Thruway Authority Launches Comprehensive Safety Action Plan To Advance Safety For All Who Travel The 570-Mile Highway

New planning effort supported by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program, now underway

now underway Grant Advances Thruway Authority’s Commitment to Being Recognized as One of the Safest and Reliable Superhighways in the Nation

Detailed Information on the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan Available at thruwaysafety.org

The New York State Thruway Authority today announced the launch of its Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP), a system wide initiative to improve roadway and employee safety, strengthen emergency response and reduce serious injuries and fatalities across the 570-mile Thruway system. Supported by federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program, the initiative will produce a first-of-its-kind state wide safety action plan covering all four of the Thruway Maintenance Divisions. This work builds on Executive Director Hoare’s ongoing commitment to safety and operational excellence across the system.

The Comprehensive Safety Action Plan will employ a data driven, Safe System Approach to examine crash patterns, identify high-risk locations, evaluate safety protocols and design practices, and recommend strategies that protect travelers, employees, commercial drivers and emergency responders alike. The Safe System Approach builds multiple layers of protection through safer roads, people, vehicles, speeds and post-crash care to account for human error, reduce the severity of crashes and ultimately eliminate roadway deaths and serious injuries.

“The New York State Thruway has long been recognized as one of the safest major highway systems in the nation and maintaining that standard requires proactive planning and continuous innovation,” Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare, Esq. said. “There’s nothing more important than the safety of our employees and first responders, as well as the hundreds of millions of motorists that use the Thruway system each year. With the launch of the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, we’re reinforcing our commitment to a safe, more resilient transportation corridor. We want to engage travelers, communities and transportation partners because safety is a shared responsibility.”

About the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan

The Comprehensive Safety Action Plan will address a broad range of safety concerns, including:

• Crash and trend analysis across the full Thruway corridor, identifying incident prone segments and contributing factors
• Roadway and employee safety in work zones and maintenance areas
• Emergency response coordination and communication systems, ensuring swift, effective response when incidents occur
• Risk factors and contextual conditions that contribute to severe crashes (e.g., weather, visibility, roadway design)
• Safety messaging, warnings and advanced technology solutions (e.g., variable message signs (VMS), speed management)
• Review and improvement of policies and design practices that influence roadway safety

The Comprehensive Safety Action Plan will also provide targeted strategies tailored to the needs of each Thruway Maintenance division and region, to be developed in collaboration with Thruway Authority staff, law enforcement, emergency responders, freight and commercial operators and community stakeholders. Through the development of the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, the Thruway Authority will also identify opportunities for additional federal and state safety funding to support future improvements.

Public and Stakeholder Engagement – How to Get Involved

The Thruway Authority invites the driving public and stakeholders to contribute feedback and help shape the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. Engagement will include:

• An interactive map and comment tool on the project website, where travelers and residents can flag safety concerns or near miss locations
• Pop up outreach events at Thruway Service Areas, Welcome Centers and park and ride lots across all divisions
• Targeted stakeholder outreach, including local governments, law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, trucking and freight organizations, community groups and commercial businesses
• Regional Safety Summits that will bring together safety partners to review data, discuss concerns and prioritize strategies

Everyone who travels, works or depends on the Thruway system, including motorists, commercial drivers, Service Area users, residents near the Thruway corridor and community organizations, is encouraged to participate.

Learn More

Detailed information on the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, including opportunities for comment or involvement, background resources, outreach calendar and project updates, is now available at the project website:thruwaysafety.org.

The public can also subscribe to receive periodic updates about upcoming events, plan milestones and opportunities to provide input.

About the Thruway System

For more than 71 years, the Thruway System has been essential for commerce and travel in the Northeast. About one-third of all vehicles using the Thruway are from out of state. This 570-mile superhighway, with 819 bridges, 118 interchanges and 27 Service Areas connects New York's principal cities, rural areas and tourist destinations.

Year after year, the Thruway system is recognized as one of the safest highways in the nation. In 2024, the Thruway-wide fatality rate was 0.22 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, one of the lowest recorded rates on the Thruway system since fatality rates have been documented in 1954. The figure is significantly lower than the projected nationwide traffic fatality rate for 2024 of 1.30 and the latest New York State traffic fatality rate from 2023 of 0.93.

Built in the early 1950s, the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway is one of the oldest components of the National Interstate Highway System and one of the longest toll roads in the nation. It sets the standard for modern highway geometric design with safe roadway characteristics including smooth curves, wide medians and unobstructed driver sight distance.

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