The Great South Bay Bridge is a bridge on the southwest side of
Suffolk County, New York, on
Long Island. It connects the
Robert Moses Causeway from Long Island's mainland over the
Great South Bay
The Great South Bay is a lagoon situated between Long Island and Fire Island, in the State of New York. It is about long and has an average depth of 4 feet 3 inches and is 20 feet at its deepest. It is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by Fire ...
, connecting to
Captree and
Jones Beach islands. It serves as access via the Robert Moses Causeway to both of the downstream crossings, the
State Boat Channel Bridge and the
Fire Island Inlet Bridge
The Fire Island Inlet Bridge, an integral part of the Robert Moses Causeway, is a two-lane, steel tied arch span with a concrete deck that carries the parkway over Fire Island Inlet.
Construction of the Fire Island Bridge was completed in 1964 ...
, also leading visitors and on-lookers to either the
Fire Island Lighthouse
The Fire Island Lighthouse is a visible landmark on the Great South Bay, in southern Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York on the western end of Fire Island, New York, Fire Island, a barrier island off the southern c ...
or the
Robert Moses State Park.
History
The bridge was originally a single span, that opened in 1954 and was called the Captree Bridge.
Today it carries southbound traffic.
In 1964, a second parallel span opened to traffic and carried northbound traffic. This brought much needed relief to traffic heading back from Jones Beach, Robert Moses, and Captree parks. The bridges are through trusses and are painted a traditional "bridge green".
In 1997, a major rebuild of the deck of the older span began and was completed in 2000. Safety compliant railings were installed on the older span. In 2013–2014, the northbound span received upgraded railings. Major improvements NYSDOT is considering is a cycle/pedestrian path shared with the northbound lanes. NYSDOT has not released any official plans.
See also
*
State Boat Channel Bridge
References
External links
Great South Bay Bridge (Weather Underground.com)Great South Bay Bridge (Historic Bridges of the United States)Robert Moses Causeway @ NYCRoads.com
{{crossings navbox
, structure = Crossings
, place = Great South Bay
The Great South Bay is a lagoon situated between Long Island and Fire Island, in the State of New York. It is about long and has an average depth of 4 feet 3 inches and is 20 feet at its deepest. It is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by Fire ...
, bridge = Great South Bay Bridge
, bridge signs =
, upstream text = West
, upstream = Jones Beach Causeway
, upstream signs =
, downstream text = East
, downstream = Smith Point Bridge
The Smith Point Bridge is a steel bascule drawbridge in Shirley, New York that connects Long Island to Fire Island. Located on the south shore of central Suffolk County, the bridge carries William Floyd Parkway (Suffolk CR 46) across The Narro ...
, downstream signs =
Bridges on Long Island
Road bridges in New York (state)
Truss bridges in the United States
Metal bridges in the United States
Bridges in Suffolk County, New York