LIRR customers displaced over weekend for bridge demolition

An estimated 40,000 Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) customers face significant delays over the weekend of Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17 when the railroad suspends train service between Hicksville and Mineola during demolition of the Ellison Ave. Bridge in Westbury.

The 48-hour service outage affects all LIRR branches but will primarily affect the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson Branches where customers are facing 40-60 minutes of extra travel time because their regular route to and from New York City takes them right through the demolition zone in Westbury. However, all LIRR branches will be affected with revised departure and arrival times for weekend trains. Special weekend timetables will be in effect on all branches.

The LIRR is replacing the obsolete bridge as part of a $17.5-million project to improve safety for railroad customers, as well as the thousands of motorists and pedestrians who use the 74-year-old span each day. The project includes replacement of the bridge, a new roadway, sidewalks, curbs, fencing and paving and is being financed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Capital Program. The new bridge is scheduled to open by April 2016 and all construction activities, including site restoration, will be completed by June 2016.

LIRR will take advantage of the 48-hour train service suspension by performing other critical work in the vicinity during the outage. This additional work will include switch improvements in Hicksville, rail welding and drainage work between Carle Place and Hicksville and replacement of the School St. grade crossing in Westbury.