LIRR Mainline Third Track Project

Yes, Willis Ave. underpass is nearing completion and the Westbury parking garage is now open. And as of this morning Nassau Tower was still standing.

At Willis Avenue, even though the road reopening is imminent they are doing some rebar work between the two bridges for a "roof." Switch installation is underway at NASSAU 1 where the future Track 2 is being connected to Track 1. Those eyesore wooden poles at Merillon Avenue are now gone, their elevators look like they will be in service by Labor Day and New Hyde Park still has a lot of decorating and quality installation that needs to be done.

People keep telling me that Willis Avenue will be reverted to a one-way, but we all know that the road will still be two-way. This is due to the fact that people are complaining the road is too narrow for two cars. One other thing that vanishes aside from the grade crossing(s) are the shoulders.

Garden City is still having a fit with the MTA LIRR about the Denton Avenue bridge (also the fact a defunct switch was not removed from the old NASSAU 1).

The rumor I heard about the Willis Ave. underpass is that it's only one lane, which I knew had to be wrong.

Why would the Village of Garden City care about a defunct switch at Nassau-1 and how would they even be aware of it? How would it even affect them?

Head-end View wrote: ↑Wed Aug 11, 2021 9:22 pm The rumor I heard about the Willis Ave. underpass is that it's only one lane, which I knew had to be wrong.

Why would the Village of Garden City care about a defunct switch at Nassau-1 and how would they even be aware of it? How would it even affect them?

Actually the switch draws ire from me because it is a half of crossover switch, my OCD became triggered. Yeah, the Denton Avenue bridge between Merillon Ave. and NHP, that's why I haven't seen any photos of anything new there. I thought they were done with that section. What they were thinking of doing was putting traffic signals on both sides of the bridge since it's one lane. As for Willis Avenue, when you look at the final renderings it shows two way traffic.

Here's Willis Avenue as of Sunday August 15th, 2021:

Willis Avenue seems too narrow for trucks.

Well if Willis Ave. is as wide as the other underpasses already built, it should be a twenty-five foot wide roadway meaning two full-width lanes. I have watched large commercial trucks go thru the ones in Westbury and they seem to make it okay, proceeding slowly.

MattAmity90 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 16, 2021 2:01 am Here's Willis Avenue as of Sunday August 15th, 2021:


51381845254_6ef05699db_k.jpg51380344517_ed5251af39_k.jpg
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Why are they installing a cover over the road between the two bridges? What might they be building over Willis Ave if the cover is being used as a foundation? Can Nassau Tower be moved in between the switch (NA2)? And YIKES 10% is a steep grade!

Pensyfan19 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 16, 2021 4:17 pm

MattAmity90 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 16, 2021 2:01 am Here's Willis Avenue as of Sunday August 15th, 2021:


51381845254_6ef05699db_k.jpg51380344517_ed5251af39_k.jpg
Untitled.png

Why are they installing a cover over the road between the two bridges? What might they be building over Willis Ave if the cover is being used as a foundation? Can Nassau Tower be moved in between the switch (NA2)? And YIKES 10% is a steep grade!

A 10% grade is necessary because of the proximity of the 2nd/Willis intersection to the now eliminated Willis Avenue grade crossing for the Oyster Bay Branch. The grade on the other side is less steeper and more gradual. Grades have to be a little more extreme because they dug in upwards of 25-30 feet of what we haven't seen. I thought the New Hyde Park Road elimination would have been the most complicated since it was the only grade crossing that was more than 2 lanes wide that was going to be separated, but that was the easiest out of all of them. Forget that, Willis Avenue involves a two-lane road going under not one but TWO branches, and involved the elimination of both grade crossings that were separated by around 100 feet. Unlike trestles, Willis Avenue is basically going to become a tunnel.

Here's the final rendering of the project with the road expected to be reopened to traffic in September 2021.

It appears there will still be a crossing on the O.B. Branch for that small one-way street.

I've noticed that too! I'm surprised there are no gates. Probably the only "stop, look and listen" on the whole system. This just doesn't make sense.

There will likely be a crossing west of the under grade bridge or so it appears.
That CGI image is just for an idea and not the final work.
Willis is however a tunnel between both sets of tracks.

I’m not sure if the crossing will be public or not. If it’s NOT public it will
Likely be simply a stop sign

I think there will have to be gates and lights because it looks like it will be the public pedestrian crossing also. Looks like no sidewalks thru the tunnel. So ped's will cross the O.B. branch and the use the new pedestrian overpass to cross the main line.

The project was said to eliminate every single grade crossing either by doing bridge / underpass or closing them.

I'd say to email the project management but they don't seem to answer messages sent to the public email address - ever.

Photobug56, you are so busy finding fault with the LIRR that you overlooked something here. They probably said all crossings on the Main-line would be eliminated. The one that remains in the picture is on the Oyster Bay Branch and I'll guess they didn't make any promises re: crossings on that branch.

And the one question I did e-mail the project people about a few months back re: another crossing, I did get a reasonable reply from them. It must be just you they don't answer. LOL