Robert Moses Causeway

Robert Moses Causeway is the parkway and bridges, originally known as the Captree Causeway that connects the mainland Long Island in West Islip, New York to the barrier beach islands such as Captree Island, Jones Beach Island, and the western tip of Fire Island.

Related Topics:
Long Island - West Islip, New York - Fire Island

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The first sprawling trestle crossing from West Islip, NY to Captree Island was completed in 1954; the bridge now deemed beautiful was originally expected to be an eyesore before construction. Now the bridge is an icon of the Great South Bay which has been the playground of affluent South Shorers who like to fish and boat. The span is 2 miles in length with a middle clearance for boats of 60 feet and the steel-arch of 600 feet; originally one lane was for southbound traffic and the other for northbound traffic. Between 1966 and 1968 a new span was built next to the original for three northbound lanes; the original bridge was to carry the southbound traffic.

Related Topics:
Trestle - West Islip, NY - 1954 - Great South Bay - 1966 - 1968

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Over the State Boat Channel a 665-foot-long bascule bridge modeled after the Mill Basin Bridge, a double leaf trunnion bascule supporting the Belt (Shore) Parkway over Mill Basin in the Borough of Brooklyn. The Robert Moses or Captree Bascule Bridge which is the interchange to Ocean Parkway and all the town and state beaches.

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The Fire Island Inlet span of the Robert Moses Causeway connects to Robert Moses State Park on the western tip of Fire Island. This span was completed in 1964 and by 1985 a dual span was supposed to be mimicked in order to alleviate traffic yet it was never done. When first proposed in 1938, the span was to be a vertical-lift span with a design similar to that of the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge. Later, the design of the Fire Island Bridge was changed to conform with that of the Great South Bay span, a 600-foot steel-arch span with a 60-foot clearance.

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In 2004, the New York Department of Transportation began studies on the Fire Island Inlet span after the realization that it was rapidly decomposing due to flaws in the cement during its construction. Currently there are repairs being undergone to extend the life and safety of the bridge till 2010 when groundbreaking is expected for a replacement bridge. It is assumed that the new bridge will be built to the west of the current structure; the new span will be four lanes, two southbound and two northbound. The new bridge is thought to retain the look as the one it will be replacing in order to keep the bay looking uniform instead mismatched by having three different styles of bridges. After the new bridge is constructed, the decomposing bridge will be removed but implosion is not thought to be the method of deconstruction. Instead it is more likely the span will be disassembled and removed by crane.

Related Topics:
Department of Transportation - 2010

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