Lawmakers have lambasted the New York State Thruway Authority’s proposed toll hike on trucks for weeks, but with rumblings of other ideas being pursued a dark cloud still hangs over the 570-mile highway.
The state Thruway Authority Board of Directors is scheduled to meet on Monday, Dec. 17, at a time and location that had yet to be determined as of this afternoon. Also up in the air is an agenda, though the board is expected to award a bid for the new Tappan Zee Bridge design.
Some lawmakers are wondering if a proposed 45 percent toll hike on commercial vehicles will be passed, too.
There were no toll increases on the Thruway from 1988 to 2005, and Thruway officials said finances weren’t properly managed by previous administrations, leading to debt and other fiscal challenges. The last toll increase on commercial vehicles was levied less than two years ago.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 5, he didn’t know if the proposed toll hike would be addressed at the Thruway Authority’s Dec. 17 meeting.
“It is a tough situation for the Thruway,” Cuomo said. “They need to make ends meet. … I have told them to go back and come up with other options and find other ways and that (a toll hike) is the last resort.”
Local lawmakers have been more blunt.
“Not even the ‘Grinch Stole Christmas’ could be this diabolical,” Assemblyman James Tedisco, R-Glenville, said in a statement. “This is yet another example of secret government emanating from the Thruway Authority.”
In May, the authority proposed what it dubbed a “modest” 45 percent toll hike on large trucks with three or more axles. Recently, it was reported the agency was reviewing every alternative to the commercial increase proposed and not ruling out passenger cars.
Agency representatives then clarified “all options” doesn’t include passenger cars.
“We are not considering a toll increase on passenger cars,” said Dan Weiler, a spokesman for the Thruway Authority. “It was never part of our proposal and we are not considering it now.”
Upstate Republicans have consistently bemoaned any toll increase.
“A toll increase of any kind on cars or trucks is unacceptable,” Tedisco said, “especially in this difficult economy and when report after report has outlined the rampant incompetence and mismanagement by the Thruway Authority.”
Assemblymen Steve McLaughlin, R-Melrose, expressed a similar sentiment. He and Tedisco have been releasing regular joint press releases for months.
“These arrogant, unresponsive bureaucrats just don’t get it,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “It does not matter who the NYSTA raises tolls on because, ultimately, it’s the consumer that pays the price.”
Assemblyman-elect Angelo Santabarbara, D-Rotterdam, also criticized the proposed toll increase during his campaign.
“Any new taxes or fees, like the proposed toll hike, are bad for businesses and bad for families,” Santabarbara said in a statement. “This quasi-government entity needs to learn how to do more with less just like families have been doing for years.”
The cost for a large truck to go from Buffalo to New York City is currently $88 and under the proposed increase the cost would total around $127.
The agency is implementing $100 million in operational cost savings over the next three years, while cutting $300 million from its 2012-15 Capital Plan. It is also securing $100 million in federal aid for the state over the next three years.
Thomas Madison, executive director of the Thruway Authority, said costs saving measures aren’t being widely reported.
“We have taken a hard look and continue to do so internally,” Madison said. “We are streamlining the way our work is done internally and trying to get our house in order at the same time we are exploring alternatives to this proposed toll adjustment.”?