Detectors installed on Long Island parkways to prevent bridge strikes

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Updated Jan 6, 2018
The detectors emit an invisible beam that when crossed by an over-height vehicle triggers a warning sign.The detectors emit an invisible beam that when crossed by an over-height vehicle triggers a warning sign.

Detection devices have been installed in New York to prevent over-height vehicles from hitting bridges on Long Island parkways, where bridges are typically lower than standard legal clearance.

The New York State Department of Transportation has installed the devices in 13 locations in Nassau and Suffolk counties for the $4.3 million project.

The detectors emit an invisible beam that when crossed by an over-height vehicle triggers a warning message on an LED lighted sign. The system also includes cameras linked to NYSDOT’s regional traffic management centers that record the incidents.

The NYSDOT chose spots for the detectors at places where trucks have improperly entered the parkways. The parkways are off-limits to commercial vehicles, school buses, tractor trailers and other tall vehicles.

The NYSDOT reports that the detectors have worked well on five parkways in the Hudson Valley. In 2016, a year after those detectors were installed, bridge strikes dropped 30 percent from 2012.

“The system has prevented thousands of over-height buses, box trucks, tractor trailers and more from hitting low bridges along the parkway,” the agency says.

 

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