Roadside Inspection Station Opens on Long Island Expressway
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Truckers driving in New York on Interstate 495 along the Long Island Expressway will encounter a new commercial vehicle roadside inspection station in Suffolk County that opened in May.
“This new inspection station provides a new avenue for vehicle inspections to occur on one of Long Island’s busiest roads. It will serve as an important location to safeguard all those traveling on the Long Island Expressway,” said New York State Transportation Department Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez. “Keeping our state highways safe requires a multifaceted approach. We must ensure oversized vehicles are abiding by the law, and that the integrity of our infrastructure is kept intact.”
Each day, more than 21,000 trucks travel on the Long Island Expressway and account for 11% of all its daily traffic, according to NYSDOT. The new inspection station sits on the westbound side of the Long Island Expressway between Exits 53 and 51 in the town of Huntington.
“Through routine inspections at this repurposed parking area, motor carrier safety examiners and law enforcement will have a centrally located and safe site from which to ensure trucking vehicle laws are being followed and the safety of all motorists is protected,” state Sen. Monica Martinez (D) said.
Earlier today, @NYSDOT Commissioner @MarieThereseNY opened a new commercial carrier vehicle roadside inspection station on the Long Island Expressway in Suffolk County. Thanks to our partners at @SCPDHq & @nyspolice for the inspections that followed.https://t.co/QQMPv6YcwP pic.twitter.com/PdyUNcWWxm — NYSDOT Long Island (@nysdotli) May 16, 2024
State DOT and local law enforcement officials have begun inspecting commercial vehicles at the site. Truckers will see a flashing sign stating “Inspection Ahead” about 1.5 miles before the facility to alert them that they must stop at the station. The location was chosen because it is accessible to many major highways in the New York City metro area.
“In conjunction with its law enforcement partners, NYSDOT’s Motor Carrier Compliance Bureau will conduct routine inspections of trucks of all sizes. These checks include reviewing driver logs, entries for hours of service, driver qualifications, type of cargo, weight of the vehicle, and overall safety to ensure commercial carrier operators are driving in accordance with the law,” NYSDOT said.
The expressway is Long Island’s main trucking route, and provides a direct connection from Twin Forks on the East End to Midtown Manhattan. With the new facility, NYSDOT now has four locations along the expressway to conduct roadside inspections.
“By opening a new commercial vehicle inspection station, more leverage is provided to traffic safety personnel to take appropriate enforcement action when a violation is detected. The State Police will continue to work with our partners to ensure all roads in New York state are safe for every motorist,” commented Steven James, state police superintendent.
(TRIP)
I-495 is among the state’s top interstate freight routes. In 2022, New York’s freight system moved 743 million tons of freight (valued at $1.3 trillion) and came in fourth place after Illinois, California and Texas for moving most of the nation’s highest value freight, according to the nonprofit research group TRIP.
“This new facility provides a safe location for our officers to conduct commercial driver checks and inspections on commercial vehicles, a critical responsibility in ensuring dangerous vehicles are not sharing the roads with other motorists,” said Robert Waring, acting Suffolk County police commissioner. He also thanked NYSDOT “for ensuring this site came to fruition and we look forward to working with our state and county partners conducting inspection checks to support roadway safety.”
Last year, NYSDOT and 40 law enforcement agencies (including the police from the state as well as Suffolk and Nassau counties) conducted 119,000 roadside inspections across New York. Nearly 20% of these inspections were conducted in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, which together handle a considerable volume of truck traffic along the Long Island Expressway.
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