Thousands fewer overweight trucks are driving on the crumbling triple-cantilever section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Brooklyn Heights, thanks to weight sensors that were activated last year to automatically ticket scofflaws, city officials announced on Tuesday.
Meera Joshi, New York City’s deputy mayor for operations, said the enforcement is extending the life of the structure, which has undergone multiple rounds of repairs since October and requires a longer-term overhaul.
“This transformational technology protects and prolongs the lifespan of our critical infrastructure, like the triple cantilever portion of the BQE, and improves safety for all road users,” Joshi said in a statement.
According to the city’s Department of Transportation, the number of trucks crossing the Queens-bound stretch of highway that exceeded the weight limit of 40 tons dropped 64% since the program launched. In the first seven months of enforcement, the agency recorded a monthly average of 2,769 overweight trucks, down from 7,777 in the seven previous months. The overall number of vehicles that drove on the section remained steady.
A graph showing the decrease in overweight truck traffic on the BQE's triple cantilever starting last fall
The overweight trucks are tracked by scales installed on the roadway, along with license plate readers that automatically issue tickets to trucks that exceed the weight limit. The DOT said it plans to launch enforcement on Staten Island-bound traffic on the triple cantilever by the end of the year, after a 90-day warning period.
City officials have said the program, which is based on what's called weigh-in-motion technology, is the first of its kind in the country, and that trucks exceeding the weight limit would be fined $650. The triple-cantilever structure is located between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street and partially lies under the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, who sponsored the bill that authorized the program, said the data shared by the DOT shows automated enforcement is effective.
“With smart policy and the right tools, we can protect our infrastructure, keep our roadways safe, and hold rulebreakers accountable,” he said in a statement.
The share of overweight trucks traversing the Queens-bound side of the BQE segment was less than 2% of all trucks in recent months, down from more than 6% before the program took effect, according to the city.
