LIRR Resumes Service to Montauk After Repairing East Hampton Bridge

LongIsland.com

North Main Street Bridge Badly Damaged by Trucker Who Disobeyed Posted Clearance Signs

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Montauk, NY - May 21, 2014  - MTA Long Island Rail Road resumed train service on the Montauk Branch east of Bridgehampton out to Montauk after repairing the North Main Street Bridge in East Hampton which was badly damaged Tuesday morning when it was struck by a private sanitation truck whose driver had disobeyed posted clearance limits.
 
LIRR crews worked for more than 24 hours straight to repair the damage and the 4:30 p.m. train from Hunterspoint Ave., due in Montauk at 7:34 p.m., was the first eastbound train to operate over the structure.
 
Since the incident on Monday, buses had been serving customers between Speonk and Montauk yesterday and between Bridgehampton and Montauk today.
 
The force of the truck’s impact caused the structure to be dislodged southward by up to an inch and a quarter. It also pushed the track out of alignment vertically and horizontally.
 
LIRR Track crews first had to cut the continuously welded rail in order for a crane to lift the bridge back into place. Once the structure had been properly seated, the LIRR Track Department crews began the task of resetting the rails. At the same time the LIRR Structural Maintenance forces began repairs to the bearing stiffeners that support the bridge abutments, which had sustained substantial damage from the impact.
 
The concerted effort of LIRR employees assures the full restoration of service to the East End of Long Island in plenty of time for the Memorial Day Weekend and the beginning of the busy summer season.