DOT PROMISES MORE HIGH VISIBILITY NO TRUCKS SIGNS ON THE HUTCH AT KING STREET. | WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,374,995 VISITS IN ONE YEAR---65,000 VISITS A WEEK BY 985,281 VISITORS

WPCNR TRAFFICA. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. (Edited) August 1, 2018:

The State has installed temporary signs that boldly tell drivers “TRUCKS MUST EXIT NOW” at both approaches to the King Street Avenue Bridge on the Hutchinson River Parkway.

The State has also informed the County that permanent highly visible signs are in the works.

The New York State Department of Transportation, responding to County Executive George Latimer’s meeting with towns and trucking organizations July 13, under the leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo, has fulfilled its promise to Westchester County Executive George Latimer to install more dramatic and eye catching signs to warn truck drivers about the low bridges on the Hutchinson River Parkway.

Latimer said: “I’m pleased by this development, but we still have a lot of work to do. We also have to see if these new highly visible signs help the problem.”

After the July 13 meeting, Latimer said there isn’t going to be one solution, but rather many. Among them:

1. Trucking Association of New York will work with County Executive’s Office to establish an education program for users of all parkways that would explain the County’s Parkway System

2- Outreach to mapping companies, like Google Maps and Waze, to update their software to add in warnings for trucks and other commercial vehicles

3- Westchester County Police to gather a breakdown of the statistics on the bridge strikes and the NYSDOT to also share the data they have collected.

4- Evaluate the location where the height barrier (“head banger”) system could be tested

5- Review of bridge strikes on the Bronx River Parkway

6- NYSDOT to alert local police in real time, along with County Police, of trucks entering parkway

The New York State Bridge Strike Task Force is set to meet August 22 at the Hudson Valley Traffic Management Center. That group includes the MTA; Port Authority, New York State Police, New York City representatives as well as representatives from Long Island.