Shinnecock Canal Bridge repairs complete, westbound Sunrise Highway reopened in Hampton Bays
Traffic was crawling last Friday westbound on Sunrise Highway near the site of the repairs. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Gridlock impacting a major artery connecting the South Fork to the rest of Suffolk County appears to be coming to an end as the westbound lanes of Sunrise Highway near the Shinnecock Canal Bridge in Hampton Bays have been reopened to motorists.
Thursday’s strong storms had caused officials to shut down those lanes of the roadway Friday due to dangerous erosion.
The State Department of Transportation announced late Tuesday that workers have completed structural repairs to the bridge. The agency on Friday said that the heavy rains of a day earlier had caused “significant scour and erosion to the bridge’s abutment" and predicted that repairs would take a week to finish.
Town of Southampton Supervisor Maria Moore declared a state of emergency Friday after the damage was detected, stating on the town’s website that the rainfall caused conditions that “threaten and / or imperil the public safety of the citizens of the Town of Southampton.”
The right shoulder of Sunrise Highway’s westbound lanes remains closed. State DOT spokesman Stephen Canzoneri said in an email that while both westbound lanes have been reopened, “finishing work” will continue at the site, requiring the closure of the right westbound lane Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Southampton Town Police Chief James Kiernan told Newsday on Tuesday evening that he was surprised when he heard the lanes were being reopened so quickly. He said the DOT’s additional work involves the roadway’s drainage and “making sure the new drainage system that they put in is going to last.”
“By tomorrow afternoon I would expect that it’ll be open for good,” he said.
And not a minute too soon. Kiernan said traffic through the area has been “horrendous” during the week for commuters.
“People spent three hours when normally it would be an hour to get home,” he said. “It didn’t let up. It was a disaster for them.”
Canzoneri warned that additional lane closures along Sunrise Highway and on Canal Road also may be necessary and that drivers should check 511NY for the latest traffic information.
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
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