The Webster Avenue Bridge and Webster Avenue in Manhasset will be closed for nine months for construction beginning Monday to replace the aging bridge.
“The Webster Avenue Bridge replacement is a huge undertaking with the MTA committing nearly $28 million to the project, so there’s certainly going to be an impact on the community,” North Hempstead Town Council Member David Adhami said. “But it’s long overdue and very necessary from a safety and commuting standpoint so our job at the town is to minimize that impact on the surrounding areas however possible.”
Traffic will be detoured during the bridge’s nine-month construction period.
Adhami said local impacts will be mitigated through the use of Plandome Pond Park as a staging area. He said he and the town are looking ahead to ensure that the park is returned to its prior condition.
He said the town is also negotiating fair compensation for the construction inconvenience and ensuring that the road is repaved.
The bridge, located between the Village of Plandome Heights and the Village of Flower Hill, was constructed in 1898 over the Port Washington Branch Long Island Rail Road tracks. It is one of the oldest bridges on Long Island.
The Webster Avenue Bridge is maintained by both the Long Island Rail Road and the Town of North Hempstead. The Long Island Rail Road will be conducting the construction.
The Webster Avenue Bridge received a poor rating from the state Department of Transportation in 2022.
The bridge previously underwent construction from 2018 through 2019.
The current $28 million construction project will happen during the day between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Residents will be informed of construction scheduled outside of these hours.
Webster Avenue and the bridge are scheduled to be reopened in October when the project is estimated to be completed.
Work began prior to its Monday construction start date, including the removal of trees around the area.
