Bayville Bridge Explained

Bridge Name:Bayville Bridge
Coordinates:40.9027°N -73.5487°W
Carries:2 lanes of Ludlam Avenue/West Shore Road and two sidewalks
Crosses:Mill Neck Creek/Oyster Bay Harbor
Official Name:Bayville Bridge
Owner:Nassau County, New York
Maint:Nassau County Department of Public Works
Design:Bascule
Material:Steel
Length:541feet
Open:1938 (current bridge)
Traffic:9,128 (as of 2016)

The Bayville Bridge is a 541sing=onNaNsing=on long drawbridge carrying Ludlam Avenue/West Shore Road, connecting the villages of Bayville and Mill Neck in Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, United States, while passing over Mill Neck Creek and Oyster Bay Harbor.

The bridge is owned and maintained by Nassau County, and is a major landmark and tourist attraction within Mill Neck and Bayville.[1] [2]

History

Current bridge

The current Bayville Bridge was built in 1938, replacing an earlier span which had been deemed to be "inadequate" in a survey, showing an increase in vehicular traffic; it is the fourth bridge in this location.[3] [4] [5]

The bridge suffered damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and repairs were completed in 2013.[6]

As of 2016, the bridge carried an average of 9,128 vehicles per day.[7]

In 2020, the bridge underwent an extensive rehabilitation project.[8]

Previous bridges

The first bridge in this location opened in 1898, and enabled a quicker route into Bayville, as it eliminated the need to travel around the shore of Mill Neck Creek or take a boat across the waterway.

Made of wood, the original drawbridge was replaced in 1904 with a newer drawbridge made of wood planks and steel rails; the original bridge had proved to be unfit for heavy loads when a man named Harry West realized after safely ashore that part of the bridge had collapsed after he carried a heavy load over the bridge.

The second drawbridge was replaced in 1922 with a third bridge, which opened to much fanfare. Despite common belief that it would last "forever," it was replaced with the current span in 1938.

See also

References

  1. Web site: Bayville Bridge Rehabilitation. 2021-09-10. LKB Consulting Engineers. en-US.
  2. News: Fischler. Marcelle S.. 2011-07-01. Never Too Far From the Beach. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-09-10. 0362-4331.
  3. Web site: New York OPD Geographic Information Gateway. 2021-09-10. opdgig.dos.ny.gov.
  4. News: 1937-12-14. BAYVILLE SPAN APPROVED; Woodring Accepts Plans for a Bridge Over Mill Creek. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-09-10. 0362-4331.
  5. Web site: Amon. Rhoda. 2000-09-02. TIME MACHINE / THEN & NOW / Bridging the Past and the Present in Bayville. 2021-09-10. Newsday. en. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20210910182915/https://www.newsday.com/long-island/time-machine-then-now-bridging-the-past-and-the-present-in-bayville-1.425067. 2021-09-10.
  6. Web site: Bleyer. Bill. 2013-03-28. Bayville Bridge due to open April 17. 2021-09-10. Newsday. en. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20210910182916/https://www.newsday.com/long-island/towns/bayville-bridge-due-to-open-april-17-1.4928467. 2021-09-10.
  7. Web site: Bayville Bridge. 2021-09-10. Bridgehunter.com.
  8. Web site: Reyes. Ronny. 2019-09-06. Major repairs coming to Bayville Bridge this winter. 2021-09-10. Herald Community Newspapers. en.