LIE night closures announced in Hempstead and Oyster Bay

The first phase of a 10-mile-long repaving project on the Long Island Expressway in the towns of Hempstead and Oyster Bay began Thursday night, said the state Department of Transportation.

Only one eastbound lane will be open from Willis Avenue to Wheatley Road, Exits 37 to 39, and from NY135/Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway and the Northern State Parkway, Exit 44 to west of Exit 46.

The work will be done from Thursday to Sunday from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

After the first sections are finished, the rest of the eastbound and westbound lanes from Exit 37 to Exit 46 will be repaved, the agency said.

Radar traffic detectors also will be upgraded.

"Drivers who cannot use alternate routes are reminded to drive carefully through the work zone for their safety as well as the safety of the highway work crew," the agency said.