LIE westbound in Holbrook reopens after tractor-trailer crash, officials say
Westbound LIE traffic is diverted off the LIE at exit 61, Patchogue-Holbrook Road in Holbrook after a tractor trailer struck an overpass around 4:46 a.m., damaging the bridge on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015. No injuries were reported. The LIE reopened about 12 hours later, officials said. Credit: James Carbone
The westbound Long Island Expressway between exits 61 and 60 was closed for about 12 hours Wednesday, state officials said, following an early morning tractor trailer accident that damaged an overpass.
Officials said NYSDOT inspectors examined and repaired the bridge at Patchogue-Holbrook Road after the trailer portion of a tractor trailer truck struck the overpass at 4:36 a.m. Wednesday and overturned, blocking all travel lanes. The tractor portion of the truck continued for a short distance before the driver was able to bring it to a stop, police said.
“The bridge is stable and they have finished their repairs,” said Eileen Peters, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation about 4:40 p.m. Wednesday.
The driver, identified only as a 50-year-old man, was not injured. Police said he was issued two summonses: one, for a mechanical violation, the other for a non-moving violation. Police said the truck was operated by Sears Ready Mix.
Deputy Suffolk Police Commissioner Tim Sini said at an afternoon news conference Wednesday at the bridge that the road had reopened earlier than expected thanks to swift repairs.
“The New York state Department of Transportation was able to make the necessary repairs,” he said.
Sini added however that commuters should still check traffic updates before heading out in the next few days. The state “will be doing further repairs to the overpass bridge which may result in future delays and closures,” he said.
An accident involving an overturned tractor trailer closed the westbound Long Island Expressway early Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015 at Exit 61 in Holbrook, Suffolk County police said. Credit: Stringer News Service
When asked whether police had determined the cause of the crash, Sini said it was still under investigation.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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