This week there was a major announcement about the cost of tolls on the New York State Thruway rising that had a lot of people upset.
Another piece of major news regarding the Thruway Authority came two days after, when the agency’s leader announced plans to retire. According to CNY Central, Matthew Driscoll will no longer fulfill the job starting December 20, 2022.
Driscoll has been the executive director of the Thruway Authority since 2017 and led the move to cashless tolls in 2020.
On Monday the topic of increasing tolls is supposed to be discussed. There will be a 5% increase for EZPass holders and a 75% increase for those that don’t if the increase happens. If the proposal is voted on to move forward, there would be meetings for community input and a final report before it goes through. If approved, the increase is expected to hit in January of 2024.
Lawmakers on both sides aren’t approving of this measure as residents struggle to get by financially already. Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara has gone as far as introducing a bill that would freeze a toll hike for at least two years.
The Thruway Authority responded to the public reaction by explaining that the only way for the system to receive funding is through its tolls. There is no local, state or federal funding given to the Thruway Authority to pay for updates or construction.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story indicated that Driscoll was resigning. He is retiring.
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