Buses Replace Trains on Montauk Branch Due to Bridgework

Trains between Speonk and Montauk will be replaced by bus service for 72 hours starting Tuesday as the Long Island Rail Road continues work on three bridges in Hampton Bays.

The service interruption cancels nine trains on Tuesday, 10 trains on Wednesday and Thursday and one train on Friday.

Special bus departure times and revised train schedules can be found on the LIRR website.

The $26.2 million bridge rehabilitation project kicked off in October 2011 with the MTA stating that there would be several service interruptions during the duration of the project, which is expected to wrap up at the end of 2013.

The project will result in the revamping of the North Highway Bridge, the Montauk Highway Bridge and the Shinnecock Canal Bridge, extending their life by 40 years with waterproofing, new drainage systems, fresh paint and the replacement of bearings and bridge seats, according to the MTA.

The North Highway and Montauk Highway bridges will also be raised by 5 inches to accommodate larger trucks and buses.

All of the bridges were built in the early part of the 20th century with the North Highway Bridge being built in 1907, the Montauk Highway bridge in 1929 and the Shinnecock Canal Bridge constructed in 1931.