The Bayville BridgePresentation by E. G.

Where in the world is Bayville?

• Bayville is a tiny peninsula on Long Island, New York. (See map Below)

Bayville Bridge

Bayville

Before The First Bayville Bridge• In 1896 people believed that a bridge was needed to

shorten the route to Oyster Bay. 1

• The route past Factory Pond Road through Mill Neck and Oyster Bay was highly inconvenient for people. 1

• Before the bridge could be constructed, a road along the shore needed to be built first (Now called Shore Road). 1

• Funds for the building of the bridge were raised both in Bayville and Oyster Bay. 1

• Many merchants in Oyster Bay contributed money too. 1

• Some people opposed the building of the bridge. 1

• A hearing was held in Albany. 1

• The builders won permission to continue with construction. 1

The First Bayville Bridge• The building was completed in 1898. 2

• Charles Henry Platt was the engineer from Brooklyn who oversaw the building of it. 2

• The Town of Oyster Bay built it. 2

• In 1907 Nassau County took it over. 2

• Approximately 460 feet long 3

• A second bridge was needed once they realized that wooden structures didn’t last long. 1

• The wood had been eaten away by worms. 1

• A man named Harry West crossed the bridge one day with a heavy load only to find it crumble away once he had made it safely to shore. 4

The Second Bayville Bridge• The second bridge was built in 1904. 2

• The entire bridge had to be renovated but they used the same spans from the original bridge. 3

• The renovation cost about $10,000. 1

• It had wood planks with metal rails on the sides. 4

• It had to be re-planked several times after the renovation. 1

• Approximately 460 feet long 3

• It was removed in 1922 when it was 15 years old. 3

The Third Bayville Bridge

• The third bridge was built in 1922. 2

• A celebration of the opening of it was held on August 19,1922. 1

• At the opening there were parades with floats, music, speech making and lunches. 1

• About 10,000 people attended the opening including the press with about 1,000 cars. 1

• Approximately 700 feet long 3

• It was a Bascule bridge. 3

The Fourth Bayville Bridge• The fourth bridge was prepared by C.W. Wolf. 1

• It was built in 1938. 2

• It is the present day bridge. 2

• Electrically operated 3

• Owned and maintained by Nassau County 5

• Approximately 525 feet long 3

• Like the third bridge, it is a Bascule bridge. 3

• It was renovated in 1991 and 2006. 2

• Costs about $300,000 a year to maintain it. That includes labor, materials, and supplies. 3

• When the power is down, the opening and closing of the bridge becomes very slow or even may stop. 3

Common Repairs• In the summer, the heat makes the

concrete on the bridge expand. 3

• This makes the draw get stuck up or down. 3

• People need to cool it off with hoses so it can open and close again. 3

• In the winter, the snow throws the counterbalance off. People need to come and clear the snow out. 3

• Pigeon nests need to be cleaned out from under the bridge because they jam up the gears. 3

• Electrical problems like a circuit breaker going out, etc. have to be fixed often. 3

Bridge Operators• There are eight bridge

operators that take shifts. 3

• The bridge is controlled completely by the U.S. Coast Guard. They tell the county how to run the bridge. They even control the hours of the operator. 3

• Operators have to take a test before being hired. 3

How the Bayville Bridge Affects the Community Today

• It is very important during emergencies because there are only two ways out of Bayville. If the bridge is out of order, all the people in that area of town might not be able to get out. 5

• It makes life more convenient for people living in Bayville because if the bridge wasn’t there, we would have to go very far to get to Oyster Bay. It takes about 10 minutes to get to Oyster Bay from Bayville if you go over the bridge, but more than 20 minutes if you go the other way. Even just 10 minutes makes a big difference if you are late for work. 5

A Historic Landmark• The fourth bridge was

designated a historic landmark because of its architecture. 5

• The lights on the bridge are also what makes it historic. 5

• When it was worked on in 1991, the workers needed to use different materials once they were reminded that it was historical so they wouldn’t damage it. 5

• In 2004, Wachovia Bank made a commercial on the bridge because it is in such a beautiful location. 5

Interesting Facts • The U.S. Coast Guard told Nassau County that if they

didn’t have an operator in the booth during the day, the bridge would have to stay in the up position because boats have the right of way over cars. 3

• Huge striped bass live under the bridge. 3

• The channel under the bridge was once called “the gut”.1

• Each time the bridge was rebuilt, it was in a different spot. A new bridge was built before the old one was knocked down. 3

• There is a lot of vandalism on the bridge at night because there is no guard. Nassau County had to replace all the glass around the lights with plastic so they couldn’t be broken. 3

Annotated BibliographyAlfano, Thomas, Curator, Bayville Historical

Museum. 34 School Street Bayville, New York 11709. I talked with the curator of the Bayville Historical Museum, Mr. Alfano to find out more information about the Bayville Bridge. He showed me pictures of the past bridges and the current one too. I learned who the engineer was for the building of the first bridge and the year each bridge was built. Mr. Alfano seemed like he knew what he was talking about. All the information he gave me matched the information that I found by using other sources.

Siegel, Victoria, mayor of Bayville. I visited with the mayor of Bayville, Victoria Siegel, in her office at the

Village Hall. (34 School Street Bayville, New York 11709) Mrs. Siegel has been the mayor of Bayville for over 20 years. I asked her questions like: “Does the bridge have any historic significance?” and “How does it affect the community?” Most of her answers seemed accurate. However, she did make one mistake in an answer that she gave me. She told me that the current bridge is the third one but when I looked at many other sources, I found out that it is actually the fourth one. I learned how important the bridge is to members of the community during times of emergencies and how inconvenient it would be without the bridge.

Davis, Robert J. Superintendent of highway maintenance, Nassau County Department of Public Works. 170 Cantiague Rock Road Hicksville, New York 11801. I went to Robert J. Davis’ office at the Nassau County Department of Public Works for more information on the Bayville Bridge. He was extremely helpful. Mr. Davis gave me tons of information about all four bridges. I learned how long each bridge was and who built each one. Mr. Davis even gave me many pictures of the bridge taken from the Nassau County Police Helicopter. Mr. Davis really helped me a lot on this project.

Upright, Carleton B. The Times and Tides of Bayville.

This book had a lot of useful information in it about the bridge, however, it was never published. I asked the librarian about it and all we found out was that it was published in New York in 1969. It was never officially published or copyrighted.

Works Cited

Amon, Rhoda. Time Machine, Newsday, September 3, 2000, Long Island, New York.

Footnotes• 1: Carleton B., Upright, The Times and

Tides of Bayville, pages 5-11• 2: Bayville Historical Museum• 3: Nassau County Department of Public

Works• 4: Article in Newsday -“Time Machine”• 5: Mayor Victoria Siegel