Senator Mannion and Assemblymember Magnarelli Introduce Legislation to Study and Identify Solutions to Eliminate Low Bridge Strikes on the Onondaga Lake Parkway

SYRACUSE, NY – Senator John W. Mannion and Assemblymember William Magnarelli today announced legislation (S6644) requiring the State Department of Transportation to conduct a study to compile bridge strike data and identify solutions and associated costs to eliminate the ongoing vehicle strikes on the CSX bridge over the Onondaga Lake Parkway.

Senator John W. Mannion said, “While Salina and the CSX bridge are new to my district this year, as a lifelong Central New Yorker the ongoing frustration of repeated vehicle strikes is not. From raising the bridge to lowering the road to adding a turnaround and even more signage and signals - there’s an abundance of ideas on the table, but zero action. This bill will give us the information and input from experts that we need to make informed decisions and take tangible steps to prevent further strikes on this bridge and all low bridges in the state.”

Assemblyman William Magnarelli, Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, said, “In light of the continuing issues with the Onondaga Parkway CSX bridge, collisions with bridges and elevated structures need to be studied to gather a better sense of effective preventative measures. The most effective measures will reduce, if not eliminate, the frequency of crashes, as well as possibly save someone’s life.”

The primary issue is that many bridges and elevated structures in the state have low height restrictions that are unknown to operators or owners of large vehicles until they are in their immediate sight, which causes strikes to occur. This problem is not unique to the greater Syracuse area. Other bridges in the state have caused similar problems for truck drivers and motorists.

Senator Mannion has also introduced legislation (S6683) requiring DOT to provide relevant low bridge information to haulers and delivery companies to raise awareness of low bridge locations so drivers can avoid these routes. 

In 2010, four people were killed when a bus hit the bridge, just one of hundreds of incidents dating to at least the 1950’s. Vehicle collisions with the low bridge, which crosses over State Route 370, known as the Onondaga Lake Parkway, has caused untold hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, stranded motorists for long hours, and drained precious emergency response resources. 

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