, calling the structure deteriorated and unsafe and laying out a construction schedule that would begin in about 2029.
"My name is Anne Welker. I'm Suffolk County legislator for the 2nd District," Legislator Anne Welker told the crowd as she opened the meeting, which the county said was convened to gather public input on a county‑managed bridge replacement. Kyle Swearingen of Suffolk County DPW introduced the project team and said the bridge "is the worst rated bridge in Suffolk County" and has exceeded its useful service life.
Designers from Gannett Fleming described site constraints that limit options: a buried National Grid gas main and a Hampton Bays water line that must remain in service, a sharply skewed railroad alignment and staggered piers that make staged construction infeasible. The team said those conditions eliminate common alternatives such as building a temporary single‑lane bridge alongside the existing span and require a temporary detour when the bridge deck is removed.
County staff said construction would begin with substantial preparatory work under the existing bridge, allowing much of the substructure to be built while the roadway remains open. Once the bridge must be removed, the team plans to use prefabricated 50‑foot elements to accelerate assembly and limit the closure to an estimated 7–8 months, scheduled outside the summer season where possible.
The county provided a detour route that would sign traffic onto Ponquag Avenue, Fanning Avenue and Canoe Place, and proposed temporary traffic signals at several intersections. A county traffic model estimated the detour could add up to about 10 minutes to peak‑hour trips for drivers who follow the recommended route; many residents disputed that figure in comments during the public session.
The meeting closed with instructions for public comment: the county asked that written input be emailed to HamptonBaysOverpass@Gmail.com or mailed to the design consultant by August 6 for inclusion in the preliminary design report, and officials said a follow‑up meeting in Hampton Bays would be scheduled.
