Governor Hochul has signed legislation to rename the Long Island Expressway overpass located at Francis Lewis Boulevard and Horace Harding Expressway as the “Detective Anastasios Tsakos Memorial Bridge.”
By passing this legislation, the Department of Transportation can proceed with the design and installation of signage.
“This new law and signage will help memorialize Detective Tsakos and his heroism by renaming the Francis Lewis Boulevard LIE overpass in his honor,” State Assemblywoman Nily Rozic said. “I thank Governor Kathy Hochul for signing this legislation expeditiously and getting this done.”
Rozic and State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky joined his wife, Irene Tsakos, members of the NYPD, Police Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch, and members of the local community, earlier this year, to memorialize the one year anniversary of the death of Detective Tsakos, who was killed in the line of duty.
“The designation of the ‘Detective Anastasios Tsakos Memorial Bridge’ will help keep the memory of Detective Tsakos alive while serving as a reminder of his tragic death in the line of duty,” Stavisky said in a statement. “Detective Tsakos served our city with distinction for more than a decade before his untimely passing. He was a loving son, husband and father who is survived by his wife and two children. I am honored to have sponsored this bill to rename this overpass as a small gesture of gratitude for his sacrifice.”
Tsakos was struck and killed by an intoxicated driver on April 21, 2021. He was responding to a collision on the LIE and was helping direct traffic at the time. The driver fled the scene, but was later apprehended and charged by a Queens grand jury on a 13-count indictment which included aggravated and vehicular manslaughter.
A resident of East Northport, Long Island, he served 13 years with the NYPD as a highway officer with Highway Unit 3. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of detective. He is survived by his wife, Irene, and their two children.
Over the past few months, several gatherings have occurred to honor the late Detective Tsakos including a plaque and motorcycle sidecar dedication and renaming of the wellness center and gym at Highway Unit 3.
“The heartbreaking loss of Detective Anastasios Tsakos has left a void in our hearts that neither words nor time can ever fill. However, we have an obligation to honor his memory and legacy,” Kim Royster, NYPD chief of transportation, said in a statement. “We must ensure future generations forever recognize the immense sacrifice Detective Tsakos made for the City he served. The renaming of the Long Island Expressway overpass where Detective Tsakos was killed, is one way we fulfill our promise that we make to all members of the NYPD the moment they step foot inside the halls of the police academy; a promise that we will never forget those officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
