Press Releases

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 21, 2025
Contact: (212) 839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov

NYC DOT Expands Crackdown on Overweight Trucks on The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway

Roadway Weight Sensors Has Resulted in a Dramatic 60 Percent Reduction in Overweight Vehicles on the Bqe in the Queens-Bound Direction, Warning Period To Begin Monday for Staten Island-Bound Traffic

Weigh-in-Motion Technology Allows the City To Issue Violations to Overweight Vehicles Using Weight Sensors and Enforcement Cameras

NEW YORK - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced the expansion of NYC DOT's highly successful effort to crack down on overweight vehicles on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE). After a successful first year of enforcement in the Queens-bound direction that led to a 60 percent reduction in overweight vehicles, enforcement will expand to Staten Island-bound traffic starting with a 90-day warning period that begins on Monday, March 24, 2025. The city will begin issuing $650 violations on Sunday, June 22, 2025.

"As we move the ball forward to revitalize the BQE, our Weigh in Motion technology has been integral to our ability to extend this critical commercial transportation artery's life," said Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeffrey Roth. "It is essential we not only expand it to encompass both northbound and southbound lanes but reauthorize its use in Albany by the end of the year."

"Trucks cause wear-and-tear on our roadways and we all pay the price through expensive repairs to our infrastructure," said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "That is why we are expanding our crackdown on overweight vehicles on the BQE by deploying roadway weight sensors for Staten Island-bound traffic."

Overweight trucks, especially those with severely overloaded axles, can cause serious wear and tear on aging infrastructure, hastening the need for expensive repairs and rehabilitation. When BQE Central - the city-owned portion of the highway in downtown Brooklyn - was first constructed in the 1940s, truck weight limits were approximately 11 percent lighter than current legal limits. Previous NYPD weight enforcement along the BQE had found that some out-of-compliance trucks were exceeding the 40-ton (80,000 lbs.) maximum weight limit by 100 percent or more.

Since New York City became the first city in the United States to use weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology to enforce weight limits, the system has proven an incredibly effective tool at deterring overweight trucks. As of November 2024, overweight vehicles detected on the roadway with the WIM system installed had decreased by 60 percent. 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.

Weigh-In-Motion Re-Authorization

New York State passed a law in 2021 to grant NYC DOT the limited authority to use WIM on BQE Central, from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street, in Downtown Brooklyn. The law, Chapter 773 of 2021, will sunset on December 1, 2025, unless the State Legislature acts this session.

Given the success of the technology, NYC DOT is seeking state approval to renew the program and receive broader legislative authority to allow WIM systems to be deployed elsewhere in New York City and State.

Expanding the system will help reinforce existing vehicle weight restrictions citywide and protect additional pieces of critical infrastructure. NYC DOT will work with New York State agency partners and the New York State Legislature to explore these opportunities.

"Our transportation infrastructure is the nervous system that keeps our city and our economy running, and we need to take care of it to ensure it serves New Yorkers safely for the long haul," said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. "I was proud to pass the first-of-its-kind bill to enable NYCDOT to use weigh-in-motion sensors to prevent overweight trucks from damaging the BQE, and I'm glad to see it working so effectively. This tech is helping us preserve the BQE as we work toward a long-term solution for the roadway's future, and it makes sense to use it on other vital infrastructure across the state. I'm grateful to Commissioner Rodriguez and NYCDOT for their hard work to make this program a success."

"I'm thrilled that our first-in-the-nation WIM program has successfully reduced the number of illegally overweight trucks - that means fewer large trucks causing significant damage to the BQE triple cantilever and to our health. The WIM program is not only extending the BQE's useful life but helps buy us time to re-imagine the BQE as a 21st-century corridor prioritizing climate justice while reducing carbon and the particulate matter that harms our lungs," said State Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon. "As WIM is implemented on the Staten Island-bound lanes, I am proud of the collaboration between the City and State to implement this system and grateful to the NYC DOT and the BQE expert panel for their work on this initiative."

"Weigh-in-Motion technology has successfully eliminated 60 percent of the overweight truck traffic on the Queens-bound BQE," said City Councilmember Lincoln Restler. "I am pleased WIM implementation is finally underway on the Staten Island-bound lanes. This technology will help extend the lifespan of the triple cantilever structure by getting illegal, overweight trucks off the roadway."