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The Smith Point Bridge is a steel bascule drawbridge in
The bridge derives its name from Smith Point which is a peninsula on the Long Island mainland sticking into Bellport Bay which in turn was named for William "Tangier" Smith who in the 17th century owned 50 miles of ocean front property in the Manor St. George.
In 1916, Fredrick J. Quimby paid for construction of the first Tangier Bridge at Smith Point. It was a wooden footbridge with an engine driven drawbridge. It replaced boat access to Tangier Manor and Quimby's oceanfront development, intended to be a resort town to compete with Atlantic City. Early in 1917, 200 feet in the center of the bridge, including the bascule draw and all its machinery, was destroyed by an ice jam. Subsequent winter storms continued to ravage the remains of the bridge. The few subsequent wooden bridges built to varying degrees of stability over the years were all destroyed by winter ice floes.
In 1926, caravans of camels and horses passed over the bridge for the filming of '' The Son of the Sheik'' starring Rudolf Valentino and Vilma Banky.
The last wooden footbridge washed away in 1927, and no new bridges were constructed for another 32 years.
In summer 1955, the Shirley-Mastic Chamber of Commerce broke ground and invited 12,000 people to initiate the building of the new Smith Point Bridge to Fire Island. The bridge opened on July 4, 1959. The bridge that spans one-quarter mile represented the first step by Suffolk County to preserve 810 miles of shore frontage for public purposes. The bridge project was the development of Smith Point County Park, with a beach frontage of 6,000 feet along the eastern side of Fire Island Barrier Island on Atlantic Ocean. The park includes bathing and camping facilities. The entire structure was built on concrete piles, with a reinforced concrete roadway laid on a steel beam superstructure.
Smith Point Bridge @ LIShore.orgSmith Point Bridge @ NYCROADS.com
{{crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =
Shirley, New York
Shirley is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. At the 2010 census, the population of Shirley was 27,854. Shirley is the western terminus of Atlantic Crossing 1, a major submarine telecommunication ...
that connects Long Island to Fire Island
Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York.
Occasionally, the name is used to refer collectively to not only the central island, but also Lo ...
. Located on the south shore of central Suffolk County, the bridge carries William Floyd Parkway (Suffolk CR 46) across The Narrows between Bellport Bay (an arm of 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 ...
) and Moriches Bay
Moriches Bay ( ) is a lagoon system on the south shore of Long Island, New York. The name Moriches comes from Meritces, a Native American who owned land on Moriches Neck.
Two townships in Suffolk, New York ( Brookhaven and the Southampton) shar ...
. It connects Long Island with Smith Point County Park
Smith Point County Park is a beachfront park facing the Atlantic Ocean on the east end of Fire Island, along the central south shore of Long Island, near Shirley, New York, United States. It is the largest park owned by Suffolk County.
The park ...
and the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness
Otis may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Characters
* Otis (Superman), in the films ''Superman'' and ''Superman II'' and related DC Comics media
** Otis Graves, in the TV series ''Supergirl''
* Otis (''The Walking Dead''), in the Image Comic ...
, both are a part of the Fire Island National Seashore
Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) is a United States National Seashore that protects a section of Fire Island, an approximately long and wide barrier island separated from Long Island by the Great South Bay. The island is part of New York S ...
.
History
The bridge derives its name from Smith Point which is a peninsula on the Long Island mainland sticking into Bellport Bay which in turn was named for William "Tangier" Smith who in the 17th century owned 50 miles of ocean front property in the Manor St. George.
In 1916, Fredrick J. Quimby paid for construction of the first Tangier Bridge at Smith Point. It was a wooden footbridge with an engine driven drawbridge. It replaced boat access to Tangier Manor and Quimby's oceanfront development, intended to be a resort town to compete with Atlantic City. Early in 1917, 200 feet in the center of the bridge, including the bascule draw and all its machinery, was destroyed by an ice jam. Subsequent winter storms continued to ravage the remains of the bridge. The few subsequent wooden bridges built to varying degrees of stability over the years were all destroyed by winter ice floes.
In 1926, caravans of camels and horses passed over the bridge for the filming of '' The Son of the Sheik'' starring Rudolf Valentino and Vilma Banky.
The last wooden footbridge washed away in 1927, and no new bridges were constructed for another 32 years.
In summer 1955, the Shirley-Mastic Chamber of Commerce broke ground and invited 12,000 people to initiate the building of the new Smith Point Bridge to Fire Island. The bridge opened on July 4, 1959. The bridge that spans one-quarter mile represented the first step by Suffolk County to preserve 810 miles of shore frontage for public purposes. The bridge project was the development of Smith Point County Park, with a beach frontage of 6,000 feet along the eastern side of Fire Island Barrier Island on Atlantic Ocean. The park includes bathing and camping facilities. The entire structure was built on concrete piles, with a reinforced concrete roadway laid on a steel beam superstructure.
Structural Specifications
*Type of bridge: - Steel-deckbascule bridge
A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...
(drawbridge)
*Construction started: July 16, 1955
*Opened to traffic: - July 4, 1959
*Length of bascule draw span: -
*Total length of bridge: -
*Width of bridge: -
*Number of traffic lanes: - 2 lanes
*Width of roadway: -
*Clearance at center above mean high water: -
*Cost of original structure (including approaches): - $2,500,000
Replacement
The Suffolk County Legislature approved $73 million in funding for a new bridge on Tuesday, June 11, 2019. The new bridge is expected to have a 75- to 100-year life span. The bridge will not be a drawbridge, but will be built with a vertical clearance above the high water mark. The bridge will also have wider shoulders and sidewalks to better accommodate pedestrian traffic. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2021, and should take two years to complete. The federal government is funding 80 percent of the project's cost, with the county share, 20 percent, a release said.See also
* Outer Barrier Islands *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 ...
* Great South Bay Bridge
*Patchogue Bay
Patchogue Bay is a lagoon on the south-central shores of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York.
Part of the Great South Bay, Patchogue Bay is a cove between the points of land known as Blue Point and Howells Point, and across which ferrie ...
*Fire Island Wilderness
Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) is a United States National Seashore that protects a section of Fire Island, an approximately long and wide barrier island separated from Long Island by the Great South Bay. The island is part of New York S ...
* Fire Island Inlet Bridge
*Moriches Bay
Moriches Bay ( ) is a lagoon system on the south shore of Long Island, New York. The name Moriches comes from Meritces, a Native American who owned land on Moriches Neck.
Two townships in Suffolk, New York ( Brookhaven and the Southampton) shar ...
References
External links
Smith Point Bridge @ LIShore.org
{{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 = Smith Point Bridge
, bridge signs =
, upstream text = West
, upstream = Great South Bay Bridge
, upstream signs =
, downstream text = East
, downstream = Jesup Lane Bridge
, downstream signs =
Bridges on Long Island
Brookhaven, New York
Road bridges in New York (state)
Steel bridges in the United States
Bascule bridges in the United States
Bridges in Suffolk County, New York