Directs the department of transportation and certain public authorities to study certain bridges spanning bodies of water connected to deep water ports in the…

Where it stands

Out of committee and scheduled for a vote by the full chamber.

Transportation · New York State Assembly

Also referred to Transportation · New York State Senate.

Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

Section 1 directs the New York State Department of Transportation, New York State Bridge Authority, the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, the New York State Thruway Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to conduct a study to determine the ability of certain bridges in the state to withstand an impact to the support structures of the bridges from large ships, including but not limited to: * cargo vessels; * oil tankers; and * passenger ships Upon conclusion of each study, the Commissioner and the Public Authori- ties shall prepare and issue a comprehensive report of their study find- ings and recommendations for improvements to each bridge. a) Age of the bridge; b) Amount of traffic traveling through the waters below the bridge; c) Current condition of the bridge; d) Any known or newly discovered chronic issue or problem with the bridge; e) Type, size, and construction of the support structures of the bridge; f) Type, size, and construction of any barriers surrounding the base of the support structures and the water channels occupied by the vessels; g) Width between the support structures of the bridge; h) Height of the bridge; i) Topography near the bridge, including sand bars, shallows, cliffs, etc..; j) The area a vessel may safely access during a maneuver to avoid the bridge in the event of a loss of power or propulsion or other emergency; and k) Any other matters the Commissioner deems necessary. Section 2 states that the report shall be submitted to the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, and Temporary President of the Senate no later than January 1, 2028. The Commissioner shall submit with this report such legislative proposals as deemed necessary . to implement the recommendations of the study. The report shall also be published on the website of the Department of Transportation no later than one month after it is completed. Section 3 allows the commissioner and public authorities to consult with any additional entities deemed necessary to conducting the studies required by this act. Section 4 sets forth the definitions for the purposes of this act: 1. "Bridge Authority" shall mean the New York State Bridge Authority created pursuant to section 527 of the Public Authorities Law; swift response of emergency operators and bridge authOrities in closing the bridge, many more people would have died. Tragically enough, six individuals working on the bridge died. If the collision had occurred during rush hour, rather than at 1:30 in the morning, much more traffic and many more people would have been on the bridge, resulting in a greater tragedy. 1-695 is one of three crossings through and around Baltimore heading north/south and to the east coast. The Key Bridge carried approximately, 12 million vehicles a year - about 33,000 vehicles per day. With its collapse, the inner loop of 1-695 is closed and drivers must take the 195 or 1895 tunnels for these routes. The Port of Baltimore is still not operational, costing approximately $15 million per day in lost economic activity, including $1.5 million each day in state and local taxes. Repairing the Key Bridge will cost an estimated $4 billion and take several years. In my district in the Hudson Valley, the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, which crosses the Hudson River and carries 1-84, goes east/west and connects the northeast to the rest of country. 1-84 is a major commercial and passenger route that connects with the New York State Thruway (1-87) less than 5 miles from the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. It averages more than 65,000 vehicles per day. The economic impact to the local, state and national economy would be huge. The George Washington Bridge carries more than 300,000 vehicles per day. The loss of life and damage to the economy of the greater New York City metropolitan area would be immea- surable if this bridge collapsed. The same can be said of all the bridg- es proposed for review in this bill. This bill would require New York State to be proactive by man

Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)

Recorded votes

• Vote: Committee vote · Transportation

  Senate TransportationMay 5, 2026Result: passed

  Voted yes (13)Voted no (0)Voted present (0)Absent (0)

  See member positions

Full history

1. May 5, 2026

   Reported out of committee

   REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE

   NY Senate

2. Mar 6, 2026

   Amend by Restoring to Original Print 9216

   AMEND BY RESTORING TO ORIGINAL PRINT 9216

   NY Senate

3. Feb 27, 2026

   Amend and Recommit to Ways and Means

   AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO WAYS AND MEANS

   NY Assembly

4. Feb 26, 2026

   Amend and Recommit to Transportation

   AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO TRANSPORTATION

   NY Senate

5. Feb 17, 2026

   Referred to committee

   REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION

   NY Senate

About this record

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Source

From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Nov 1, 2026. About our data

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• Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab) The official record on nysenate.gov.