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‘Jason’s Law’ sponsor: NY rest area closures is a ‘step backwards’

As the New York State Department of Transportation struggles with mounting budget problems, the agency recently announced plans to temporarily close six rest areas to save money.

Their plan is to close two rest areas on Nov. 1, and another four on Dec. 1, in an effort to save $500,000 this fiscal year and $1 million annually in subsequent years, according to the NYSDOT.

Two of the rest areas, scheduled for closure in December, are in the district of state Sen. James L. Seward, R-Oneonta. Seward told Land Line that closing the rest areas would be a “big step backwards” in the fight for more safe parking options for truckers.

“We should be expanding safe parking options for truckers, not decreasing those options, which these closures would in fact do,” he said. “We are doing what we can at the state level to reverse this. We are lobbying the (state) DOT not to move forward with this.”

Seward said he became involved in this issue after meeting with the family of slain truck driver Jason Rivenburg, who was from his district. Rivenburg was murdered when he was forced to park at an unlit gas station after he arrived too early to deliver his load. His killer has been sentenced to life in South Carolina.

Seward has introduced “Jason’s Law” legislation at the state-level. He said it would provide a mechanism for using any federal funding they might receive if the federal “Jason’s Law” legislation was passed.

“I have been working to coalesce New York State legislators behind the federal legislation,” he said. “We are actively supporting the enactment of Jason’s Law (at the federal level) that would provide $20 million per year over six years.”

He said he recognizes the importance of safe truck parking options for truckers and hasn’t given up hope that the state DOT might change their mind and find other ways to cut costs.

“We are pushing this quite hard because there are costs associated with these closures, they might not be saving much,” Seward said. “Obviously, we are going to keep pressing the issue.”

The two locations slated for closure on Monday, Nov. 1:

    * Brewerton/Hastings on I-81 southbound between exits 31 and 32 in Oswego County, just north of Syracuse in Onondaga County. Restroom facilities will be closed; however, the DOT will still conduct inspections at the site.

    * Schodack on I-90 westbound between exits 11 and 12 in Schodack in Rensselaer County, near Albany. Again the location will be used by the DOT for commercial vehicle inspections.

Four more rest stops will be closed by Wednesday, Dec. 1:

Lewis on I-87 (the Adirondack Northway) southbound in Essex County between exits 31 and 32; Schroon Lake northbound on I-87 between exits 27 and 28 near the village of Schroon Lake, Essex County; Worcester on I-88 eastbound between exits 18 and 18 near the city of Oneonta, Otsego County. Site will continued to be used by the DOT for commercial vehicle inspections; And Wells Bridge on I-88 westbound between exits 11 and 12 in Delaware County, near the city of Oneonta, Otsego County. The site will continue to be used by the DOT for commercial vehicle inspections.
“If we are going to mandate these rest periods and limit the number of driving hours, then it’s incumbent upon both the federal and the state governments to provide safe parking areas for these rest periods so we don’t have more tragedies like what happened to Jason Rivenburg,” Seward said.

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