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Testing and inspection of the Cranberry Hole Road Bridge last winter has yet to lead to action on its needed replacement. CHRISTOPHER WALSH
Fifteen months after the Cranberry Hole Road Bridge, which spans the Long Island Rail Road track in Amagansett, was closed to all vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists due to the opening of a sizable hole and other gaps in its surface, East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez and Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. have written to the LIRR’s president asking that he expedite the bridge’s reconstruction process.
The July 1, 2023, closure of the bridge was the second in as many months. Town officials had closed it in May of that year after its disrepair was discovered. Highway Department officials carried out repairs and the bridge was reopened in June, but remained open for fewer than three weeks before its second closure.
Constructed in 1895, the bridge last saw major repairs in 2007. Last year, the LIRR deemed it beyond repair and in need of replacement. A contractor was engaged to design a new bridge, which was expected by summer, Thiele said early this year.
But throughout the summer, LIRR staff continually postponed a meeting to present conceptual designs, according to the letter from Burke-Gonzalez and Thiele to Robert Free, the LIRR’s president. In response to a September 5 inquiry for an update, the LIRR stated that it had sent a request for historical review to the State Historic Preservation Office and were subsequently informed that “it was determined that River Avenue Bridge,” in Eastport, “is identified in their records as a historic property (eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places).”
This, LIRR officials said, was pertinent to the Cranberry Hole Road Bridge because “to achieve economies of scale, these bridges were included in one design since they are all very similar. As such, our designer is working on all of these” and working on a standard design for four bridges.
Burke-Gonzalez said at the Town Board’s work session on Tuesday that the LIRR has been asked to remove the River Avenue Bridge from the project and move forward with the other three “so that we can get this back on track — no pun intended.”
Her remarks followed comment by Vicki Littman of Amagansett, who submitted a petition bearing the signatures of 233 residents urging the town to contact the Metropolitan Transportation Authority immediately to prioritize repairs and allocate money in its 2025 budget. The petition had been sent to Thiele and Governor Kathy Hochul, Littman said.
“The closure of this bridge has resulted in area residents being redirected through Abrams Landing Road, at the intersection near the Amagansett railroad station, intensifying existing safety concerns at this already-treacherous location,” Littman told the board. She said that attorneys have advised her that residents have legal standing to compel the MTA to repair the bridge and keep it open. “So we’re asking you just to do what you can to help us get this bridge open,” she said. “It’s more than an inconvenience to the residents, it’s a safety issue right now.” Pedestrians and cyclists are traversing the bridge, she said.
