Traffic issues persist after flooding damaged the Shinnecock Canal Bridge in Hampton Bays
According to the state Department of Transportation, repairs to the bridge will begin Saturday morning and are expected to last approximately a week.
Officials are warning drivers about the potential for traffic tie-ups on Sunrise Highway in Hampton Bays this weekend after flooding damaged the Shinnecock Canal Bridge.
According to the state Department of Transportation, repairs to the bridge will begin Saturday morning and are expected to last approximately a week.
Heavy rains damaged part of the bridge on Thursday and it was deemed unsafe.
It resulted in lane closures on the westbound side of the Sunrise Highway in the area, with traffic being diverted to the shoulder. Drivers dealt with a traffic headache Friday night.
Andre Smith, of Bay Shore, was trying to get home from work.
“It took me 30 minutes to go three miles,” Smith said.
“After September, usually, it’s not as bad, but it seems to be getting worse instead of better,” said George Wagner, of Southampton.
The Town of Southampton declared a state of emergency.
“That gives us resources to deploy and what we’re trying to do is mitigate the effects of this closure on the public,” said Southampton Town Police Chief Jim Kiernan.
He added, “We’re going to be using drones to tell us where the congestion is and where we can deploy resources to pull traffic through intersections to try to get, to keep things flowing.”
In the meantime, drivers are being asked to avoid the area during peak times.
“I’m going to stay home more … to avoid the traffic, absolutely,” Wagner said.
The DOT also said there will be intermittent shoulder closures on Canal Road in the vicinity of the bridge.
