40°35′44.71″N 73°39′24.02″W / 40.5957528°N 73.6566722°W
Michael Valente Memorial Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Southwest view of the bridge | |
| Coordinates | 40°35′44.91″N 73°39′24.65″W / 40.5958083°N 73.6568472°W (southbound) 40°35′44.50″N 73°39′23.39″W / 40.5956944°N 73.6564972°W (northbound) |
| Carries | Long Beach Boulevard/Road |
| Crosses | Reynolds Channel |
| Locale | Nassau County, New York |
| Other name(s) | Long Beach Bridge |
| Named for | Michael Valente |
| Owner | Nassau County Department of Public Works |
| Maintained by | Nassau County Department of Public Works |
| Heritage status | Eligible for the NRHP |
| ID number | 3300301 (southbound) 3300302 (northbound) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Bascule bridge |
| Material | Steel-deck |
| Total length | 820 feet (250 m) |
| Width | Each span: 45 feet (14 m) Roadway: 36 feet (11 m) |
| Longest span | 150 feet (46 m) |
| No. of spans | 2 |
| Clearance below | 30.4 feet (9.3 m) |
| No. of lanes | 6 total (3 in each direction) |
| History | |
| Construction start | August 13, 1953 |
| Construction cost | US$5,000,000 |
| Opened | May 19, 1955 (first span) July 25, 1956 (second span) |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 19,654 (southbound, 1997) 19,515 (northbound, 1997) |
| Location | |
 | |
| References | |
| [1][2][3] | |
The Long Beach Bridge (officially known as the Michael Valente Memorial Bridge) is a twin-span bascule bridge crossing Reynolds Channel, between the City of Long Beach and the Village of Island Park, in Nassau County, New York, United States.
Description edit
The bridge starts in Long Beach as Long Beach Boulevard. At Barnum Island, the main road continues northeast as Austin Boulevard, while Long Beach Road (the northern continuation of Long Beach Boulevard) branches to the north.[4] Each span carries traffic in one direction.[5]
History edit
The twin bridges were built in 1953 to replace an earlier bridge built in 1922.[5][6] The replacement spans were constructed after it was realized that the original, 1922 span was functionally and structurally obsolete.[6]
In 2011, the Long Beach Bridge was renamed the Michael Valente Memorial Bridge, in honor of Michael Valente – a World War I veteran and longtime resident of Long Beach.[7][8][9] The name change was made official following a vote by the Nassau County Legislature, and the renaming ceremony – which took place at Long Beach City Hall – was attended by hundreds of people.[7][8][9]
In popular culture edit
In 2013, the bridge was used as a filming location by NBC, for scenes in "The Blacklist".[10][11] The scenes were used for the show's pilot episode and employed several special effects – including the use of fire & smoke, collisions, gunshots, and actors repelling themselves off the bridge. The City of Long Beach, the Village of Island Park, and the County of Nassau all consented to the filming.[11]
See also edit
- Bayville Bridge – Another drawbridge in Nassau County.
References edit
- ^ Engelhardt, Chris (2011-03-30). "L.B. Bridge renamed after WWI veteran". Long Island Herald. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- ^ "Long Beach Bridge (Nassau CR 1)". Nycroads.com. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
- ^ "National Bridge Inventory Database Search - 2012". Nationalbridges.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
- ^ "Long Island Index: Interactive Map". www.longislandindexmaps.org. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
- ^ a b "New York OPD Geographic Information Gateway". opdgig.dos.ny.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
- ^ a b "Long Beach Bridge (Nassau CR 1)". www.nycroads.com. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
- ^ a b Engelhardt, Chris (2011-03-09). "Long Beach bridge to be renamed after war hero". Herald Community Newspapers. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
- ^ a b Kellard, Joseph (2011-03-24). "Bridge Renaming Ceremony Attracts Hundreds". Long Beach, NY Patch. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
- ^ a b Boyle, Chris (2011-03-28). "Video: Michael Valente Bridge Renaming Ceremony". Long Beach, NY Patch. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
- ^ Lovece, Frank (2022-04-06). "NBC's 'The Blacklist' filming on Long Island". Newsday. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
- ^ a b Rifilato, Anthony (2013-03-27). "NBC films action scene on Long Beach Bridge". Herald Community Newspapers. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
External links edit
- Long Beach Bridge @ NYCRoads.com
- "Long Beach Bridge Construction Photographs: 1953-1956" – Hofstra University Special Collections Department/Long Island Studies Institute
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