The Webster Avenue Bridge will close for repairs in 2025.

Members of the Flower Hill Board of Trustees during their November 4 meeting.

Luke Feeney

The Flower Hill Board of Trustees has announced dates for replacing the Webster Avenue bridge at its building. Meeting on November 4th.

The bridge is maintained by the Town of North Hempstead and the Long Island Rail Road. The announcement came after Flower Hill Mayor Randall Rosenbaum, Village Administrator Marla Wolfson and Highway Superintendent Richard Falcones met with the mayor of Pland Heights. Kenneth Riscica and members of the LIRR.

“Starting in December, they’re going to start cutting down trees on the side of the road, mostly in Plandome Heights, to prepare for stabilization.” Rosenbaum said during the meeting “It looks like they’re going to close the bridge itself in January 2025 for all the work that’s coming,” he added.

The project is expected to take nine months to complete, starting in January 2025. While the vast majority of board members agreed that renovations were needed, some expressed concern about traffic issues due to construction.

“One of the big problems is that when they close Plandome Road, that’s really the only real way to get around the area,” Trustee AJ Smith said. Smith noted that traffic increases even when the road is closed for an hour or two, and expressed concern about how citizens can get around the area when the bridge is closed for repairs and replacement.

The bridge, built in 1898, is one of the oldest on Long Island. Rosenbaum mentioned that due to its age or the portion of the bridge that carries traffic from the land to the central portion, deficiencies in visibility and approach to the bridge have accumulated. Rosenbaum argued that the bridge does not meet modern standards in these areas.

In 2022 Newsday newspaper reports this. it was one of nine bridges on Long Island to receive a “poor” rating from State Department of Transportation. The rating does not necessarily mean that the bridge is in imminent danger of collapse or that it is unsafe for passengers. However, this means that the bridge may require more frequent monitoring and reporting of weight restrictions, maintenance and repairs. In extreme cases of wear, replacement is an option, according to the DOT.

“They have a lot of work to do to make the bridge modern. But it will be quieter, safer and with improved visibility,” Rosenbaum added.

The next board meeting will be Monday, December 2 at 7:00 p.m.