Though it has been closed since 2023, those hoping to see the Cranberry Hole Road bridge in Amagansett repaired and reopened will have to wait a while longer, though there is now a timetable for the work to begin.
The 1895 bridge, at the western end of the road, was deemed structurally deficient and closed to all traffic in July 2023. While there was a restriction limiting vehicles crossing it to 10,000 pounds, that was often ignored, contributing to the deterioration.
East Hampton Town and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority both pointed to the other as the party responsible for the bridge’s repair. Ultimately, it was determined that responsibility lay with the M.T.A.
Last July, Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni addressed a meeting of the Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee, at which many implored the assemblyman to see to it that the bridge would be repaired in short order, or replaced with a temporary bridge until it could be repaired.
At that meeting, Mr. Schiavoni told the assembled that the M.T.A.’s five-year capital plan, part of the New York State budget, had been finalized and included repair of the Cranberry Hole Road bridge as well as bridges in Sagaponack and Eastport. “Your bridge is now at the top of the list,” he told the gathering, “but the pace is glacial.”
Glacial, but not immobile. The M.T.A. received proposals until March 13. These are at present under review, Joana Flores, an M.T.A. media liaison, told The Star on Monday. A contractor is to be chosen by September and work is expected to begin in March 2027.
The existing bridge will be demolished. The project will include the complete replacement of the substructure and superstructure and the installation of retaining walls, Ms. Flores said. Milling, paving, and curb and sidewalk work on roadway approaches, as well as installation of a new drainage system and leaching basins, are also part of the project.
Mr. Schiavoni told the citizens committee over the summer that M.T.A. officials had said the repair project would last nine months. But, as Ms. Flores told The Star, “Once a vendor is selected and the design-build contract is awarded, the contractor will provide an expected completion date based on the final design. However, the solicitation for proposals required construction to not exceed 780 calendar days.”
The work is expected to cost between $20 million and $25 million, the assemblyman told the committee last year. “This is a priority for me,” he told The Star last week, “and my predecessor as well,” referring to Fred W. Thiele Jr., who retired at the end of 2024. “It’s nice to see. It’s encouraging to see movement.”
