The New York Thruway Authority is on the road to authorizing toll hikes statewide. Tolls could be raised by 5% starting in 2024. Lynda Baquero reports.
Driving through New York is already expensive, and now the price to go on one of the most widely used highways appears it may go up soon as well.
Officials are starting the process to increase tolls for the first time since 2010 on the New York State Thruway. It was revealed at a New York Thruway Authority meeting on Monday that starting in 2024, toll for driving along the highway and over the Gov. Mario Cuomo Bridge could be going up, and then increased again not long after that.
"That would include, across the system, a five percent increase on base New York E-ZPass rate, and then a second five percent increase in 2027," said NY Thruway Authority CFO Matthew Howard.
If the proposal passes, the Cuomo Bridge connecting Westchester and Rockland counties would go up from the current $5.75 to get across, up to $7.75 by 2027. For those using tolls by mail, it could go up to $13.56.
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"Of course I don't like the idea but everything goes up because maintenance is so expensive," said local resident Bea Macletchie.
The Thruway Authority said traffic still isn't back to pre-pandemic levels, and points out the lack of toll increase in more than a decade.
"Had we followed the consumer price index from 2010 to 2027, the rate increase would've been 38 percent high that what we proposed," Howard said.
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The CFO reminded E-ZPass customers who live in Rockland and Westchester counties that they qualify for a discount. Meanwhile, those who don't have a New York E-ZPass could see an increase of 75 percent.
"The Westchester and Rockland discount would increase from 17 percent to 20 percent discount in 2024," said Howard.
The next step in the process: public comments, which can take up to a year. Over the next few weeks, there have been three dates set for regional public hearings. The proposal will then go back to the board for a final vote before possibly going into effect in over a year's time.
