Latimer lays out seven-point plan to end trucks-into-parkway bridges

WHITE PLAINS - County Executive George Latimer has a litany of solutions to Westchester's truck-into-bridge program.

After meeting with local officials and representatives from the trucking industry and state Department of Transportation Friday, Latimer laid out a seven-point plan to reduce the number of trucks crashing into overpasses on the county's extensive parkway network.

"This is a problem that is going to stop. We're going to make every effort we can to try and end this problem," said Latimer, who pointed out the county is on track for 84 bridge strikes this year up from 70 last year and 38 in 2013. "If government can't solve a problem like this, government can't solve anything."

FOCUS ELSEWHERE: Despite their prevalence in Westchester, Long Island gets bridge strike help

ANOTHER ONE: Truck hits King Street overpass

VIEW: Can't the state stop trucks from hitting overpasses?

The plan will see...

1. The New York State Department of Transportation assess "new, dramatic" signs near the King Street overpass, the most frequently hit bridge in the state, similar to the ones near near the Bruckner Expressway-Hutchinson River Parkway interchange in the Bronx.
2. The New York State Trucking Association develop educational materials to be distributed to truckers both in state and out.
3. The state and county work together to reach out to companies that provide GPS and mapping software to try and stop routing trucks onto parkways.
4. County police break down bridge strike statistics.
5. Local police notified when trucks trigger the infrared systems in place at five Hutchinson River Parkway on-ramps.
6. Elevated height restricted bars — known as "headbangers" — piloted near at least one on-ramp in Westchester.
7. Westchester examine and pilot measures on the Bronx River Parkway, the only parkway under county control.

Bridge strikes happen in Westchester far more often than any other county in the state, with almost one a week over the last five years. This week, two trucks ran into overpasses, including one that backed up the Hutchinson River Parkway for an hour and injured a person.

Trucks are illegal on the county's myriad, near-century-old parkways, but studies and officials say out-of-area drivers using commercial GPS units are unknowingly routed onto the roads.

In response to the crash, Latimer advocated interviewing drivers after the crash. Friday, he said the state DOT was already doing that.

The state has implemented an infrared sensor system at various parkway entrances in the southern part of the state. If a truck breaks an infrared beam projected over the on-ramp, an electronic message screen a few feet away will light up, instructing the driver to pull over.

Most of those systems — 16 in total — have been installed on Long Island, despite Nassau and Suffolk counties combining for fewer bridge hits than Westchester.

Westchester has just five, four at the 287-Hutchinson River Parkway interchange and another at the Mamaroneck Avenue-Hutchinson River Parkway interchange. Officials said they had picked up 18,000 overheight vehicles since being installed in 2015.

Latimer said the two most hit overpasses in the county are King Street and Mamaroneck Road in Scarsdale.

He said despite the previous focus on Long Island, he said Westchester has the state DOT's "sincere commitment" to fixing the problem.

"Whatever we're doing they, us all of us, it's been insufficient or otherwise wouldn't have this increase in bridge strikes," Latimer said. "I think we look forward."

Twitter: @coynereports