Weight sensor program on BQE reduced overweight trucks by 64%

System will extend lifespan of aging Triple Cantilever

July 30, 2024 Mary Frost

DOT’s new weigh-in-motion (WIM) system has led to a 64% reduction in overweight trucks along the Triple Cantilever of the BQE, the agency said on July 30. Photo: Mary Frost, Brooklyn Eagle

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BROOKLYN HEIGHTS – The results are in: The nation’s first automated detection and enforcement program against overweight trucks, known as weigh-in-motion (WIM), has led to a 64% reduction in overweight vehicles along the Triple Cantilever of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced on Tuesday.

The system targets trucks exceeding the 40-ton weight limit while traveling along the city-owned “Brooklyn Central” portion of the BQE, which runs from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street.

Rodriguez said the WIM program would reduce wear and tear and extend the life of this aging segment of the highway, which underpins the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.

Enforcement utilizes weight sensors paired with cameras, much like the city’s automated school speed zone and red-light camera programs. Conventional enforcement of weight limits, which requires pulling a truck out of the traffic lane to be weighed, is virtually impossible on BQE’s narrow, crowded roadway.

The weight sensors are currently in operation in just the Queens-bound direction. The city plans to launch WIM enforcement for Staten Island-bound traffic by the end of 2024.

DOT’s weigh-in-motion (WIM) system targets trucks exceeding the 40-ton weight limit on the Triple Cantilever portion of the BQE. Photo: Mary Frost, Brooklyn Eagle

Overweight trucks have caused significant damage to highway

Massively overweight trucks have been rocking the Triple Cantilever for decades, accelerating structural damage in the highway built in the 1940s by Robert Moses, and causing nearby homes to shake and crack.

An expert panel convened in 2021 by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio found that illegally overweight trucks were contributing significantly to the structure’s deterioration, and recommended the city consider the WIM technology, among other recommendations.

According to DOT, during the first seven months of WIM enforcement (which followed a 90-day grace period), an average of 2,769 overweight trucks a month drove on the Triple Cantilever. Prior to WIM, an average of 7,777 overweight trucks crossed that section of the BQE per month. The decline came even as the overall number of vehicles, including trucks, remained steady.

This means the share of overweight trucks has fallen from about 6.3% of all trucks on the roadway to 1.9% in most recent months, DOT said.

“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,” Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi said in a release. “We’re grateful to our legislative partners who enabled this impactful program and look forward to expanding its use in New York City and for Weigh-in-Motion becoming the model for the nation.”

Illegally overweight trucks have been contributing significantly to the deterioration of the BQE’s Triple Cantilever, shown here. Photo: Mary Frost, Brooklyn Eagle

Officials worked on WIM legislation for years

The WIM program was authorized by the enactment of a bill sponsored by state Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on July 28, 2023. Councilmember Lincoln Restler also led the passage of a home rule message from the New York City Council in support of the state legislation.

But final authorization wasn’t a walk in the park.

The legislation was originally secured in 2021 by Simon and then-state Sen. Brian Kavanagh. But the implementation hit numerous snags. In January 2023, DOT told officials and a coalition working to resolve the BQE issue that implementation would be significantly delayed, mainly due to differing calibration standards between the city, state and federal government. It took six more months to work out the remaining kinks.

DOT data shows a 64% reduction in overweight trucks since DOT’s new weigh-in-motion (WIM) system went into effect on ‘BQE Central.’ Chart: NYC DOT

Plaudits — and a push from officials for comprehensive reimagining of BQE

Officials praised the successful results, while continuing to push for a total reimagining of the entire BQE, including sections north and south of BQE Central.

“I’m pleased to see that WIM enforcement is working to prevent costly damage to Brooklyn’s infrastructure,” Borough President Antonio Reynoso said in a statement. “While we need to ensure that overweight trucks do not cause additional damage, it remains critical that we reimagine the BQE from top to bottom. I thank the NYC DOT for the success of their WIM enforcement and look forward to continued collaboration with government partners and community members to reimagine the BQE.”

“This massive reduction in overweight trucks on the BQE makes clear: automated enforcement works,” Gounardes said. “With smart policy and the right tools, we can protect our infrastructure, keep our roadways safe, and hold rule-breakers accountable.”

“I’m thrilled that our first-in-the-nation WIM program is successfully getting rid of illegally overweight trucks that have caused significant damage to the BQE triple cantilever and to our environment,” Simon said. She praised what she called the “effective collaboration between the city and state” to enact the law and implement the program.

“The WIM program will help extend the useful life of the BQE and give us time to reimagine the BQE as a 21st-century transportation corridor that reduces our reliance on polluting trucks and prioritizes climate justice,” Simon added.

“Weigh-in-Motion technology has successfully eliminated two out of three overweight trucks that had been illegally driving on the Queens-bound portion of the Triple Cantilever of the BQE,” Restler said. “We hope to see a similar reduction on the Staten Island side when it is finally implemented to help extend the lifespan of the triple cantilever structure,” Restler said.

All of the officials, along with more than a dozen community groups, are members of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Environmental Justice Coalition, whose members are demanding a comprehensive, corridor-wide transformation of the BQE with the participation of the state and federal government, and a halt to ongoing plans to rebuild the cantilever section.