The Long Island Rail Road is tentatively scheduled to close the Colonial Road Bridge on March 30 to begin a $24.9 million project to replace the bridge, Village of Thomaston Mayor Steven Weinberg said Monday.
Weinberg said the LIRR has already begun to set up the project’s access and storage site near the corner of East Shore Road and Grace Avenue. He said the LIRR is not using Grace Avenue itself as a staging area.
“The LIRR is trying to minimize the impact on traffic in the community,” he said at the village’s regularly scheduled board meeting.
Weinberg said the LIRR expects the bridge to reopen sometime in April 2016.
The existing bridge, which as built in 1897 and crosses over a portion of the LIRR, is the sole responsibility of the LIRR and was found by its engineering staff to be at the end of its useful life, according to officials with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the LIRR.
The replacement of the bridge, is part of a larger project in the Village of Thomaston that includes improved drainage at track level, landscaping and the extension of an existing pocket track used to turn trains around, MTA officials have said. The total project will cost $45.1 million and allow the LIRR to improve train service reliability, according to MTA officials.
The LIRR, Weinberg said, told the village it plans to do drainage work at the site May 9, and that the bridge demolition is scheduled for the weekend of June 19 through the 22.
The LIRR will be meeting with Great Neck residents soon to discuss the possible impact the Colonial Road Bridge might have on their property, according to a letter sent by LIRR representative Hector Garcia to Great Neck resident Steven Hirsch.
The LIRR, Garcia states in the letter, wants to schedule pre-construction assessments of the foundations and yards of homes near the worksite in Thomaston. The letter, provided to the Great Neck News by Hirsch, states that the assessment should take 10-15 minutes, with pictures taken to document “pre-existing conditions.”
The assessment is intended to provide protection for the homeowner and the contractor if damage is caused during construction, he said. He also said the LIRR is trying to do all it could to reduce the project’s impact on the community.
“It is our goal to keep you informed and to listen to you as this project moves forward,” Garcia said. “We are committed to learning and understanding any concerns you may have, sharing those issues with project manager at the LIRR and providing answers to your questions.”
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has said the replacement of the bridge is essential to the East Side Access project, which will bring the LIRR straight into Grand Central Station in Manhattan. The project, which the MTA says is still about seven years away, will cut the travel time of commuters who work on Manhattan’s east side by 20 to 30 minutes when completed.
As a result of the project, the MTA expects increased ridership on the line.
The MTA has said they will work with local municipalities along the LIRR line to expand parking, but that it is up to the municipality to determine if they want help.
The MTA said last month they had no concrete plans to accommodate new riders yet.
