NY State Senate Bill 2025-S2101

Senate Bill S2101

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to maintaining bridges over the canal system in a manner to not impede commercial motor vehicles

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 15, 2025	referred to transportation

2025-S2101 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A6737
Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Canal Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §62, Can L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: S2658, A7242
2017-2018: S695, A7166
2019-2020: S125, A3222
2021-2022: S2702, A3894
2023-2024: S659, A5081

2025-S2101 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires that bridges over the canal system be maintained in a manner to not impede commercial motor vehicles.

2025-S2101 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S2101

SPONSOR: ORTT
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the canal law, in relation to maintaining bridges in a
manner to not impede commercial motor vehicles

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation would require the State to maintain canal lift bridges
in a manner not to impede commercial vehicle traffic as defined in
subdivision four-a of section two of the transportation law. Further-
more, this legislation requires at least on public hearing in a communi-
ty where the bridge to be closed is located.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends Section 62 of the canal law to require the State to
maintain canal lift bridges in a manner not to impede commercial traffic
as defined by subdivision four-a of section two of the transportation
law. a Further this section requires at least one public hearing in a

community where the bridge to be closed is located.

Section 2 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Canal lift bridges provide a critical transportation resource for both
residents and business in the affected community. Currently the State
often allows these bridges to deteriorate to such a point that they must
be closed, as the law allows them to not have to maintain a canal lift
bridge can open if in the State's discretion there is no alternate
crossing provided. This discretion is significant and has allowed for
many upstate canal lift bridges to deteriorate to such a point that they
cannot be used. This has affected residents and businesses with longer
daily commutes to work, school, and business which creates a negative
impact on their and their communities lives.  It is unconscionable to
think that infrastructure needs can be so ignored to allow this to
happen. This legislation would require these canal lift bridges to be
maintained.  If that bridge being closed would impede commerce, trans-
portation of students, or agriculture.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S.659/A.5081 of 2023/2024; Referred to Transportation

S. 2702 of 2021/2022; Referred to Transportation

S.125 of 2019/20 Referred to Transportation

S. 695 Passed Senate in 2017/2018 S.2658A; Passed Senate in 2015 and
2016

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S2101 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2101
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 15, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  ORTT  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the canal law, in relation to maintaining bridges  in  a
   manner to not impede commercial motor vehicles
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 62 of the canal law, as amended by chapter  335  of
 the laws of 2001, is amended to read as follows:
   §  62.  Maintenance by state of certain bridges over the canal system.
 All highway or pedestrian, lift or movable bridges over the canal system
 other than highway bridges connecting parts of a state  highway  hereto-
 fore  constructed  as  a  part  of  the barge canal improvement shall be
 reconstructed, improved, maintained and repaired at the expense  of  the
 state,  [if  in  the  opinion of the commissioner of transportation, the
 public convenience requires such  bridges  to  be  maintained  where  no
 alternate  crossing  has  been provided] IN A MANNER SO AS NOT TO IMPEDE
 COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION  FOUR-A  OF  SECTION
 TWO  OF THE TRANSPORTATION LAW.  In the event the commissioner of trans-
 portation determines that any such bridge is no longer required for  the
 convenience  of  the public, [he] SUCH COMMISSIONER shall have THE power
 to close, remove or relocate such bridge, PROVIDED AT LEAST  ONE  PUBLIC
 HEARING  SHALL  BE  CONDUCTED  IN THE COMMUNITY OR COMMUNITIES WHERE THE
 BRIDGE TO BE CLOSED OR REMOVED IS LOCATED.  The commissioner  of  trans-
 portation  shall  have  the  supervision  and  direction  of such recon-
 struction, improvement, maintenance, repair, closing, removing or  relo-
 cation.  All  bridges  over  the  canal system other than lift, movable,
 pedestrian or state highway bridges heretofore constructed  as  part  of
 the barge canal improvement shall be reconstructed, improved, maintained
 and  repaired  at  the  expense  of  the state under the supervision and
 direction of the  commissioner  of  transportation,  if,  in  [his]  THE
 COMMISSIONER'S  opinion,  the public convenience requires that each such
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01645-01-5

 S. 2101                             2
 
 bridge shall be continued as a bridge for highway traffic. In the  event
 the  commissioner  of transportation is requested by any municipality to
 reconstruct or improve any such bridge, [he] SUCH COMMISSIONER is hereby
 empowered to do so, provided, however, that prior to such reconstruction
 or  improvement  the  municipality  enters into a written agreement that
 such bridge thereafter shall become a part  of  the  highway  system  or
 systems  which  it may connect and the maintenance, repair, improvement,
 replacement or closing of any such  bridge  shall  be  governed  by  the
 provisions of the highway law, except that any such bridges situate in a
 city  shall be maintained, repaired, improved, replaced or closed in the
 same manner and subject to the provisions of any special law  which  may
 apply  or  to  the  same provisions of law as apply to other streets and
 bridges in such city or in  the  case  of  such  bridges  situate  in  a
 village,  such bridges shall be maintained, repaired, improved, replaced
 or closed in the same manner and subject to the same provisions  of  law
 as  apply  to other streets and bridges in such village. Any bridge over
 the New York state canal system or abandoned part  thereof  which  joins
 parts  of a state highway shall be under the jurisdiction of the commis-
 sioner of transportation and deemed to be  part  of  the  state  highway
 system  and  such bridges shall be constructed, reconstructed, improved,
 maintained, repaired, closed or relocated pursuant to the provisions  of
 the  highway  law  and  the  cost of such work shall be paid from moneys
 available for construction, reconstruction, improvement, maintenance  or
 repair of state highways.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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