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Wreck Lead Bridge

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Wreck Lead Bridge
The Wreck Lead Bridge in 2009.
Coordinates40°35′44.0″N 73°39′41.4″W / 40.595556°N 73.661500°W / 40.595556; -73.661500
CarriesLIRR Long Beach Branch
CrossesReynolds Channel
LocaleNassau County, New York
OwnerMetropolitan Transportation Authority
Maintained byLong Island Rail Road
Characteristics
DesignBascule bridge
MaterialSteel and concrete
Total length1,310 feet (400 m)
Clearance below17 feet (5.2 m)
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks1
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrifiedThird rail, 750 V DC
History
Construction cost$25.4 million (current bridge, 1988 USD)
Opened1880 (original bridge)
1988 (1988) (current bridge)
Rebuilt1987–1988
Location
Map

The Wreck Lead Bridge is a railroad drawbridge carrying the Long Beach Branch of the Long Island Rail Road over Reynolds Channel, between the City of Long Beach and the Village of Island Park, in Nassau County, New York, United States.

Design

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The Wreck Lead Bridge is a steel and concrete bascule bridge.[1][2][3] It carries a single track across the channel, with the Long Beach station to its south and the Island Park station to its north.[4] When in the closed position, the bridge's bascule span, located midstream, has a clearance below of 17 feet (5.2 m) above the high-tide mark.[1]

History

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The original Wreck Lead Bridge was a wooden swing bridge which was built in 1880, upon the construction of the present-day Long Beach Branch to Long Beach.[5] By the 1980s, it was in need of replacement, with its deck frequently being stuck & subsequently delaying train and/or boat traffic; the bridge was also vulnerable to flooding due to its low spans, which caused the swing bridge mechanisms to regularly be submerged in saltwater.[1][6][7][8] A modern replacement span was soon proposed by officials, and the plans were finalized by the latter half of the decade following the LIRR, Town of Hempstead, Village of Island Park, City of Long Beach, and the United States Coast Guard all agreeing on the plans.[6][7]

Construction on the current bridge commenced in 1987 and was finished in the spring of 1988.[6] The opening of the $25.4 million bridge occurred on May 9 of that year.[6] It has a deck which sits 10 feet (3.0 m) higher than the one on its predecessor, allowing for more boats to pass underneath it without the bridge needing to open; the reduction in required bridge openings also improved train service and capacity.[1][9][10] As part of the replacement project, the locations of both the maritime navigation channel and the bridge's bascule section were shifted southwards, from their previous location along the Island Park shore to their current location midstream.[6][7]

The current bridge's bascule span was originally built and used as one of the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad's former drawbridges in Placida, Florida; service on that line ceased upon the railroad's decision to discontinue its Placida–Boca Grande freight route.[8][11][12] When planning the bridge, the MTA purchased the then-16-year-old span for $475,000 (1986 USD) and shipped it to New York by barge; reusing the bascule span saved the LIRR an estimated $1 million (1986 USD) in project costs.[8][11]

In the 2010s, following Superstorm Sandy, the MTA announced that the bridge, along with the rest of the Long Beach Branch (which was severely damaged during Sandy), would undergo a major bridge rehabilitation and modernization project which would fortify it against future floods.[2][13][14][15] As part of the project, the bridge received an emergency generator and improved electrical systems to make it more resilient in the event of severe storms.[2][14][16] Many of the bridge's aging underwater power cables were also replaced.[15][17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Bleyer, Bill (August 9, 1992). "His Job Is Juggling Boats, Trains". Newsday. p. 21 – via ProQuest.
  2. ^ a b c Castillo, Alfonso A. (October 28, 2019). "LIRR-related Sandy repair, resiliency efforts still years from completion". Newsday. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "Bridges – New York State GIS". data.gis.ny.gov. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  4. ^ everbeta (May 14, 2020). "LIRR Replacement of 3 Bridges". Hayduk Engineering: Consulting Engineers, Long Island NY. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  5. ^ "Long Beach Branch". www.trainsarefun.com. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e Bleyer, Bill (April 15, 1988). "Reynolds Channel Trestle Opens May 9". Newsday. p. 27 – via ProQuest.
  7. ^ a b c Bleyer, Bill (August 15, 1986). "Compromise Reached On Relocating Old LIRR Bridge". Newsday. p. 35 – via ProQuest.
  8. ^ a b c Bleyer, Bill (January 21, 1986). "Florida Bridge to Replace LIRR Relic". Newsday. p. 21 – via ProQuest.
  9. ^ Bleyer, Bill (March 28, 1987). "LIRR Trestle Cost Up $3.3 Million". Newsday. p. 7 – via ProQuest.
  10. ^ "Wreck Lead Bridge Rehabilitation". AModernLI. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "NORTHEAST JOURNAL; A New Bridge For Long Island". The New York Times. January 26, 1986. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  12. ^ "Portals of Paradise – A Boca Grande Timeline". Boca Grande Historical Society. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  13. ^ Belfiore, Peter (May 3, 2017). "Long Beach Branch LIRR projects aimed at protecting against flooding". Herald Community Newspapers. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Castillo, Alfonso A. (October 26, 2015). "Repairs to Sandy-damaged East River rail tunnels still years away". Newsday. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Mian, Rashed (January 25, 2014). "$145 Million in Federal Aid Awarded to LIRR for Sandy Repairs". www.longislandpress.com. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  16. ^ "Rail Insider-MTA, LIRR kick off Long Beach Branch restoration projects. Information For Rail Career Professionals From Progressive Railroading Magazine". Progressive Railroading. April 15, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  17. ^ jcastle (August 18, 2015). "Submarine Cable Location". W.J. Castle, P.E. & Associates, P.C. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
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