Hofstra University overpass damaged by truck to stay closed for weeks
The overpass on Tuesday. It is one of three linking Hofstra's north and south campuses. Credit: Howard Schnapp
A Hofstra University pedestrian overpass damaged by a truck last Thursday will remain closed for at least several weeks for inspections and repairs, according to the university.
The overpass, known as the unispan, is the middle of three linking Hofstra's north and south campuses. It spans Hempstead Turnpike in Hempstead and offers a convenient route between the university's Student Center and the Axinn Library, which remain open.
A shuttle will connect the Student Center to the south campus between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday while the overpass remains closed, the university stated Wednesday in a universitywide email.
Senior Dexter Shmavonian, 21, said the unispan closing "has affected essentially the entire school," adding he has had "to change my schedule in order to compensate for a longer commute."
"As someone who doesn’t have a car, it [the unispan] made getting to class very convenient," he said.
Hofstra Public Safety is providing personnel at crosswalks across Hempstead Turnpike and, the university said, the state Department of Transportation has lengthened the crossing time at the intersections to assist pedestrians crossing the four- to six-lane highway that forms part of State Route 24.
"Our facilities staff has been working overtime to coordinate with our structural engineers as well as … government agencies and to map out a plan for repairs and reopening of the unispan," the email said. "Right now, we do not have an exact timeline for reopening, although we expect that the repairs to the unispan will take several weeks to complete."
University spokesperson Karla Schuster said, "Every effort will be made to do the work so there's minimal disruption to traffic" while repairs are made.
The other two walkway spans — one nearby to the west of the unispan and the other farther east of it — remain open.
The unispan was damaged when the raised lift bed of a truck used to haul dumpsters struck the bottom of the walkway shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday, Nassau County police said last week. The truck driver was taken to a hospital for examination but no student was injured in the incident.
Senior Kayla Stadeker, Wellness and Campus Safety chair of the Student Government Association, said the unispan closure is an inconvenience for many students, though not for all. The nearby span to the west connects first-year housing to the south campus, where many classrooms are located, and is convenient for freshmen to use. But other students must now walk to that span or take the shuttle.
"It makes our commute to class longer," she said. "Safety is not really an issue."
She added, "Students just want to know when repairs will be complete and hope it's sooner rather than later."
Carol Polsky writes news and features on wide-ranging topics, from superstorm Sandy, 9/11 and presidential elections to health care and the economy.
