Directs the New York state bridge authority to provide a report outlining their efforts and progress on decreasing and deterring suicide attempts on authority bridges

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4821

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                                  I N  A S S E M B L Y

                                    February 6, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  KAY, EACHUS -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Transportation

        AN ACT to amend the transportation law and the public  authorities  law,
          in  relation  to requiring the installation of climb deterrent fencing
          on certain bridges

          THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
        BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

     1    Section 1. Section 14 of the transportation law is amended by adding a
     2  new subdivision 16-a to read as follows:
     3    16-A.  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL ENSURE THAT CLIMB DETERRENT FENCING IS
     4  INSTALLED ON ALL BRIDGES UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE  NEW  YORK  STATE
     5  BRIDGE  AUTHORITY.  FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "CLIMB DETERRENT FENC-
     6  ING" SHALL MEAN FENCING DESIGNED FOR DETERRENCE OF CLIMBING AND PREVENT-
     7  ING GRIP AND FOOTHOLDS, EQUIPPED WITH CERTAIN FEATURES INCLUDING BUT NOT
     8  LIMITED TO WELDED WIRE MESH PANELS,  TIGHTLY  SPACED  WIRES,  AND  SPIKE
     9  COLLARS.
    10    § 2.  Section 530 of the public authorities law, as amended by chapter
    11  420 of the laws of 1968, is amended to read as follows:
    12    §  530.  Construction  contracts.  The  authority  shall construct the
    13  bridges pursuant to a  contract  or  contracts.    THE  AUTHORITY  SHALL
    14  CONSTRUCT THE BRIDGES PURSUANT TO A CONTRACT OR CONTRACTS. THE AUTHORITY
    15  SHALL   INSTALL  CLIMB  DETERRENT  FENCING  AS  DEFINED  IN  SUBDIVISION
    16  SIXTEEN-A OF SECTION FOURTEEN OF THE TRANSPORTATION LAW ON  ALL  BRIDGES
    17  UNDER  ITS  JURISDICTION.  Such  contracts shall be let under the super-
    18  vision of the commissioner and shall be subject to [his] THE approval OF
    19  SUCH COMMISSIONER.  Such contracts shall be let by the authority in  the
    20  manner,  so  far as practicable, provided in section thirty-eight of the
    21  highway law, but failure to comply with such section shall  not  invali-
    22  date  such  contracts. Requisitions for the payments to be made pursuant
    23  to such contracts shall be approved by the commissioner. The work  under

         EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06250-01-5
        A. 4821                             2

     1  such  contracts  shall be subject to the supervision and approval of the
     2  commissioner.
     3    § 3. This act shall take effect three years after it shall have become
     4  a  law  and  shall  apply  to construction contracts entered into on and
     5  after such effective date. Effective immediately, the  addition,  amend-
     6  ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
     7  tation  of  this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
     8  completed on or before such effective date.