Press Releases

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2025
Contact: (212) 839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov

NYC DOT to Expand Efforts to Protect Infrastructure From Overweight Vehicles Thanks to New State Authorization

The New York State Budget Expands NYC DOT’s Authority To Use First-in-Nation Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) Automated Enforcement To Crack Down on Overweight Vehicles

WIM Technology Has Resulted in a 60 Percent Decline in Overweight Vehicles on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway Over Its First Year of Use After It Was Authorized by the State

WIM Technology Will Be Permitted at 15 Locations Across New York State, Nine of Which Are Owned by NYC DOT

NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced that the agency will expand its efforts to protect transportation infrastructure from harmful wear and tear caused by overweight vehicles. The expansion is a result of new state authorization included in the New York State Fiscal Year 2026 budget. In 2021, the State of New York gave NYC DOT exclusive authority to use weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology to efficiently enforce penalties on the number of overweight vehicles on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE). This technology, which uses roadway weight sensors and enforcement cameras to issue violations to overweight vehicles, resulted in a 60 percent reduction in overweight vehicles on the BQE. This year’s state budget authorizes the use of WIM in an additional 14 locations in New York state, including nine city-owned bridges and highways managed by NYC DOT

“Weigh-in-motion technology has significantly reduced the number of overweight trucks on the BQE— now, with deep thanks to Governor Hochul, the New York State Legislature, and the hard work of advocates and NYCDOT, we can expand this effective tool across New York City,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeff Roth. “This will help us prioritize work and protect our infrastructure in the long term. That is government innovation at its best.”

“Overweight vehicles damage our transportation infrastructure, and we all pay the price through costly maintenance and repairs,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Thanks to Governor Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders, we will now have another highly-effective way to protect more of our infrastructure and make those who damage it with overweight vehicles pick up the tab for costly maintenance and repairs.”

The budget authorizes the use of WIM to protect the following 15 locations:

NYC DOT-Owned:

  1. BQE Route I-278 in Kings County (Atlantic to Sands)
  2. Greenpoint avenue bridge over Newtown Creek
  3. Metropolitan Avenue Bridge over Newtown Creek
  4. Hamilton Avenue Bridge over the Gowanus Canal
  5. Williamsburg Bridge
  6. Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge (State Route 25)
  7. Third Avenue Bridge over the Harlem River
  8. Manhattan Bridge
  9. Long Island Expressway (Interstate Route 495) over Woodhaven Boulevard

Non-NYC DOT-Owned in NYC:

  1. RFK Bridge
  2. George Washington Bridge

NYS-Owned outside NYC:

  1. Bear Mountain Bridge
  2. Newburgh Beacon Bridge
  3. Mid-Hudson Bridge
  4. NYS Thruway Interchange 34-A near Syracuse

The adopted budget authorizes the technology to be used for five years, and the agreement also renews the automated enforcement program on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) for the city-owned section between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street. NYC DOT was previously authorized to use WIM on this stretch of roadway by legislation sponsored by New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes and New York State Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon.

WIM is Effective on the BQE

Since NYC DOT began WIM enforcement in 2023, the system has proven to be an incredibly effective tool at deterring overweight trucks from using the BQE in downtown Brooklyn. As of November 2024, overweight vehicles detected on the aging piece of infrastructure had decreased by 60 percent, as noted in NYC DOT’s 2024 WIM Report.

The WIM system technology utilizes roadway sensors to weigh passing vehicles in conjunction with adjacent cameras to capture the identifying information of vehicles that are overweight. Using this technology, those that violate the state maximum weight limit for their truck’s weight/vehicle class are issued a $650 violation. For example, WIM legislation grants a 10 percent gross weight overage -- so a truck whose maximum gross vehicle weight is 40 tons is allowed to weigh 44 tons before a violation is issued. Prior to the use of this technology, NYC DOT found an average of 7,920 overweight vehicles driving in the Queens-bound direction on the city-owned portion of the BQE each month. During the first year of the use of WIM technology, this figure dropped to 3,041 vehicles on average.

WIM Across the Country

While WIM technology has been used across the country to screen and monitor for overweight vehicles, New York State became the first state to authorize direct enforcement when it was permitted for use on the BQE. With the expansion of the program to other critical infrastructure in New York City and beyond, and as other transportation partners around the country pursue this highly effective method to protect transportation infrastructure, the need for national standards becomes more urgent. NYC DOT continues to advocate for the national standards to be included in future iterations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Handbook so additional city and state governments can effectively implement this important and innovative tool. Proposed updates to address this need has the potential to be adopted via vote at the National Council on Weights and Measures’s annual conference this July.

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