The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) announced plans to combat infrastructure damage caused by overweight trucks by increasing the use of weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology.
Officials announced on May 9, 2025, that the state’s 2026 budget includes authorization to expand the use of WIM technology to an additional 14 locations in New York State (NYS), including nine city-owned bridges and highways managed by NYC DOT.
WIM technology has been in use on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) since 2023, where it has resulted in a 60% reduction in overweight vehicles, according to NYC DOT.
“The WIM system technology utilizes roadway sensors to weigh passing vehicles in conjunction with adjacent cameras to capture the identifying information of vehicles that are overweight. Using this technology, those that violate the state maximum weight limit for their truck’s weight/vehicle class are issued a $650 violation. For example, WIM legislation grants a 10 percent gross weight overage — so a truck whose maximum gross vehicle weight is 40 tons is allowed to weigh 44 tons before a violation is issued. Prior to the use of this technology, NYC DOT found an average of 7,920 overweight vehicles driving in the Queens-bound direction on the city-owned portion of the BQE each month. During the first year of the use of WIM technology, this figure dropped to 3,041 vehicles on average,” NYC DOT stated.
See below for the locations approved for WIM technology usage.
NYC DOT-Owned:
- BQE Route I-278 in Kings County (Atlantic to Sands)
- Greenpoint avenue bridge over Newtown Creek
- Metropolitan Avenue Bridge over Newtown Creek
- Hamilton Avenue Bridge over the Gowanus Canal
- Williamsburg Bridge
- Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge (State Route 25)
- Third Avenue Bridge over the Harlem River
- Manhattan Bridge
- Long Island Expressway (Interstate Route 495) over Woodhaven Boulevard
Non-NYC DOT-Owned in NYC:
- RFK Bridge
- George Washington Bridge
NYS-Owned outside NYC:
- NYS Thruway Interchange 34-A near Syracuse
- Bear Mountain Bridge
- Newburgh Beacon Bridge
- Mid-Hudson Bridge
“Weigh-in-motion technology has significantly reduced the number of overweight trucks on the BQE— now, with deep thanks to Governor Hochul, the New York State Legislature, and the hard work of advocates and NYCDOT, we can expand this effective tool across New York City,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeff Roth. “This will help us prioritize work and protect our infrastructure in the long term. That is government innovation at its best.”
“Overweight vehicles damage our transportation infrastructure, and we all pay the price through costly maintenance and repairs,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Thanks to Governor Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders, we will now have another highly-effective way to protect more of our infrastructure and make those who damage it with overweight vehicles pick up the tab for costly maintenance and repairs.”
