Everytime a vehicle strikes a NY bridge, you're paying for it

Originally published in WRGB Albany

It's a tale as old as time -- big rigs striking the rather low railroad bridge above Glenridge Road in Glenville.

There have been more than 100 strikes there in recent years -- and each one costs local taxpayers for police response and cleanup efforts.

Now a new push on a statewide level could help make a difference.

...

Now State Senator John Mannion from the Syracuse area is introducing legislation that would require NYS DOT to study bridge strike data and come up with solutions.

There's a railroad bridge in his area that is also a frequent target.

Mannion says “We’re an old state and that means we’ve got old infrastructure and that means we have low bridges. We have more low bridges than almost anywhere else in the country”.

In 2010, four people were killed when a bus hit the bridge over the Onondaga Lake Parkway in Mannion's district. This new bill right now is in the Senate Transportation Committee.