Robert Moses Causeway

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Robert Moses Causeway is the parkway and bridges, originally known as the Captree Causeway, that connect the mainland Long Island in West Islip, New York to the barrier beach islands such as Captree Island, Jones Beach Island, and the western tip of Fire Island. It is unsigned New York State Reference Route 908J.

The first sprawling trestle crossing from West Islip to Captree Island was completed in 1954; the bridge now deemed beautiful was originally expected to be an eyesore before construction. Now the bridge is an icon of the Great South Bay which has been the playground of affluent South Shorers who like to fish and boat. The span is 2 miles in length with a middle clearance for boats of 60 feet and the steel-arch of 600 feet; originally one lane was for southbound traffic and the other for northbound traffic. Between 1966 and 1968 a new span was built next to the original for three northbound lanes; the original bridge was to carry the southbound traffic.

Over the State Boat Channel a 665-foot-long bascule bridge modeled after the Mill Basin Bridge, a double leaf trunnion bascule supporting the Belt (Shore) Parkway over Mill Basin, Brooklyn. The Robert Moses or Captree Bascule Bridge is the interchange to Ocean Parkway and all the town and state beaches.

Robert Moses Bridge giving access to Robert Moses State Park (May 2006)

The Fire Island Inlet span of the Robert Moses Causeway connects to Robert Moses State Park on the western tip of Fire Island. This span was completed in 1964 and by 1985 a dual span was supposed to be mimicked in order to alleviate traffic yet it was never done. When first proposed in 1938, the span was to be a vertical-lift span with a design similar to that of the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge. Later, the design of the Fire Island Bridge was changed to conform with that of the Great South Bay span, a 600-foot steel-arch span with a 60-foot clearance.

In 2004, the New York State Department of Transportation began studies on the Fire Island Inlet span after the realization that it was rapidly decomposing due to flaws in the cement during its construction. Currently repairs are being undertaken to extend the life and safety of the bridge; groundbreaking for a new bridge is expected in 2010.^{[citation needed]} It is assumed that the new bridge will be built to the west of the current structure; the new span will be four lanes, two southbound and two northbound.^{[citation needed]} The new bridge is thought to retain the look of the old one for aesthetic conformity with the other bridges of the bay.^{[citation needed]} After the new bridge is constructed, the decomposing bridge will be removed but implosion is not thought to be the method of deconstruction. Instead it is more likely the span will be disassembled and removed by crane.

[edit] Interesting facts

All interchanges are prefixed with the letter "RM" in numeric order from North to South, except for those south of the Great South Bay Bridge. In the period when it was named Captree Causeway the interchanges were prefixed with the letter "C."

On the section that crosses the Great South Bay, the New York City skyline can be faintly seen-on a clear day.

The North-to-Eastbound ramp to Southern State (Heckscher) Parkway contains an interchange of its own with Suffolk CR 57 (Bay Shore Road).

[edit] Exits

Exit #	Destinations	Notes
Southbound splits at a traffic circle into two highways, a western Robert Moses and an eastern. The western split dead-ends coming back around the opposite direction. The eastern split becomes Cedar Street. This list, from top to bottom, goes northbound beginning at the traffic circle. For southbound exits, start at the bottom and read up.
		Full interchange.
	Captree Island (street name)	This exit can take you back in the opposite direction, i.e: north back south.
Robert Moses Causeway (the bridge)
RM2 E-W	NY Route 27A: Montauk Highway
RM1 W-E	Sunrise Highway Service Road	TO from either exit
WEST keep LEFT (to New York City). EAST keep right. By keeping right, you have access to the Suffolk County Road 57 exit.

[edit] External links

• Robert Moses Causeway Article from NYCROADS Web Site
• Interchange of the Week; Monday, March 19, 2001 (Empire State Roads)
• Captree State Park
• Robert Moses State Park