Our nation’s and our state’s infrastructure is aging, and among the biggest threats to the long-term stability of our bridges and roadways is the wear and tear caused by overweight trucks.

Across the country, weigh stations currently enforce the United States’ standard 40-ton (or 80,000 pound) interstate highway weight limit, but such stations are located almost entirely between cities. In urban areas, catching overweight trucks can be a challenge, as police checkpoints for weight violations can be burdensome and worsen highway congestion.

New York City has not been exempt from such challenges. The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE), an essential corridor for commuters and much of the city’s commerce, has long suffered from the burden of vehicles exceeding weight limits — especially punishing for the triple-cantilever section of the roadway known as “BQE Central” in downtown Brooklyn.

However, thanks to the first-in-the-nation use of weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology to enforce weight limits, we last week announced encouraging results: overweight trucks on this critical stretch of I-278 have declined by 60%!

Our success is not just a win for the BQE, but........

© NY Daily News