ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York State Authority Board of Directors approved a proposal to raise the cost of tolls across the state.
The board says the hike is needed to create a stable financial plan so that the NYS Thruway Authority can meet its future capital and infrastructure needs.
Chief Financial Officer with the Thruway Authority, Matthew Howard said, "The thruway authority receives no federal or state support for its operations. Tolls make up 90% of resources to maintain and operate our system."
This is only the first step in the process. Public hearings will be scheduled and then after public comments, final approval from the board will happen within the next year.
Safety on an aging infrastructure plays into the decision for a toll adjustment.
"75% of the thruway's bridges are more than 60 years old," Howard said. "80% of the roadway foundation dates back to the original construction of the system."
“The Thruway Authority and its incredible team of employees work hard every day to hold the line on spending and present a balanced budget that ensures the continued viability of the system,” said Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew J. Driscoll in a released statement. “As a tolling authority, we receive no federal, state or local tax dollars to support our operations. We have not seen a system-wide toll increase since 2010, and now is the time to move ahead with this financial plan so that we can meet our growing capital investment needs while continuing to provide our customers with the safe and reliable highway they’ve come to expect.”
2 On Your Side was the first to report last week that the Thruway Authority is seeking a 5% system-wide toll rate hike for NY E-Z Pass customers, more for non-E-Z Pass.
This is the first NY E-ZPass System-wide toll adjustment in since 2010.