STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A proposal from the New York City Department of Transportation could expand the presence of commercial trucks on Staten Island’s roads.

In total, 14 miles of new truck routes were proposed for the Island, with a majority being added on one road alone.

Staten Island also represented the only borough in the city that did not have at least some truck route mileage removed under the proposed plan.

Here are four takeaways that Staten Islanders should know about the proposed truck network changes.

New roads added to truck network

Most of the truck route miles added on Staten Island would be on the Korean War Veterans Parkway. According to the DOT report, this represents just under 75% of the additional truck miles on Staten Island.

Beyond the Korean War Veterans Parkway, a portion of Veterans Road West, from Bloomingdale Road to the West Shore Expressway in Charleston, would be added.

Also included in the proposal is West Service Road in Travis from Arden Avenue to the West Shore Expressway.

The last addition would be the Hannah Street Bridge in Tompkinsville to connect truck routes on Bay Street and Front Street.

Legislative changes

The Korean War Veterans Parkway falls under the New York State Department of Transportation and typically restricts access for commercial vehicles.

According to the city Department of Transportation proposal, the agency is working with the state to get commercial vehicles approved for the Korean War Veterans Parkway.

However, the city DOT anticipates “that a rule change will need to be passed separately to designate KWVP as a truck route,” according to the proposal.

When asked what changes were needed to make the parkway a truck route, a spokesperson from the state DOT issued the following statement:

“The New York State Department of Transportation is working with the New York City Department of Transportation to examine the feasibility of designating the state-controlled Korean War Veterans Parkway as a certified truck route, including the need for any engineering or safety enhancements. This review is currently in its preliminary stages.”

Supporting industrial growth

For each borough, the proposed truck routes are in areas that are experiencing a surge in commercial space and freight movement.

Most of the new truck routes on Staten Island would be on the borough’s West and South shores to serve the growing concentration of industrial use in those areas.

The proposal said the new routes are in response to New York City’s growing demand for e-commerce deliveries and named two Staten Island projects —One Nassau Place in Richmond Valley and 2807 Arthur Kill Road in Rossville — as some of the newest major warehouse facilities in the five boroughs.

Increase in freight activity

According to the truck network report, the DOT projects that freight activity on Staten Island’s West Shore will increase by up to 50%, primarily driven by new commercial developments in the area.

For example, a handful of projects along the same 2.7-mile stretch of Arthur Kill Road, which already sees heavy industrial traffic, will add an additional 1.4 million square feet of warehouses and vehicle storage.

These additions will likely bring a surge of traffic to surrounding communities, prompting some South Shore elected officials to ask the incoming mayoral administration to prioritize a road widening project on Arthur Kill Road.