New York state is making what it calls a “significant” investment along Onondaga Lake Parkway, in an attempt to cut down on the number of truck strikes to a low-clearance railroad bridge.
Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said most notably the four-lane road will immediately become a two-lane highway.
"This will help calm traffic and give over-height vehicles time to heed the warning, and avoid the bridge," Dominguez said.
The department will be adding more signs as well as laser technology to warn large trucks about the bridge.
"We’re putting in the technology and the safety enhancement and features we think are going to better address this," Dominguez said. "There’s 15 in place now, we’re adding an additional two dozen. Some of this technology with laser-triggered lights, this is some new technology we’re launching in New York state.”
Dominguez also said the entrance ramp to the Parkway from northbound 81, that has been shut down for road work, will remain closed, eliminating one-way trucks access to the Parkway. The department’s Chief Engineer Nick Choubah said these moves are temporary and will be reassessed.
“Every measure will be monitored and analyzed, balancing the need for the traffic versus enhancing safety and minimizing the hits on the bridge," Choubah said.
There have been six bridge strikes this year alone, and the bridge was the site of a fatal bus crash over a decade ago. Dominguez said the state will also consider lowering the speed limit on the parkway, a major link between Liverpool and the City of Syracuse.
