Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer at a news conference...

Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer at a news conference in Manhattan on Jan. 6, 2013. Credit: Charles Eckert

Eight bridges in flood-prone areas on Long Island will be repaired and upgraded using nearly $48 million in federal funds, New York's senators have announced.

The vulnerable bridges will be improved through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand said in a news release Thursday.

The state Department of Transportation, which owns and manages the bridges, will determine when repair work begins, state officials said.

Schumer said the funding will help ensure the bridges are better able to withstand a major storm. "These bridges are vital links in the transportation system that sustain our economy, and we must do all we can to make sure they are in a state of good repair," he said in a statement.

Gillibrand said the investment will help strengthen transportation infrastructure. "This funding will help prevent further erosion of our bridges, helping to keep our communities safe and taking the tax burden off local families," she said.

The grant involves:

$26.4 million for a bridge on the Robert Moses Causeway over Fire Island Inlet in West Islip.

$8.5 million for a bridge on the Meadowbrook State Parkway over Sloop Channel in the Town of Hempstead.

$2.5 million for a bridge on the Loop Parkway over Long Creek in Hempstead.

$5 million for two bridges on the Robert Moses Causeway over State Boat Channel in the Town of Islip.

$2.1 million for a bridge over False Channel in Hempstead.

$1.7 million for a bridge on the Meadowbrook State Parkway over Fundy Channel in Hempstead.

$1.1 million for a bridge on the Southern State Parkway over Hempstead Lake in Hempstead.

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