Bridge Work To Continue In Westhampton Beach

Work on the Beach Lane and Jessup Lane drawbridges in Westhampton Beach is expected to resume in the coming weeks, according to Mayor Maria Moore.

The construction, which was halted during the summer months, is part of an $8.1 million maintenance project that Suffolk County began in May 2017.

As part of the project, the Suffolk County Department of Public Works has removed the steel armor joints and replaced them with elastomeric concrete, which has more flexibility; replaced the ramp-locking mechanisms; installed new proximity switches; and updated the traffic gates and bridge machinery. Workers also lifted the bridges to an upright position and blasted the undersides with steel grit before priming and painting the frames.

On Tuesday morning, Ms. Moore received an update on the repair work from Mario Carrera, the project manager from the Public Works Department. Still left on the list is milling, paving and re-striping the approaches to both bridges, completing various electrical work and wiring, and cleaning, blasting and sealing the Beach Lane bridge deck.

After the final updates are completed, the construction team will demobilize and close out the job, Mr. Carrera noted. At that point, the cargo containers and construction machinery that was left on the side of the Beach Lane bridge over the summer is expected to be removed.

“He assured me that we are very close to the finish line,” Ms. Moore said, although the exact completion date is unclear.

The ongoing repair project required various traffic closures earlier this year, but, when work continues in the coming weeks, the bridges will remain open to cars and pedestrians, and to boats passing beneath it.

“According to the project manager, they won’t have to close the bridges again to finish up the last of the work,” Ms. Moore said.