LIRR Replacing Hills Station Road Bridge

Bus service has replaced Long Island Rail Road train service in both directions on the Montauk branch as Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials work to fix a LIRR overpass in Southampton that was damaged in an accident in April.

Bus service began on Tuesday and will continue through Thursday afternoon, officials said. Hills Station Road in Southampton, where the bridge is located, has been closed to traffic since the accident, but is expected to open later this month, according to an MTA press release issued on Tuesday.

Eastbound LIRR travelers will board buses at the Speonk stations for stops between Westhampton and Montauk, and should allow for an additional 40 minutes of travel time, according to the press release. Westbound riders at stations from Montauk to Westhampton will board buses to Speonk, where train service will resume.

The bridge will cost $367,505 to repair, according to the release. The repairs are needed to restore its structural integrity after a flatbed truck, outfitted with a boom, crashed into it and became wedged underneath the bridge.

Once repaired, normal service is expected to resume on the LIRR Montauk branch after 1 p.m. on Thursday, the release notes. Hills Station Road is expected to reopen on August 19.

“Scheduling the bridge project during a 48-hour period in mid-week was necessary so that train service could be restored in time to meet the heavy weekend service demand between New York City and the East End of Long Island,” the release notes. “The LIRR’s goal was to perform the bridge work in a way that would impact the fewest customers. At this time of the year, weekend ridership on the Montauk Branch greatly exceeds weekday ridership.”