LB Bridge South Lane Closed

Traffic on Austin Boulevard in Island Park headed to the Long Beach Bridge came to a halt this morning after the drawbridge was shut down due to a malfunction.

Patricia Dunham, a spokesperson for Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford (R-Long Beach), said that a problem was detected when the bridge was closed some time before 9 a.m.  

"When the bridge was in the closed position, the sensors that read that it is in the locked position -- to allow the gates to open and all stopped traffic to resume -- is not saying that it's in the locked position," Dunham said.

Authorities opened the north side of the bridge, which remained unaffected, to two-way, single-lane traffic that allowed the southbound motorists into Long Beach. Some motorists were in bumper-to-bumper traffic for more than 30 minutes on Austin Boulevard. Both the north and south lanes on Austin Boulevard and the bridge have three lanes.

"The repair crews were on their way in when we got in at 9 a.m. this morning," a City of Long Beach spokesperson said just before 10 a.m.

About an hour later, Dunham confirmed that Nassau County, which has jurisdiction over the bridge, sent a repair crew to make sure the sensors were working correctly. The problem was corrected before noon and the south lane reopened.

Long Beach Patch originally reported that the bridge was stuck in the upward position.