Lawmaker: New Signs Needed to Keep Trucks Off The Hutch

A state Assembly member today is calling for new signs to be installed on roads leading to the Hutchinson River Parkway in an effort to halt the flow of trucks that are getting onto the parkway illegally and hitting its low bridges.

says an incident on Friday, when a truck hit the King Street overpass in Port Chester on the Hutchinson River Parkway, was the 23rd time this year such an incident has happened on the parkway.

Latimer wants three to six oversized signs on key approach locations where trucks most frequently enter the Hutchinson River Parkway:

* Southbound on I-684 between Exit 2 (Westchester County Airport) and Exit 1 (Hutchinson River Parkway)

* Eastbound on I-287 between Exit 10 (Bowman Avenue) and Exit 9 (Westchester Avenue)

* Westbound on I-287 between Exit 8 (I-684) and Exit 9 (Hutchinson Pkwy/Merritt Pkwy)

From 2009 to 2011, Latimer said, there has been an annual average of more than 63 of these types crashes on area parkways.  

Latimer contends current signage is inadequate to attract the attention of a driver unfamiliar with the region.

Latimer said he also wants the state Department of Transportation to work with GPS service providers to adjust their programs to differentiate the limited access highway projection of the Hutch so that drivers using GPS for navigation will be alerted to the nature of the roadway - that it is unsuitable for truck traffic.

"I believe that NYSDOT takes this issue seriously, and will give proper consideration to this proposal," Latimer said. "There are certainly other strategies to consider as well. The only unacceptable outcome is to do nothing."