New York – The state Thruway Authority board has dropped plans for a 45-percent increase in truck tolls, saying it’s taking a number of cost-cutting steps instead.
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The toll hike was proposed this summer by the board headed by appointees of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. It was said to be essential to shore up the finances of the state authority and avoid an expensive hit to its credit rating.
But Thomas Madison, the authority’s executive director, says Monday a series of job cuts and other steps to cut spending will keep the agency solvent and protect its credit rating without a toll increase.
The toll for a three-axle truck traveling from Buffalo to New York City is about $88. Under the proposal, that would have increased to $127.
I used to make the commute between Buffalo and New York (in a car, not a truck). There are much better (and shorter) ways to do this without taking the Thruway all the way around through Albany; in fact, it’s possible to do it without paying a dime in tolls until you get to the NYC line, and save 30 miles into the bargain: take US20 (or NY33) to Batavia, then NY63 to NY36 to I-390 to NY17/I-86 to Binghamton, then I-81 south to Scranton, I-380 to Mount Pocono, and finally I-80 to the GWB (or NJ3 to the Lincoln Tunnel).
I was once talking with a trucker on the CB and asked them why they take the Thruway in the first place, when you can take 17 for free? He said, “Sure it’s free, but if you drive 17, you earn your money.” I took this to mean that 17 isn’t the greatest of highways, being hilly and curvy, but if they’re going to charge that much for the Thruway, more truckers are going to take the alternate route.
Only people are left to rob are us, regular drivers.
With such an economy – they should abolish ALL the tolls for good!
If all the people would stop paying tolls and cause traffic jam for few weeks – they would stop robbing us!