![]() The obsolete 1955-vintage Tappan Zee Bridge, even with its increasingly high upkeep costs, was generating a net toll revenue surplus benefitting the rest of the Thruway system, which imposes some of the lowest per-mile charges of any toll road in the country. How would it be financed?Įven now, we don’t have a detailed answer for that question, much less a detailed accounting of project costs. Obviously, the new, much larger, twin-span bridge would cost billions. Once Governor Andrew Cuomo committed early in his tenure to replacing the Tappan Zee with what he originally called “The New NY Bridge,” what had been a profit center turned into a cost center for the Authority. In other words, the Thruway Authority is still kicking the can down the road.Ī public comment period and hearing must now be scheduled before the board votes on the toll changes. Here’s the slide from the board meeting- not posted at the Thruway Authority’s (incredibly sluggish) website, but shared with reporters:įor passenger cars, and especially for regular commuters, this schedule translates into as little as possible, phased in as slowly as possible. The toll for commercial traffic would also increase, with the most common trucks set to pay about $55 in 2022.A new resident discount for Westchester and Rockland residents would maintain the current E-ZPass toll of $4.75 through 2022.A 40% discount for commuters would remain in place.They will also pay a $2 surcharge on monthly bills. Those who pay tolls by mail would pay 30% more, meaning they will pay about $6.83 in 2021 and $7.38 in 2022.The toll for E-ZPass users, currently $4.75 on the Westchester-bound span, would increase to $5.25 in 2021 and $5.75 in 2022.** PS- After this blog was posted, details of what the Thruway board is considering as a “toll adjustment” were posted on this page.Īs summarized in the Journal News, the proposal for the new Tappan Zee crossing is as follows: It also comes barely a week after Cuomo’s budget director criticized plans by the New York State Bridge Authority, which is also controlled by the governor, to raise the (still much-lower) tolls on several Hudson River crossings north of the Tappan Zee. ![]() The toll hike proposal unveiled by the Authority’s board today-at a snap meeting, publicly announced with barely 24 hours advance notice-represents a continuing attempt to minimize and postpone toll increases for as long as possible. ![]() A toll hike on the new Tappan Zee crossing isn’t just inevitable-it’s overdue.Īfter all, just as there’s no such thing as a free lunch, there’s no such thing as a free $5 billion bridge ( give or take $900 million in disputed unpaid contractor bills). A year after completing its twin-span replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge, and seven years after starting construction on the project, the state Thruway Authority has finally gotten around to proposing a schedule for raising the eastbound-only bridge toll.
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