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State transportation workers have wrapped up installing more than 3,600 new “Wrong-Way” and “Do Not Enter” signs at hundreds of parkway, expressway, and highway ramps in Nassau and Suffolk counties
The highly-reflective signs, along with hundreds more pavement markings and reflectors, are meant to prevent wrong-way drivers from going where they shouldn’t and stop trucks and other over-height vehicles from striking overpasses.
“Wrong-way drivers and over-height vehicles pose obvious safety hazards that can cause unspeakable tragedies and lead to unnecessary delays and hardships for motorists,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
“With these new signs and pavement markings, we are providing hard-to-ignore warnings that will help deter wrong-way drivers and over-height trucks to protect the safety of their fellow motorists.”
To prevent bridge strikes, new reflective advance warning signs have been installed at 282 locations on the Southern, Northern, Meadowbrook, Wantagh, Bethpage, Heckscher, Sagtikos, and Sunken Meadow State Parkways, as well as the Robert Moses Causeway.
The signs, approximately 75 percent larger than previous versions, warn approaching drivers of each bridge’s height, and feature reflectors on the signposts.
Crews also put in pavement markings warning of “Low Bridge Clearance” at 17 targeted parkway locations to boost awareness, Hochul’s office said.
The parkways on Long Island, with their low stone arch bridges, were first built nearly 100 years ago when passenger vehicles were the only ones on the road. Decades later, they’ve become major commuting routes connecting communities to New York City.
Trucks and other over-height vehicles often enter the parkways, unaware of the height restrictions, and collide with overpasses. The resulting crashes can leave damaged infrastructure and long traffic backups in their wake.
In addition to the new signage, 16 over height vehicle detectors are in place at known trouble spots, triggering a warning sign for drivers and notifying the Department of Transportation's regional traffic management center.
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