NY hopes to decrease bridge strikes with new campaign

Officials in New York are hoping that increased awareness will help stop drivers of commercial vehicles from striking bridges across the Empire State.

On Sunday, Nov. 5, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a weeklong enforcement campaign aimed at reducing the number of bridge strikes in New York – something the governor’s office said is “creating public safety hazards, traffic delays and damage to bridges across the state.”

Through Saturday, Nov. 11, New York State Police officers will be patrolling “areas of known bridge hits” in hopes of preventing collisions with semis and other oversized vehicles. Police also will work with commercial vehicle inspectors in those areas to coordinate enforcement efforts.

“Bridge strikes are potentially hazardous to motorists and first responders and have caused needless inconveniences for local communities – but these incidents are 100 percent preventable,” Hochul said in a statement. “While we have implemented measures and technologies across the state to help prevent bridge strikes, nothing is more powerful than knowledge. Drivers of overheight vehicles have a responsibility here, as well: Follow posted warnings, know the height of vehicles and most importantly, pay attention.”

According to the state, there were a total of 808 reported bridge strikes across New York in 2021 and 2022 combined. The issue has become so prevalent that officials have proposed legislation that would place points on a driver’s license for striking a bridge.

“There have been far too many incidents of bridge strikes involving trucks and overheight vehicles in recent years, which are not only dangerous but completely preventable,” Marie Therese Dominguez, Department of Transportation commissioner, said in a statement. “While we will continue to implement measures that alert drivers to potential low-clearance bridges, it is the responsibility of the operators to drive safely and pay attention to all warnings in place.”

The announcement of the enforcement campaign coincides with the formation of the Bridge Hit Mitigation Task Force.

The newly created task force is a collaborative effort between the New York State Police, the New York State Department of Transportation, the New York State Thruway Authority and the governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

One part of those efforts is NYSDOT’s “Check Your Height, Know It’s Right” campaign. The goal of the campaign – which will consist of a series of videos along with social media posts – is to “impress upon all drivers that it is their responsibility to know their height and avoid bridges that they are too tall for.”

Dominick L. Chiumento, New York State Police acting superintendent, noted that all commercial motor vehicle drivers must know their vehicle height.

“Too many times have we had a commercial vehicle that thought they could squeeze under an overpass. Avoiding these low bridges is crucial for the safety of all that travel New York’s roadways,” Chiumento said. “Not only do bridge strikes cause significant damage and disruption to traffic, but they have the potential to present additional hazards to other drivers and the communities wherein these low bridges are found.”

The task force also will be distributing information about bridge strikes and how to prevent them to commercial vehicle inspection sites across the state. LL