LIRR to replace 115-year-old Westbury bridge

The Long Island Rail Road has committed to begin work on replacing a deteriorating bridge in Westbury, elected officials said Tuesday.

Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro, and state senators Jack Martins (R-Mineola) and Charles Fuschillo (R-Merrick) met Monday with LIRR President Helena Williams and state Transportation Department representatives to address the condition of the Ellison Avenue Bridge — a 115-year-old raised roadway owned and maintained by the LIRR.

The bridge is consistently rated among the most deteriorated on Long Island by transportation officials.

The LIRR committed to beginning the preliminary design phase for replacing the structure, according Martins. That process should take about a year. The total replacement cost is estimated at $31.6 million.

Martins said he was disappointed that the LIRR did not make “a firm commitment at this time” to completely rebuild the bridge.

“Hopefully, during the design phase, the railroad will deal with their budgetary issues,” he said.