As we noted two years ago, the State Legislature passed a bill sponsored by Senator Brian Kavanaugh and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, that was signed by Governor Kathy Hochul, authorizing the City Department of Transportation to install weigh stations along the cantilevered portion of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway that lies below Brooklyn Heights and its Promenade. These stations would identify trucks exceeding the 80,000 pound limit, the owners of which would then be fined. As Mary Frost in the Eagle reports, the DOT has now announced that operation of these weight sensors, which were expected to be operational this month, would be “significantly delayed.” The reason, according to a DOT spokesman, is that the “calibration protocols” are “still under development.” Local elected officials expressed dismay at this news. Ms. Simon noted that the weight measuring system “is the first of its kind in the nation” but, according to the Eagle story, said “[s]he is disappointed that the DOT did not keep officials abreast of the delay”. The Eagle also quotes the Coalition for the BQE Transformation:
DOT must initiate WIM [Weight in Motion] as soon as possible; but until the program can be implemented, the city must take immediate measures and utilize every means at its disposal to enforce the existing laws governing overweight trucks and reduce the strain on the rapidly deteriorating roadway.
The WIM was one of several projects to be undertaken to stabilize the cantilevered portion of the BQE, including lane reduction and repairing structural supports, while longer term plans are considered.
