LIRR Mainline Third Track Project

[bellstbarn]

I had only 15 minutes for train-watching at Mineola today, 11.6.2019. First came a 4-car train to Oyster Bay, #554 at 3:15 p.m., crawling into Mineola presumably because of restrictive diverting route. Next came one of my favorite LIRR trains, #2772, six cars at 3:19 p.m., with the announcement "Next stop, Babylon." Thirty or so boarded the five cars of this Patchogue train. Next announced was a Huntington train, but it surely didn't sound like one. Growling and tugging were two MP-15's and 19 cars of what looked like clean ballast. It did not stop for passengers. The Huntington electric was behind.
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There is an eastbound whistle W near the hospital bridge. Presumably it will no longer be needed. Get a photo!

[nyandw]

Hi Folks, I've been updating this project in my own humble style as several folks, Dave Morrison LIRR Historian in particular, provided a nice group of the Nassau Blvd Bridge project as follows: http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/3rd%20 ... sau%20Blvd

Here's Dave with the now defunked clearance sign!

[MattAmity90]

That's two of me stacked, but my head at the top would strike the bridge! Since grade crossing eliminations have been a key factor in this project, and I think I remember from my childhood about Roslyn Road. Can someone refresh my memory on how many lanes the grade crossing was well before 2005? (before any work got underway) Was it 2 lanes or 4? I know that the road now is 4 lanes that go under and that it veers to the left of where the former crossing was. This is just a quick question so we can document how wide the crossing was, and how wide it is after elimination. So far I have these:

Charlotte Avenue: Before: 2 lanes? After: 4 lanes. (Street closed or temporary crossing?)
Urban Avenue: Before: 2 lanes. After: 2 lanes. (Street was closed)
Roslyn Road: Before: 2 lanes? After: 4 lanes. (Had a two lane temporary crossing during elimination)
Herricks Road: Before: 4 lanes. After: 4 lanes. (Had a two lane temporary crossing during elimination)
Covert Avenue: Before: 2 lanes. After: 2 lanes. (Street was closed)

[LB]

I think both Roslyn Road and Charlotte Ave were 2 lanes before the lowered roadways were constructed with 4 lanes. For Charlotte Ave, not sure if they put in a temporary crossing or just kept the existing road in service and built the bridge around it. Broadway, Hicksville was widened to 4 lanes and Newbridge Road was extended under the elevated tracks with a new 4 lane roadway (it previously ended on Herzog Place south of the tracks). Here's some roadway views of the Bellmore project (Bellmore Life Newspaper):

Bedford Ave, Bellmore (view north) SEP 71
http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/s ... d-1/seq-1/

Newbridge Road (view north) OCT 73
http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/s ... d-1/seq-1/

Old Mill Rd DEC 73
http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/s ... d-1/seq-1/

[Head-end View]

LB's history is correct. Re: the Charlotte Ave. project of 1973, the original road was 2 lanes and was located slightly west of the new roadway. You can still see a little of the old road which is now the parallel driveway into a business adjacent to Charlotte Ave. just south of the tracks. And the old road and crossing was in use during the construction.

Also the Broadway and Newbridge Rd. widenings and extension that LB mentioned took place in 1967-68.

[MattAmity90]

LB's history is correct. Re: the Charlotte Ave. project of 1973, the original road was 2 lanes and was located slightly west of the new roadway. You can still see a little of the old road which is now the parallel driveway into a business adjacent to Charlotte Ave. just south of the tracks. And the old road and crossing was in use during the construction.

Also the Broadway and Newbridge Rd. widenings and extension that LB mentioned took place in 1967-68.

So Roslyn Road was ALWAYS TWO lanes? I'm guessing that the crossing was wider than the temporary.

[CTG]

According to this site -- https://www.eastcoastroads.com/states/n ... ogal/page2 -- the Roslyn Road grade crossing was 4 lanes but was narrowed to two lanes in order to create enough room for the construction of four lane wide overpass. This is consistent with my recollection but I wasn't in the area often enough to be certain.

[bellstbarn]

In March 2006,

6March1 Mineola 009 by sphoto33, on Flickr


In October, 2007, below:
Roslyn Road, Mineola by sphoto33, on Flickr

[MACTRAXX]

Everyone:

The Nassau Interlocking Switch Installation Project is scheduled for Saturday/Sunday November 16-17.

http://web.mta.info/supplemental/lirr/n ... 7-2019.htm

This program is similar to previous Main Line Third Third Track weekend service
outages requiring closure of the Main Line west of Hicksville.

There will be NO train service between New Hyde Park and Hicksville.
Port Jefferson Branch trains will run every two hours with Huntington trains hourly. Ronkonkoma trains will run hourly making regular stops except Bethpage.

Diesel shuttle trains will operate between Hicksville-Bethpage-Babylon with transfers to enhanced Babylon Branch service.

Oyster Bay Branch trains will run between East Williston and Oyster Bay with bus connections to Hempstead.
Hempstead Branch trains will run half hourly with trains running to both Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal alternately.

NICE Bus will cross honor LIRR tickets on the paralleling east/west N22 and N24 routes and the N40/41 routes running between Mineola and Hempstead.

With the Holiday Season approaching this will be the last major weekend track work outage this year.
It will be interesting to see what gets scheduled for the year 2020 Third Track work season...MACTRAXX

[LB]

This is the 1960's Roslyn Rd photo I based my answer on. What do you think 2 lanes or 4?

http://www.dominionrailvoyages.com/jhd/ ... uket_3.jpg

Here's another before shot: School ST, Westbury 5JUN 76

https://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s4 ... nnzr4j.jpg

[Norton]

Roslyn Rd. from 2004. Definitely 4 lanes.

Screenshot_2019-11-14 Historic Aerials.png (1.16 MiB) Viewed 2193 times

[MattAmity90]

Actually, yeah I can see that Roslyn Road was INDEED four lanes because the jersey barriers next to that crossing signal were two lanes taken out of service. On the other side I can see the traffic light pole align with the two lanes closed using the road closed sign and cone barrels.

I got a preview of New Hyde Park Road work, and they have closed the two Northbound lanes at the crossing (although one is in service to the South). North of the crossing, the road has been reduced to two lanes where the crossing signal's gate covers both lanes, while the one on the South only covers one lane.

Fish eye lens used from amodernli.com
Screenshot (400).png (1.59 MiB) Viewed 2187 times

Looking Northwest.
image.jpg (70.48 KiB) Viewed 2187 times

[bellstbarn]

On Saturday, November 16, 2019, I observed two shuttle trains at Bethpage within a few minutes of 10:34 a.m. A handful of passengers waited on each platform, Platform A signed "New York Trains." However, this weekend Platform B is the New York (via Babylon) platform. Maybe there were corrective announcements, but I happened not to hear them. Below, the Babylon-bound shuttle leaves Bethpage platform. The loudspeakers at the gates were already warning,"Second train coming," and, sure enough, the Hicksville-bound shuttle arrived at Platform A as the Babylon train was leaving. Each train had a DM on each end, with eight coaches.
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IMG_0458 by sphoto33, on Flickr

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IMG_0462 by sphoto33, on Flickr

[MattAmity90]

Urban Avenue is OFFICIALLY completed with the reopening of Railroad Avenue. All of the construction equipment has vamoosed from the site. New fencing, it has been paved, transitions are smooth, and traffic is now moving and using the road. Everything completed in the span of 10 months.

[Head-end View]

And construction has sort of begun at School St. Crews have begun excavating the lot next to the crossing on the north side.