Tolls would also be eliminated for farmers bringing their goods to market.
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Businesses and commercial vehicle owners using E-ZPass and paying between $100 and $9,999 in annual tolls. The plan reportedly includes all of $30 million for upstate transit, but transit isn’t mentioned in Cuomo’s press release. They include an additional $100 million for water infrastructure investments, a $100 million “Downtown NY” revitalization initiative in which 10 cities will win $10 million apiece in a similar vein to his annual Regional Economic Development Council competition, and a tax cut program for small businesses (defined as those with less than 100 employees). That would happen through a tax credit.
Cuomo’s proposing to eliminate thruway tolls altogether for vehicles involved in agriculture and to give a tax credit to people and businesses who use the thruway the most. It was not immediately clear how much of that money will be dedicated to the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project now underway downstate over the Hudson River. In Upstate New York, it’s about the roads and the bridges.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo will appear in Rochester Tuesday afternoon as he continues to roll out pieces of his upcoming State of the State/executive budget address.
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The Democratic governor offered few details on his infrastructure spending push, including the number of years the $22 billion would be spread out over. Of the $22 billion, he broadly outlined $1 billion for bridge repairs, $1 billion for paving 1,300 miles of state and local roads, and $500 million earmarked for roads most at risk of extreme weather events, such as flooding. Governor Cuomo is committed to helping further the growth of New York’s agricultural sector – made up of more than 36,000 farms, 2,270 processors, and 700 farm-based beverage producers – by reducing their overall business costs. According to the Thruway Authority, tolls have increased for all classes of vehicles four times since 1996. 2009 saw an across the board increase of five-percent as did 2010 when last toll hike went into effect.
