Long Beach Bridge Experiences Electrical Problems

Two lanes on the northbound side of the Long Beach Bridge were closed late Monday afternoon after electrical problems were detected at the drawbridge.

According to Long Beach Fire Department Chief Scott Kemins, electrical equipment at the bridge caused smoke in the bridge tower.

"The bridge operator said that he opened the bridge a few extra times today because of extra boat traffic, which caused some electrical equipment to overheat, which made some smoke that set off the smoke detector and set off the fire alarm," Kemins said.

The LBFD investigated the scene for 45 minutes, at which time the northbound lanes were closed from three to one, causing extensive traffic leaving the Long Beach island.

Kemins was unsure if the electrical problem was related to , when sensors for the southbound lanes read that the bridge was not in the locked position when it was closed. Traffic headed into the city was diverted to the bridge's north lanes, causing extensive traffic on Austin Boulevard in Island Park that morning.

Nassau County, which has jurisdiction over the bridge that spans Reynolds Channel and connects Long Beach to Island Park, sent in repair crews to fix the problem and opened the bridge soon after.

"I don't know whether today's problem at the bridge and the other problem on Friday are one and the same, but they could be," Kemins speculated.

Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford (R-Long Beach) was unavailable for comment.

Patch will update on this story tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 7.