Requires the New York state bridge authority, the Thousand Islands bridge authority, the Nassau county bridge authority, the Ogdensburg bridge authority, and the New York state thruway authority to develop a feasibility study to promote bicycle and pedestrian access on bridges and provide a report to the governor, temporary president of the senate, speaker of the assembly, and the public a copy of such plan.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5178--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 19, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. COMRIE, FAHY -- read twice and ordered printed, and
when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation --
recommitted to the Committee on Transportation in accordance with
Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to requiring
certain public authorities to develop a feasibility study to promote
bicyclist and pedestrian access on bridges statewide and to consider
the impact of capital projects on bicyclist and pedestrian access
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new
2 section 543 to read as follows:
3 § 543. Pedestrian bridge access feasibility study. 1. The authority
4 shall develop a pedestrian bridge access feasibility study to analyze
5 ways to improve bicycle and pedestrian access on roadway bridges under
6 its jurisdiction. Such study shall include but not be limited to:
7 (a) identification of bridges within the authority's jurisdiction that
8 are suitable for safe bicycle and pedestrian access;
9 (b) potential capital projects that would allow for and/or expand
10 bicycle and pedestrian access on bridges; and
11 (c) a review of the authority's capital program plans in effect on and
12 after January first, two thousand twenty-seven, to determine the impact
13 of such projects on bicycle and pedestrian access and propose amendments
14 and modifications to such capital program plans that would allow for
15 and/or expand bicycle and pedestrian access on bridges.
16 2. Within one year of the effective date of this section, the authori-
17 ty shall submit a written report to the governor, the temporary presi-
18 dent of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly, detailing the
19 pedestrian bridge access feasibility study conducted pursuant to this
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06127-03-6
S. 5178--A 2
1 section. Such report shall be made available to the public on the
2 authority's website.
3 § 2. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new section 593
4 to read as follows:
5 § 593. Pedestrian bridge feasibility study. 1. The authority shall
6 develop a pedestrian bridge access feasibility study to analyze ways to
7 improve bicycle and pedestrian access on roadway bridges under its
8 jurisdiction. Such study shall include but not be limited to:
9 (a) identification of bridges within the authority's jurisdiction that
10 are suitable for safe bicycle and pedestrian access;
11 (b) potential capital projects that would allow for and/or expand
12 bicycle and pedestrian access on bridges; and
13 (c) a review of the authority's capital program plans in effect on and
14 after January first, two thousand twenty-seven, to determine the impact
15 of such projects on bicycle and pedestrian access and propose amendments
16 and modifications to such capital program plans that would allow for
17 and/or expand bicycle and pedestrian access on bridges.
18 2. Within one year of the effective date of this section, the authori-
19 ty shall submit a written report to the governor, the temporary presi-
20 dent of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly, detailing the
21 pedestrian bridge access feasibility study conducted pursuant to this
22 section. Such report shall be made available to the public on the
23 authority's website.
24 § 3. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new section 669
25 to read as follows:
26 § 669. Pedestrian bridge access feasibility study. 1. The authority
27 shall develop a pedestrian bridge access feasibility study to analyze
28 ways to improve bicycle and pedestrian access on roadway bridges under
29 its jurisdiction. Such study shall include but not be limited to:
30 (a) identification of bridges within the authority's jurisdiction that
31 are suitable for safe bicycle and pedestrian access;
32 (b) potential capital projects that would allow for and/or expand
33 bicycle and pedestrian access on bridges; and
34 (c) a review of the authority's capital program plans in effect on and
35 after January first, two thousand twenty-seven, to determine the impact
36 of such projects on bicycle and pedestrian access and propose amendments
37 and modifications to such capital program plans that would allow for
38 and/or expand bicycle and pedestrian access on bridges.
39 2. Within one year of the effective date of this section, the authori-
40 ty shall submit a written report to the governor, the temporary presi-
41 dent of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly, detailing the
42 pedestrian bridge access feasibility study conducted pursuant to this
43 section. Such report shall be made available to the public on the
44 authority's website.
45 § 4. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new section 718
46 to read as follows:
47 § 718. Pedestrian bridge feasibility study. 1. The authority shall
48 develop a pedestrian bridge access feasibility study to improve bicycle
49 and pedestrian access on roadway bridges under its jurisdiction. Such
50 plan shall include but not be limited to:
51 (a) identification of bridges within the authority's jurisdiction that
52 are suitable for safe bicycle and pedestrian access;
53 (b) potential capital projects that would allow for and/or expand
54 bicycle and pedestrian access on bridges; and
55 (c) a review of the authority's capital program plans in effect on and
56 after January first, two thousand twenty-seven, to determine the impact
S. 5178--A 3
1 of such projects on bicycle and pedestrian access and propose amendments
2 and modifications to such capital program plans that would allow for
3 and/or expand bicycle and pedestrian access on bridges.
4 2. Within one year of the effective date of this section, the authori-
5 ty shall submit a written report to the governor, the temporary presi-
6 dent of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly, detailing the
7 pedestrian bridge access feasibility study conducted pursuant to this
8 section. Such report shall be made available to the public on the
9 authority's website.
10 § 5. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new section 390
11 to read as follows:
12 § 390. Pedestrian bridge access feasibility study. 1. The authority
13 shall develop a pedestrian bridge access feasibility study to improve
14 bicycle and pedestrian access on roadway bridges under its jurisdiction.
15 Such plan shall include but not be limited to:
16 (a) identification of bridges within the authority's jurisdiction that
17 are suitable for safe bicycle and pedestrian access;
18 (b) potential capital projects that would allow for and/or expand
19 bicycle and pedestrian access on bridges; and
20 (c) a review of the authority's capital program plans in effect on and
21 after January first, two thousand twenty-seven, to determine the impact
22 of such projects on bicycle and pedestrian access and propose amendments
23 and modifications to such capital program plans that would allow for
24 and/or expand bicycle and pedestrian access on bridges.
25 2. Within one year of the effective date of this section, the authori-
26 ty shall submit a written report to the governor, the temporary presi-
27 dent of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly, detailing the
28 pedestrian bridge access feasibility study conducted pursuant to this
29 section. Such report shall be made available to the public on the
30 authority's website.
31 § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.
