A key bridge to the Hamptons has been abruptly and indefinitely closed by the state because of a worrisome chipping-away of one of its concrete supports.
The iconic Ponquogue Bridge connecting Hamptons Bay to Ponquogue Beach was shut down by the state Department of Transportation on Feb. 21 over signs of “spalling” in the support on the 2,182-foot roadway, 27East reported.
Southampton Town Director of Public Safety Ryan Murphy told the outlet that the structural worry was detected in a “routine inspection.”
“For safety purposes, they closed it as a precautionary measure while the state and the county analyze the data and discuss what the next step is — whether that’s reopening it or making repairs,” Murphy said.
A local fisherman told CBS that the closed vital roadway connecting the barrier beach’s commercial dock to the rest of Long Island could be a “catastrophe” depending on how long the closure lasts.
Some other people were already having a little more fun with the recent news of the 1986-built bridge’s hanging fate.
Hampton Bays-based artist Carolyn Munaco has already designed a line of Ponquogue Bridge-closure clothing and tote bags that are being sold online.
Some items are just nice illustrations of the sandy region, but most of the $30 to $50 collection reads, “I survived the Ponquoge Bridge.”
