Public hearing held on Thruway Authority's plan to raise toll on Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
NYACK, N.Y. -- On Monday afternoon, the New York State Thruway Authority held a public hearing on potentially increasing tolls on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.
As CBS2's Lisa Rozner reported, it's the first part of a year-long process to raise the rates.
Right now, it costs New York E-ZPass holders $5.75 to get across the Cuomo bridge, which replaced the Tappan Zee Bridge five years ago.
On Monday, the public weighed in on a proposal to increase the rate to $7.75 cents by the year 2027.
"It's outrageous. It would be nice if they could decrease the noise," Nyack resident Don Cox said.
"We're going across the bridge several times a week and it's expensive to do that, so I'm distressed to hear they're going to raise it," Nyack resident Nora Ackerman added.
The hearing was the first step in a year-long process that will take place before the board of directors vote. The plan would raise the toll 50 cents each year between 2024 and 2027.
"We've had a lot of inflation since then, okay, and when you add it all up, I hate to say it's reasonable," Nyack resident Jack Ferma said.
The Thruway Authority says will help fund investments that will be needed very soon. For example, 75% of its bridges are more than 60 years old.
The proposal includes steep changes for out-of-state drivers. Right now, anyone with an E-ZPpass from another state pays an extra 15%.
Pay by mail costs an extra 30%, but if approved, anyone from outside of New York would be forced to pay a 75% differential, making the cost of taking the bridge $13.56 by the year 2027.
"Here in Rockland, I think we get cheated because we keep paying all these extra tolls. But we have no train over here. We have to cross the bridge, which is now going to cost us more to go to the Tarrytown station to get to the city," Rockland County resident Diane Diamond said.
The proposal from the Thruway Authority also includes increasing tolls on all 570 miles of roadway it controls by 5% for New York E-ZPass holders.
The new rates would be 75% higher for everyone else.
Under the proposal, the Thruway Authority would offer a discount of up to 20% for Rockland County and Westchester County residents who are E-ZPass holders.