Patchogue Holbrook Road Bridge Now Open In Both Directions

UPDATE Friday 5 p.m.: The northbound lanes reopened at 3 p.m. Friday, the DOT told Patch.

Two northbound lanes on the Patchogue Holbrook Road bridge over the Long Island Expressway will reopen in "the coming days," the New York State Department of Transportation told Patch.

"Two southbound lanes will remain open, with a full reopening expected by July 31," the DOT said.

The bridge rehabilitation project is operating on budget, but it has taken much longer than anyone expected.

The contract for the now $10 million project was awarded to West Babylon-based ALAC Contracting Corporation in April 2014. The original contract completion date was May 30, 2016.

ALAC, which has blamed numerous trucks crashing into the bridge during construction for the delay, has been accessed fines since the start of 2017. The company was fined $160,000 in January. The DOT did not provide specific information on fines since then, saying only that "damages have been levied against this contractor and we continue to reassess."