Thruway Toll Hikes In The Hudson Valley: Speak Up Now

WEST NYACK, NY — A hearing on the New York State Thruway Authority's plan to raise tolls will take place in Rockland County May 16. It will be the only hearing about the increases in the Hudson Valley.

The plan would raise tolls for E-Z Pass customers for the first time since 2010, and hike tolls even more on cars without E-Z Pass.

The Thruway is a user-fee supported roadway and receives no federal, state, or local tax dollars, NYSTA officials pointed out. They said the fee increases are necessary for maintenance: The average age of the Thruway’s 815 bridges is 55, with 75 percent of those bridges more than 60 years old; and 85 percent of the Thruway’s roadway base dates back to its original construction, needing heavy reconstruction and rehabilitation activities to keep the riding surface in a state of good repair.

The toll barriers that would be affected locally include New Rochelle, Nyack, Spring Valley, Harriman and Yonkers.

Beginning in 2024, the plan would increase the Tolls by Mail rate differential (above the NY E-ZPass rate) to a 75 percent differential from the current 30 percent. Holders of E-Z Pass from other states would see their rate jump from the current Non-NY E-ZPass 15 percent rate differential to a 75 percent differential. Standard toll rates for Non-NY E-ZPass (currently 5.1 cents per mile for passenger cars) and Tolls by Mail rates (currently 5.8 cents per mile for passenger cars) would increase to 8.6 cents per mile for both groups by 2027.

For holders of NY E-Z Pass, under this proposal, beginning in 2024, the base NY E-ZPass rate would increase by 5 percent except for the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. A second 5 percent increase would take effect in January 2027.

For the MCB, the base rate for E-ZPass holders would rise to $7.75 by 2027. That is far below the cost of crossing the George Washington Bridge, also across the Hudson River, but much higher than the cost of crossing upstream.

The tolls to cross the GWB rose in January to $12.75 for E-ZPass holders during off-peak hours, $14.75 with E-ZPass during peak commuting time, and $17 for tolls-by-mail.

Tolls rose May 1 to $1.65 for E-ZPass holders to cross the Bear Mountain, Newburgh-Beacon, Mid-Hudson and Rip Van Winkle bridges.

Bridge repairs are one of the Thruway Authority's biggest concerns, as crumbling bridges are a nationwide problem.

More than 85 of them have been identified for replacement within the next decade, officials said. Then the need to replace bridges grows exponentially; hundreds of bridges will need to be replaced in the following decade.

State Sen. Bill Weber of Rockland County wrote a letter to NYS Thruway Authority Board of Directors Chair Joanne M. Mahoney, seeking changes to the plan.

"Understandably, increased revenue is essential to complete the many capital infrastructure projects the New York State Thruway needs while not collecting Federal, State, or Local tax dollars. I agree that the roads must be safe and reliable for New Yorkers and all those who travel on them, which will require work," he said in the letter. "However, there are more than 500 miles of roads and over 800 bridges on the Thruway; it is unfair that so much additional funding will come from those just crossing one bridge."

Weber recommended instead an increase in the residency discount to 25 percent for qualified Rockland residents.

"Unlike Westchester, Rockland lacks a one-seat train ride to New York City; so many commuters must drive and cross the bridge. Any increases to the tolls will disproportionately affect Rockland commuters," he said in the letter. He also recommended pushing the commuter discount program above 40 percent for enrolled E-Z Pass customers who cross the bridge more than 20 times per month.

Even after the proposed increases, systemwide rates would remain below the current standard rates of many other thruway systems across the nation, Thruway officials said. The Thruway base passenger vehicle toll rate is less than $0.05 per mile, compared to the New Jersey Turnpike ($0.11 per mile) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike ($0.14 per mile), they said.

"I encourage all Rockland County residents to attend the upcoming New York State Thruway Authority public hearing on the proposed toll adjustments," Weber said in a news release. "This is a great opportunity for Rockland voices to be heard and advocate for increased residency and commuter discounts that would provide much-needed relief for our community."

• WHAT: Public hearing on New York State Thruway toll hikes
• WHEN: 4-7 p.m. May 16
• WHERE: The Adler Community Room at the Palisades Center, 1000 Palisades Center Drive, West Nyack, NY 10994.

To find out more information, visit the Thruway website.