The New York State Thruway Authority recently completed a significant enforcement effort against overheight vehicles along the Thruway, spanning the last quarter of 2024.
The big picture: Overheight vehicles have been causing bridge strikes, prompting a targeted crackdown by the Thruway Authority and the New York State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit.
- During three months of operations, they conducted 3,767 commercial vehicle inspections.
- Out of these checks, 997 led to out-of-service orders.
- In total, 7,301 citations were issued, 31 specifically for vehicles being overheight.
Why it matters: Since 2020, the Thruway has reported 231 bridge strikes, posing a severe safety risk. In 2024 alone, there were 56 incidents.
What's new: To help curb these issues, two new overheight vehicle detection systems were installed in December 2024. These systems notify drivers with illuminated warnings if their vehicle exceeds height restrictions.
- The systems are located at Parking/Rest Areas on I-90 eastbound and westbound between key exits in Central New York.
The impact: The most frequently hit bridges include Middle Black Brook Road in Seneca County with 31 hits, and North Grand Island Bridge in Niagara County with 23 hits.
Authorities continue efforts in bridge strike prevention to ensure safer travel for everyone using the Thruway.