Traffic to be limited overnight on Fire Island Inlet Bridge for reinspection

Inspections of the Fire Island Inlet Bridge were scheduled to continue in response to earlier reports of an object falling from it, as traffic restrictions were scheduled to lift early Wednesday morning, state officials said.

The bridge was open during the day Tuesday after temporarily closing Sunday night into Monday morning for two inspections, according to the state Department of Transportation.

A third inspection was planned from 8:30 p.m. Tuesday until 5 a.m. Wednesday, with travel reduced to one lane, with alternating traffic directed by flaggers.

The inspections were spurred by a report from a fishing boat captain that concrete fell from the bridge around 9 p.m. Sunday, according to parks officials, Newsday previously reported.

DOT spokesman Stephen Canzoneri said Tuesday night's inspection was necessary because an earlier inspection, planned for Monday night, was not completed due to inclement weather. He previously said in a statement the bridge is "structurally sound and safe for travel."

As a precaution, the DOT is directing ships and other marine traffic crossing under the bridge to do so on the southern end of the inlet to avoid the area where the object was seen falling.

Michael Shenoda, a professor of civil engineering at Farmingdale State College, said he didn't think the bridge is in danger of collapsing.

"It's a steel arch bridge. The concrete is not actually what's supporting the bridge," he said. "The biggest concern at this point is not the collapse of the bridge itself, it's the deterioration of the concrete to a point where it might be unsafe for traffic to drive on it."

For example, he said, a hole could potentially develop through the deck. He said the ongoing inspections were likely to determine how and when to proceed with bridge deck repairs — if the reports of damage are substantiated.

Ian Levine, a trustee with the Village of Ocean Beach, said he was informed that a DOT contractor would be conducting "soundings" to evaluate the bridge.

Shenoda said soundings typically involve using sound waves to look into the interior of a concrete structure, to evaluate its structural capacity.

"The sound wave is going to change if there's a crack, if there's a break, or something like that," he said.

The bridge provides the only vehicular access to Robert Moses State Park, which remains open from sunrise to sunset, according to state parks officials. George Gorman, regional director for New York State Parks, said visitor numbers were normal on Tuesday.