Smith Point Bridge
Encyclopedia
Smith Point Bridge is located on the south shore of central Long Island
New York.
The bridge crosses the narrows between the Great South Bay
to its west and Moriches Bay
to the east side of the bridge.
The Smith Point Bridge, which is the southern terminus of the four-lane William Floyd Parkway (Suffolk CR 46), opened on July 4, 1959 in Shirley, New York
, (Suffolk County
), USA.
This bridge serves the Smith Point County Park
on the east end of Fire Island, New York.
The largest park owned by Suffolk County. The park derives its name from Smith Point which is a peninsula on the Long Island mainland sticking into Bellport Bay which in turn was named for William "Tangier" Smith who in the 17th century owned 50 miles of ocean front property in the Manor of St. George.
The Smith Point peninsula
is not actually owned by the park.
Access to the beach and the rest of the park is provided by the William Floyd Parkway which crosses Narrow Bay on the two-lane Smith Point Bridge.
Large parking fields with tunnels to the Atlantic Seashore are in the area immediately at the end of the Parkway.
A guarded road (with access with permit) extends the end of the barrier island
.
The park extends from the east end of the Fire Island Wilderness portion of the National Seashore to the end of the island at Moriches Inlet
.
The Bridge that spans one-quarter mile represented the first step by Suffolk County to preserve 810 miles of shore frontage for public purposes.
The bridge project was the development of Smith Point County Park, with a beach frontage of 6,000 feet along the eastern side of Fire Island Barrier Island on Atlantic Ocean. The park was to include bathing and camping facilities.
The entire structure was built on concrete piles, with a reinforced concrete roadway laid on a steel beam superstructure.
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
New York.
The bridge crosses the narrows between the Great South Bay
Great South Bay
Great South Bay is a lagoon situated between Long Island and Fire Island, in the State of New York. It is approximately long. It's protected from the Atlantic Ocean by Fire Island, a barrier island, as well as the eastern end of Jones Beach Island and Captree Island.Robert Moses Causeway adjoins...
to its west and Moriches Bay
Moriches Bay
Moriches Bay a lagoon system on the south shore of Long Island. The name Moriches comes from Meritces, a Native American who owned land on Moriches Neck.Two Townships both Brookhaven and the Southampton share Its shoreline in Suffolk New York....
to the east side of the bridge.
The Smith Point Bridge, which is the southern terminus of the four-lane William Floyd Parkway (Suffolk CR 46), opened on July 4, 1959 in Shirley, New York
Shirley, New York
Shirley is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, Shirley population was 26,395....
, (Suffolk County
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
), USA.
This bridge serves the Smith Point County Park
Smith Point County Park
Smith Point County Park is a park located fronting on the Atlantic Ocean on the east end of Fire Island, New York, United States, in central Long Island by Shirley. It is the largest park owned by Suffolk County, New York....
on the east end of Fire Island, New York.
The largest park owned by Suffolk County. The park derives its name from Smith Point which is a peninsula on the Long Island mainland sticking into Bellport Bay which in turn was named for William "Tangier" Smith who in the 17th century owned 50 miles of ocean front property in the Manor of St. George.
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
is not actually owned by the park.
Access to the beach and the rest of the park is provided by the William Floyd Parkway which crosses Narrow Bay on the two-lane Smith Point Bridge.
Large parking fields with tunnels to the Atlantic Seashore are in the area immediately at the end of the Parkway.
A guarded road (with access with permit) extends the end of the barrier island
Barrier island
Barrier islands, a coastal landform and a type of barrier system, are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen...
.
The park extends from the east end of the Fire Island Wilderness portion of the National Seashore to the end of the island at Moriches Inlet
Moriches Inlet
Moriches Inlet is an inlet connecting Moriches Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The name Moriches comes from Meritces, a Native American who owned land on Moriches Neck....
.
History
In summer 1955, the Shirley-Mastic Chamber of Commerce broke ground and invited 12,000 people to initiate the building of the new Smith Point Bridge to Fire Island.The Bridge that spans one-quarter mile represented the first step by Suffolk County to preserve 810 miles of shore frontage for public purposes.
The bridge project was the development of Smith Point County Park, with a beach frontage of 6,000 feet along the eastern side of Fire Island Barrier Island on Atlantic Ocean. The park was to include bathing and camping facilities.
The entire structure was built on concrete piles, with a reinforced concrete roadway laid on a steel beam superstructure.
- Type of bridge: - Steel-deck basculeBasculeBascule may refer to:* A Bascule bridge, a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic...
drawbridge - Construction started: July 16, 1955
- Opened to traffic: - July 4, 1959
- Length of bascule draw span: - 80 feet
- Total length of bridge: - 1,216 feet
- Width of bridge: - 28 feet
- Number of traffic lanes: - 2 lanes
- Width of roadway: - 22 feet
- Clearance at center above mean high water: - 22 feet
- Cost of original structure (including approaches): - $2,500,000
See also
- Outer Barrier Islands
- Great South BayGreat South BayGreat South Bay is a lagoon situated between Long Island and Fire Island, in the State of New York. It is approximately long. It's protected from the Atlantic Ocean by Fire Island, a barrier island, as well as the eastern end of Jones Beach Island and Captree Island.Robert Moses Causeway adjoins...
- Great South Bay BridgeGreat South Bay BridgeGreat South Bay Bridge is a bridge connecting the Robert Moses Causeway from Long Island's mainland over the Great South Bay, connecting to both Captree and Jones Beach Islands on the southwest central side of Long Island New York....
- Patchogue BayPatchogue BayPatchogue Bay is a bay on the south-central shores of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York.Part of the Great South Bay, Patchogue Bay is a cove between the points of land known as Blue Point and Howells Point, and across which ferries run south to Fire Island.The Patchogue Bay bay bottom up to...
- Fire Island Wilderness
- Fire Island Inlet BridgeFire Island Inlet BridgeThe Fire Island Inlet Bridge, an integral part of the Robert Moses Causeway, is a two-lane, steel arch span with a concrete deck that carries Route 908 over Fire Island Inlet....
- Moriches BayMoriches BayMoriches Bay a lagoon system on the south shore of Long Island. The name Moriches comes from Meritces, a Native American who owned land on Moriches Neck.Two Townships both Brookhaven and the Southampton share Its shoreline in Suffolk New York....