Government

Expressway to be closed in Riverhead Monday, Tuesday nights

The LIE will be closed from exits 71 to 73 the next two nights. (Credit: Google Earth)
The LIE will be closed from exits 71 to 73 the next two nights. (Credit: Google Earth)

The Riverhead exits of the Long Island Expressway will be closed the next two nights as  “structural improvements” are made to a bridge over the Long Island Rail Road tracks, a New York State Department of Transportation spokesperson said Monday. The nighttime closures are set for tonight and tomorrow — Monday, August 4 and Tuesday, August 5 — between exit 71 at Edwards Avenue and exit 73 at County Road 58. All eastbound and westbound travel lanes will be closed between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

All expressway traffic will be diverted along a detour route utilizing Edwards Avenue and Route 25, the DOT said.

The closures are needed to temporarily lift the expressway bridge over the LIRR tracks to perform structural improvements as part of a $3.4 million repair project, the DOT said.

Motorists are already being warned of the closures through electronic message signs along the roadways.