ALBANY, N.Y (NCC NEWS) – For 14 years, the toll prices on the New York State Thruway have been untouched. But a new proposal from the Thruway Authority is set to change that at the start of 2024.
Authority board member Matt Howard said this process would be a step in the right direction to fund some of the highway’s much needed projects.
“This process will hopefully be a strong path toward addressing our aging infrastructure and revenue needs in a manner that builds on the fact that it’s been 14 years,” Matt Howard said.
The Thruway is completely self-funded. It does not take any state or federal funding to operate and relies completely on highway users to pay for it through tolls, rest stops and other sources of revenue.
After the Covid-19 pandemic lessened the number of cars on the roads in the past few years, the highway doesn’t have the money it needs for bridge and road repair.
Authority member Joanne M. Mahoney knows toll increases are not what the people want, but hasn’t heard any better ideas on how to get funding for the highway’s much-needed upgrades.
“It’s very easy to just say, no, we don’t want toll increases,” Mahoney said. “But I haven’t heard any other solutions.”
But how much will these tolls go up? Well, it depends on who the driver is. Right now, those with a New York State E-Zpass pay 4.5 cents per mile, a number that will increase to 4.9 at the start of 2024, if this proposition is passed. Those that live out of state and have an E-Zpass pay 5.1 cents per mile right now and will see that number go to 8.6 per mile, the same mark that those paying by plate will expect to see.
For current Syracuse resident Trey Redfield, who travels to Buffalo once a week for work, this change will hurt his wallet.
“Groceries would be a little bit tougher for me,” Redfield said. “You know, what I would get paid for the games that I did wouldn’t mean as much anymore because I’m paying more for that travel.”
If the petitioned proposal goes through, no changes will be seen next year. The proposed changes are expected to start on January 1, 2024.
