Summer is coming up in a few weeks and the fines that have been levied for speeding in construction zones over the past years in other parts of the state could soon be expanding to include cameras on the seven bridges and tunnels operated by the MTA.
For Manhattanites, it will include four crossings: the Robert F. Kennedy-Triborough Bridge, the Henry Hudson Bridge, the Hugh L. Carey (Battery) Tunnel, and the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. It will also include the Throgs Neck, Verrazzano-Narrows, and Whitestone bridges.
Adding the MTA bridges and tunnels is an expansion to an existing speed-camera program that will fine drivers $50 for their first violation, $75 for their second violation within 18 months, and $100 for additional violations within 18 months.
“Expanding this successful program to MTA bridges and tunnels is one more way the Governor is working to improve safety on our roads and bridges for workers and travelers alike,” said a spokesperson for Governor Kathy Hochul. The expanded enforcement provision was included in the recently passed NYS budget.
However, according to the bill, cameras can be set up only after a public hearing and a vote by the MTA’s board.
The work-zone cameras also include the New York State Thruway and Trans-Hudson crossings north of the Tappan Zee, giving drivers one more reason to go easy on the accelerator when making a weekend getaway from the city this summer.
Not to miss out on extra revenue, these Upstate bridges also fall into the mix with cameras on the Bear Mountain, Newburgh-Beacon, Mid-Hudson, Kingston-Rhinecliff, and Rip Van Winkle bridges.
Back in September 2021, the first Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program was signed into law by Governor Hochul and was supposed to last from 2021 until 2026 as part of an effort to slow motorists in work zones to make highways safer. The sunset for the program was supposed to be next year.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan noted, “We want to make sure that our maintenance workers and contractors are safe, and this is another tool to accomplish that, for which we are grateful to the governor and the legislature” for an approval of the new bill.
New York State Building and Construction Trades Council President Gary LaBarbera said, “Every hard-working New Yorker, including our brave tradesmen and tradeswomen working on our roadways, deserve to return home safely to their families at the end of each shift.”
But money raised from fines will not be going into the capital- improvement fund that is expected to benefit from $500 million to $600 million a year from the midtown Manhattan congestion pricing tolls. A majority of the funds collected under the construction-zone camera program are reinvested in the work-zone safety programs, including safety training and public-awareness advertising, an MTA spokesperson said.
“Expanding this successful program to MTA bridges and tunnels is one more way the Governor is working to improve safety on our roads and bridges for workers and travelers alike.” — Spokesperson for Governor Kathy Hochul