Governor Cuomo Announces Major Repairs For Pinelawn Road Bridge Over The LIE

ALBANY, NY (04/05/2013)(readMedia)-- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced construction will begin next week on a $5.5 million project to rehabilitate the Pinelawn Road Bridge over the Long Island Expressway (LIE/I-495) in the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County. The project is funded through the NY Works program and meets the goals of Governor Cuomo's Drivers First initiative to ensure that construction causes the least impact to motorists.

"The NY Works program continues to strengthen infrastructure across the state and create jobs," Governor Cuomo said. "Rehabilitating the Pinelawn Road bridge will allow it to last longer, improve safety for drivers, and save taxpayers money in the long run."

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald said, "Rehabilitating this bridge will increase safety for motorists and enhance mobility along Pinelawn Road and the Long Island Expressway. Thanks to Governor Cuomo's innovative NY Works program, we will see many important safety projects taking place this year, helping to improve our infrastructure, facilitate economic development and create immediate jobs across New York State."

The concrete bridge deck will be replaced and steel will be repaired as part of the project. Other work will include reconstruction of the sidewalk and curb and replacement of the bridge rail. The northbound lanes across the Pinelawn Road Bridge will be closed until repairs are completed and motorists will be detoured to the Half Hollow Road Bridge located less than one mile to the east. Two southbound travel lanes will remain open during construction. Lanes will be shifted to accommodate construction operations. Work is expected to be completed in the fall of 2013.

To accommodate construction, the LIE will be closed at night for two weeks to demolish the concrete bridge deck. The first nighttime closures are expected to occur in mid-April as the western side of the bridge deck is removed, followed by another week of nighttime closures in June to remove the eastern side of the bridge deck. Closures will occur between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. Daytime closures of either the right lane or the HOV lane on the LIE will occur between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. as needed during construction.

The plan to close lanes in one direction and detour traffic in the other direction during construction was established as part of the Drivers First initiative, developed by Governor Cuomo last year. The Drivers First Initiative requires that capital projects are reviewed to ensure that construction impacts on the traveling public are minimized to maintain mobility while ensuring safety.

This project is part of a $24.2 million NY Works contract that includes six bridges on Long Island. The construction contractor for this design-build contract is Posillico Civil Inc. of Farmingdale, Nassau County and the design consultant is Greenman-Pederson, Inc of Babylon, Suffolk County

The design-build process, implemented by Governor Cuomo, allows for the combining of design and construction services into single contracts help expedite repair work to vital infrastructure and save taxpayer money.

NY Works focuses on improving the condition of bridges from fair condition and bringing them to good condition in order to extend their service life. This rehabilitation work will better preserve the state's infrastructure and guard against the need for more costly, in-depth construction. Bundling projects sites within close geographic locations into a single contract enables DOT to lower expenses and obtain lower bids.

It is imperative that motorists remember to drive carefully through this and the many other highway and bridge construction zones they will encounter during the upcoming construction season.

For real-time travel information motorists should call 511 or visit www.511NY.org, New York State's official traffic and travel information source. Motorists may also obtain travel information from the INFORM Transportation Management Center cameras at www.INFORMNY.com and on their hand held communication devices at www.INFORMNY.mobi .

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