The remnants of the original Mineola Boulevard bridge, before the temporary one was erected, was removed as part of the project to build a new, permanent bridge. The construction phase of the project is expected to begin early next month.

According to Raymond Weixler, engineer in charge of construction for the New York State Department of Transportation, the job is progressing, but certain parts of the project will hinge on when the Long Island Railroad will grant track outages so workers can work on or adjacent to one of the tracks. However, Weixler believes the bulk of the work will begin Sept. 3.

The Phase I detour, the installation of the concrete barrier on the bridge, is currently in effect and there are two lanes of traffic. The original bridge's abutment and wingwalls have been taken down. In addition, the north abutment footing of the new bridge has just started.

The project calls for the construction of half of the new bridge, the removal of the temporary bridge and then the construction of the rest of the new bridge. However, there is a proposal by the contractor, DeFoe, that may take a year off the length of the project.

The project was originally scheduled for 29 months, but could be reduced to approximately 19 to 22 months. The proposal calls for the removal of a portion of the temporary bridge and then construction of all of the new bridge over a portion of the railroad tracks and then the removal of the rest of the temporary bridge. The proposal is subject to approval by the New York State DOT. Regardless, however, there will always be two lanes of traffic to accommodate motorists traveling northbound and southbound over the bridge.