Requires the commissioner of transportation to report on collisions that have occurred between motor vehicles and bridges or elevated structures on or crossing highways under the jurisdiction of the department of transportation in the annual report to the legislature.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7016B
SPONSOR: Magnarelli TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the highway law, in relation to requiring the commis-
sioner of transportation to provide a report on collisions that have
occurred between motor vehicles and bridges or elevated structures on or
crossing highways
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL::
The purpose of this bill is to require the Commissioner of Transporta-
tion to include in his or her annual report to the Legislature a state-
ment of the number of collisions that have occurred between vehicles and
all bridges and elevated structures on highways under the jurisdiction
of the Department of Transportation
(DOT), and other data related to such collisions.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS::
Section 1 of this bill adds new subdivision 18-a to the Highway Law that
would require the Commissioner of Transportation to include in his or
her annual report to the Legislature a statement of the number of colli-
sions that have occurred between vehicles and all bridges and elevated
structures on or crossing highways under the jurisdiction of the Depart-
ment of Transportation, and other data related to such collisions.
Section 2 of this bill provides that the effect date shall take effect
one year after it shall have become a law.
JUSTIFICATION::
Tractor trailers have hit the Onondaga Lake Parkway Bridge since the
1950s. The short, squat truss bridge, which crosses over State Route
370, has caused hundreds of accidents accounting for untold hundreds of
thousands of dollars lost and motorists stranded for long hours. The
primary issue is that many bridges and elevated structures in the State
have low height restrictions that are unknown to operators or owners of
large vehicles until such structures are immediately in the way, which
causes strikes to occur.
Strikes occur across the state due to a variety of factors. Most nota-
bly, awareness of bridge and elevated structure height is low amongst
the driving population, including for both truck and passenger car driv-
ers. Furthermore, this problem is not unique to the greater Syracuse
area. Other bridges in the State have caused similar problems for truck
drivers and motorists.
Increased knowledge and awareness of the number of collisions is impor-
tant in order to understand the reasons why such collisions occur. This
bill would require DOT to provide relevant data on the number of colli-
sions that occur on bridges and elevated structures in the State.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS::
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE::
This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7016--B
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 10, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MAGNARELLI -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Transportation -- committee discharged, bill amended,
ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee --
reported and referred to the Committee on Rules -- Rules Committee
discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the highway law, in relation to requiring the commis-
sioner of transportation to provide a report on collisions that have
occurred between motor vehicles and bridges or elevated structures on
or crossing highways
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 10 of the highway law is amended by adding a new
2 subdivision 18-a to read as follows:
3 18-a. Include, in addition to the requirements of subdivision eighteen
4 of this section, in his or her annual report to the legislature a state-
5 ment of the number of motor vehicle collisions with bridges and elevated
6 structures on or crossing highways under the jurisdiction of the depart-
7 ment during the previous year, the location of such collisions, any
8 repairs completed including any actions performed at or around such
9 bridges and elevated structures to prevent the future occurrence of such
10 collisions, any efforts of the department during the previous year to
11 prevent such collisions, and any recommendations in relation to prevent-
12 ing such motor vehicle collisions with bridges and elevated structures.
13 Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to supersede any other report-
14 ing requirements otherwise imposed upon the department by law, rule or
15 regulation.
16 § 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
17 law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06898-08-3
