Dumpster Hits Railroad Trestle, Service Suspended

Hundreds of travelers found themselves scrambling for reservations on Manhattan-bound Hampton Jitneys early Monday after a Dumpster struck the underside of the North Main Street railroad trestle in East Hampton Village and the Long Island Rail Road suspended service. Service was resumed between Jamaica and East Hampton in late morning, though how long service between East Hampton and Montauk would be suspended was uncertain.

According to Sgt. Mathew A. Morgan of the East Hampton Village police, the truck is registered to a Bay Shore company, and the Dumpster was being hauled by a 2004 Mack truck. The driver was issued a summons for ignoring signs warning northbound vehicles approaching the underpass that there is only 10 feet of clearance. There were no injuries.

A crew of railroad workers brought in a German-made Liebherr crane with a boom approximately 80 feet long. A strap was attached to the end of the boom, and it appeared the crew was pulling the trestle slightly up. A spokesman for the railroad was not immediately available for comment.

The railroad provided shuttle buses for affected stations and the Jitney was fully booked through the morning for buses leaving Montauk.