State to study whether Loop Parkway drawbridge should be replaced

The state Department of Transportation is conducting a $250,000 study to examine replacing the Loop Parkway drawbridge. 

The state is doing an engineering study on the 88-year-old bridge and the 2.65-mile Loop Parkway, which has been subject to frequent repairs and malfunctions.

The bridge, which runs off the Meadowbrook Parkway and Ocean Parkway in Jones Beach, is one of the primary routes to connect south Nassau County to the barrier island consisting of Point Lookout, Lido Beach, Long Beach and Atlantic Beach. Loop Parkway also serves as a major hurricane evacuation route.

Other routes include the Long Beach Bridge that runs through Island Park and Barnum Isle and the Atlantic Beach Bridge — a toll bridge that can only be accessed through a sticker or $2 cash to drive into the Five Towns and Far Rockaway, Queens.

DOT funding for the project was secured with help from State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach), who said the state needed to reexamine the bridge and decide if a drawbridge was needed over Long Creek, which connects to Jones Bay.

Kaminsky said the Loop Parkway drawbridge, which frequently gets stuck in the upright position, poses a risk to public safety and is an inconvenience for hundreds of motorists who get stuck on the bridge entering and exiting the Long Beach barrier island.

The constant raising and lowering of the bridge causes massive gridlock in both directions, Kaminsky said. Maintenance on the bridge has also led to overnight closures.

“When you have a main artery to the barrier island stuck in the up position, it wreaks havoc,” Kaminsky said. “We need to look at how to get a new bridge and consider whether a drawbridge is needed at all. Many have had to sit in deep traffic watching one mariner go by in a single boat. Thousands of lives are impacted and with modern technology that has to change.”

State transportation officials said the Loop Parkway drawbridge opens approximately 2,500 times per year for marine traffic. Officials said they continue to provide maintenance to the bridge as needed.

“The safety and convenience of the traveling public are always top priorities for the New York State Department of Transportation and we look forward to working with local officials and community stakeholders to review planning options for the Loop Parkway Drawbridge,” the department said in a statement.

State highway workers last did major repairs on the bridge five years ago, the first major work done since the early 1990s. Transportation officials used a $22 million grant to make repairs, such as replacing steel beams and motors on the bridge, and making repairs to the Meadowbrook Parkway bridge going to Jones Beach.

The drawbridge last underwent an inspection and testing in February.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.