GLENVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Glenville Bridge is notorious for truck accidents. Drivers miss the signs and hit the structure over …and over…and over again.

Now the town is getting the green light from the DOT to roll out a new plan starting on March 13th to prevent more accidents.

Chris Koetzle, Town Supervisor for The Town of Glenville, says he is looking forward to it but is cautiously optimistic.

“We think it’s going to help mitigate hits,” he said. “Not totally eliminate, but it will mitigate hits.”

The turnaround was put in place last year, and the whole project is a part of the Capital District Transportation Committee’s $1.8 million plan for the bridge.

According to government officials, the turnarounds reduced the number of accidents. The bridge was hit 22 times in 2021, and after the turnarounds were created, the amount dropped to 12 hits in 2022.

Now there will be a new laser detection system around the bridge, with flashing lights when a truck hits the laser beam.

“It will also have a variable messaging board that will tell them to stop,” Koetzle said. “And lastly, there will be cameras that’ll have an immediate reaction when something is hit..or when the bridge is hit.”

The DOT will monitor the detections and hope to see a significant reduction in accidents. But when there is a crash, police are alerted. Koetzle says they will get “a quick indication from DOT if the bridge was struck.”

Officials say that the project will last until the end of August, and they want to advise all drivers to be careful and be prepared for one-lane traffic throughout the summer.