Thousands of rail riders are facing long delays Saturday and Sunday as the Long Island Rail Road shuts down service on the main line between Hicksville and Mineola for construction of a new bridge in Westbury, officials said Friday.
The service suspension could effect an estimated 40,000 customers.
The Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma branches will bear the brunt of the delays with customers facing 40-60 minutes of extra travel time because buses will replace trains between Hicksville and Mineola, LIRR officials said.
“We strongly urge our customers to avoid the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson branches during the weekend,” said LIRR President Patrick A. Nowakowski.
The LIRR suspended train service for the Ellison Avenue Bridge project in May when the old bridge was demolished.
The LIRR is installing the new bridge as part of a $17.5 million project to improve safety for railroad customers as well as the thousands of motorists and pedestrians who use the span each day. The new bridge is scheduled to open for vehicular traffic in April.
