LIRR Mainline Third Track Project

I'm guessing that even when School St. opens to traffic next month that finishing work will continue for another month, like it did at Urban Ave. a year ago. This will result in lane closures operated by flaggers during the day.
Interesting that construction has not yet really started on the Westbury Station. I guess they're saving that one for last.

Good to see that overall this project is proceeding very efficiently. Amazing what can be accomplished when people put their minds to the task.

Well, the major priority of these grade crossing eliminations is to:

1.) Close the road.
2.) Dig, Dig, Dig, DIG!
3.) While digging, construct the span that will go over the road.
4.) Box-jack said span into place.
5.) Prep road for reopening.
6.) Reopen the road.

I don't think they will occasionally close School Street just because of construction or the surroundings. Urban and Covert had roads go over them, School will not.

REM3Night wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 5:24 pm

REM3Night wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 5:43 pm They removed the ballast that was between the ties - not under.
Last night they brought in the ballast train and dropped the ballast. Today I went over around noon and the ballast was in and they were reinstalling the third track. Usually the third rail is attached to a special long wood tie. With the concrete ties they attach a metal "bracket" and attach the third rail.
The new ties start just east of the Ellison Avenue bridge and extend well west of Carle Place (beyond view).

This weekend (October 10-11) they replaced the ties (with concrete ties) through the Westbury station. Last weekend they replaced the ties in New Cassel. Concrete ties (Westbound) now run from New Cassel through Westbury and Carle Place. It is hard to view where they start and finish. Hicksville still has wood ties and as far west as can be seen from the platform.

This weekend (October 18&19) they replaced the eastbound ties - they now run from New Cassel through Westbury to just before Ellison Avenue.
Next weekend they should work in Carle Place - it is quite interesting to watch.

My 30th birthday: October 24th, 2020 has now marked a milestone in the project. The South 12th Street grade crossing in New Hyde Park is officially closed and eliminated. This makes the grade crossing the fifth of eight grade crossings to be officially eliminated. As far as crossing the tracks, people will have to use Covert Avenue and New Hyde Park Road to get to the other side until the Spring when the pedestrian underpass is completed at that location.

Cables have been relocated from those wooden poles to the new steel poles, with the top half of the original wooden power poles chopped off.

It was also announced that the weekend of November 14th-15th will see an outage to begin work at DIVIDE.

Today at Mineola (Oct 25)

From Newsday 10/29/2020


The $20 million transaction involves an 80,000-square-foot building and a rail siding that will be used by the MTA to store equipment and materials for the LIRR as well as for employee offices, according to a document prepared for the agency’s board of directors. The MTA wants to replace rented space nearby at 610 Hicksville Rd.

This was an excerpt from a Newsday article about a company(Kavet Inc.)moving from Central Ave in Bethpage to Woodbury. The article originally stated that this property was going to be used for the LIRR third track project. However MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan quickly recanted that saying it’s not for the third track project.

Long story short it does appear that the property was acquired by the MTA. I’m guessing maybe they want to move their engineering department from Hicksville Road to the Bethpage site which is actually the old General Motors which did indeed have an active rail siding until 1990.

Everything is moving fluidly at Divide, and along the rest of the corridor. Obviously it will be give or take two weeks before School Street is reopened to traffic.

Both tracks from the current NASSAU3 to the West end of DIVIDE have had their rails and ties replaced through Carle Place and Westbury. What will be the new third track at Hicksville, and the current Southern track are undergoing the same treatment. Then they will commence that on what will be the middle track from Hicksville to the Wantagh Parkway.

Pole work continues, but in Edward Hand's photos the wires look like someone's game of Cats Cradle.

Augers and pile drivers are signaling the closing in on the work of eliminating the Willis Avenue crossing. Concrete foundations have been set for the pillars for Mineola's Platform B.

Apparently there is a section of Bellerose's platform that is plywood, and Elmont's new station has already gained its profile. Platform B already has the span, while Platform A is still behind.

MattAmity90 wrote; Augers and pile drivers are signaling the closing in on the work of eliminating the Willis Avenue crossing. Concrete foundations have been set for the pillars for Mineola's Platform B.

When I visited Mineola on Oct. 25, I noticed the signs "Nassau" on Nassau tower gone.

Is the end of Nassau Tower near ?

Road paving has begun under the new School St. bridge in Westbury. It won't be long now..........

Today the School St. underpass in Westbury opened to traffic. Six weeks from the day the new bridge was jacked into place. Pretty good work. The road is narrow but I guess they did the best they could with the amount of space available which wasn't much. And the two stop signs in each direction are a nuisance, but at least the road is finally open again after six months of closure.

Everyone: Interesting changes for the weekends of November 14-15 and 21-22 for Third Track Project work -
http://web.mta.info/supplemental/lirr/n ... utover.htm

The Port Jefferson Branch will be bused between Mineola and Huntington on Saturday November 14 and 21.
Trains will operate from Penn Station to Mineola hourly.
Huntington-Port Jefferson trains will run every two hours.
Carle Place and Westbury will only have NICE N22 and N24 bus service available nearby east and west.

On Sunday November 15 and 22 train service will operate to Huntington hourly with Huntington-Port Jefferson
trains running again every two hours.

The Ronkonkoma Branch will be served by trains operating via the Central Branch on all four days running every
two hours making stops between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma.
Bethpage Station will be closed without alternate bus service.
These trains will not serve Babylon Station.

Oyster Bay Branch trains will operate every two hours - times are earlier than the normal weekend schedules.

The completion of the School Street-Westbury grade crossing elimination is another significant accomplishment
for the Third Track Project this year...MACTRAXX

The reason why the roads are narrow after the grade crossing eliminations is because the sidewalks/walkways are next to the roads, but on a different level for safety to eliminate shoulders.

With School Street officially opened back up to traffic, the only grade crossings left are Main Street, Willis Avenue, and I'm not sure if the pedestrian crossing is still there in Mineola. Willis Avenue is going to be the most complicated elimination because they are eliminating two grade crossings. Both the Main Line and the Oyster Bay Branch crossings because of the close proximity.

Concrete piers are being erected for Mineola's new Platform B after creating somewhat of a canal using corrugated steel to hold the Earth behind it. There are no longer any grade crossings between Hicksville and Carle Place, and Mineola Westward. What's also astounding is that they are replacing the track ties/rails as the project goes along.

All photo: Bill Mangahas
School St. now open. If you're making a left turn onto School St, there's a short concrete retaining wall that block s your vision of traffic on your right.
I foresee some fender benders in the future.


The changing scene of Mineola








Nassau tower is still standing.

newkirk wrote: ↑Sun Nov 15, 2020 12:41 pm All photo: Bill Mangahas

What's the purpose of all the poles? Temporary wiring?

Re: the School St, Westbury project, I agree about the visibility problems at that intersection just south of the bridge. That's probably why it has four-way stop signs.

Also, is anyone else having problems with this website being very slow the last couple of days?