Quogue Bridge To Close for Mid-August Emergency Repairs

The Quogue Bridge on Post Lane will be closed for up to three days beginning on August 15, while the Suffolk County Department of Public Works performs emergency repairs on the 85-year-old drawbridge that connects the mainland to Dune Road.

Quogue Village Mayor Robert Treuhold made the bridge closure announcement last week, noting that he had hoped the work would have been delayed until the fall, when there are fewer residents and less traffic. The county insisted on the mid-August repairs, given that “if they do not perform the emergency repairs now, there could be a catastrophic failure that could possibly lead to a much longer closure,” of weeks or even months, Treuhold said via an email sent to residents about the DPW plan.

Some electrical components on the bridge have been upgraded in recent years, but the old bridge equipment, said Treuhold, “continues to be problematic,” given the original design of the bridge.

The technical problem to be addressed involves steel components rubbing against the steel beams of the bridge when it opens and closes, leading to “the bridge motors experiencing resistance, to the point where the electrical system causes the motors to stop working.” The system then has to be “reset” so the bridge can finish opening or closing.

Summer heat is making the problem worse, since steel expands in hot weather, Treuhold reported, “which could cause the bridge to become inoperable to vehicle and marine traffic.”

The DPW plans to install new steel fixtures that will eliminate the friction, but this can only be done while the bridge is in the “open” position, meaning a complete road closure and traffic detour while the work is underway.

The bridge crosses the Quogue Canal on Post Lane before that road terminates at Dune Road.

Residents or visitors to the beach can use the Rogers Beach Bridge to the west or the Ponqougue Bridge to the east to access Dune Road, while repairs are underway.

“We know this is going to be a huge distraction and inconvenience” for seasonal residents, especially those who live on Dune Road, Treuhold said.

He did offer a note of optimism: “If the work can be completed in three shifts, there is a possibility that the bridge would be reopened after two days.”

The plan for now is that it will be closed midweek from August 15 to 17, while DPW contractors do the work.

In the meantime, the county will post signs announcing the temporary closure and detours, and Treuhold said he would coordinate with Westhampton Beach Village Police and fire services “to arrange for mutual assistance to ensure rapid response to any emergency that might arise.”

He added, “Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that the repairs can be accomplished quickly and the disruption to the village kept to a minimum.”