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    • Take a hike

    February 01, 2023 |

    For the first time since 2010, the New York State Thruway Authority is considering a systemwide toll increase.

    The agency is proposing an increase of 5% for in-state E-ZPass users, with an additional increase of 5% coming in 2027. For drivers without E-ZPass – or with one from another state – the proposed increase is 75%.

    With tolls currently frozen through 2023, an increase wouldn’t come until 2024. On Dec. 5, the authority’s board of directors authorized the first step of the public toll adjustment process.

    The board’s authorization is merely the first hurdle to clear in the agency’s attempt to increase tolls.

    The process will include public hearings, as well as receiving and considering public comments, prior to the board holding a final vote on the proposal later this year.

    The agency says the reason for the increase is to help update and repair an aging infrastructure. Of the New York State Thruway’s 815 bridges, 75% are over 60 years old. According to a report from WHEC news, more than 85 of the bridges along the toll road have been identified for replacement within the next 10 years. The Thruway Authority estimates the replacement cost of those 85 bridges at around $800 million.

    “As a tolling authority, we receive no state, federal or local tax dollars to support our operations,” Thruway Authority spokesperson Jonathan Dougherty said in a statement. “This is a responsible financial plan to ensure the Authority will meet its growing capital and infrastructure needs for a system that is approaching 70 years in age.”

    New York State Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara – who introduced legislation that would enact a toll-hike freeze for two years – called the proposal “outrageous,” saying he was shocked to see the agency suggest an increase in tolls.

    “Clearly the Thruway Authority is out of touch with the times we are living in,” Santabarbara said. “I urge the governor and state legislature to reject this proposal and take action to help New Yorkers keep more of their hard-earned money where it belongs – in their pockets.” LL

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