The state Thruway Authority Board hadn’t earlier signaled that there would or wouldn’t be hikes, but Megna, during a meeting of the Thruway Authority board of directors confirmed the lack of 2016 toll increases during a meeting earlier Monday.
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Tolls on the state Thruway system will remain steady for another year.
Out-going state Thruway director Robert Megna has a few good news for motorists plying the state Thruway – they aren’t planning any toll increases in 2016.
Megna said the $3.98 billion Tappan Zee Bridge replacement is still set to fully open in 2018 and is on budget, but the opening of the first span has been pushed to spring or summer of 2017. Megna also said they are creating a seven member advisory task force to look at tolls going forward.
The authority expects modest traffic growth of 3.4 million vehicles, or 1.3 percent above 2015, for a total volume of 259.3 million vehicles systemwide.
The authority’s budget acknowledges gaps in future years. A decision not to increase tolls in 2016 avoids a battle with the State Legislature, whose members are all facing re-election next year. “There is a lot of business that requires usage of the Thruway such as trucking”.
Kendra Hems, president of the state Motor Truck Association, said truck drivers will be “pleased to see another year without an increase”.
The Thruway also received a boost from an increase in ridership.
“It was a very hard thing for us to bring to the board”, Megna said, though he noted the authority spends half its health care costs on retirees.
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Megna said the freeze is due in large part to the $1.3 billion one-shot infusion of funds that were directed by the state this year to go to the agency from a near $6 billion pot of legal settlements between the state and a number of financial institutions. “We believe there are savings to be found”.
