ALBANY – The State Thruway Authority has formed a Toll Advisory Panel to review toll rates, potential resident and commuter discount programs and commercial vehicle rates on the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.
The group will gather feedback from the public about any potential toll adjustments on the bridge. Thruway tolls are currently frozen through at least 2020 due to a $2 billion addition to the state budget.
“We will continue to keep tolls as low as possible on the bridge for all motorists while providing the resources necessary to support the user-fee supported system,” said Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew Driscoll. “This objective will be informed by the public input gathered by the Toll Advisory Panel.”
The advisory group will conduct listening sessions in Westchester and Rockland counties, which are connected by the bridge. Only one of the four members is from the immediate impacted area – Joan McDonald, who is director of operations for Westchester County and a former state transportation commissioner. The other members are Robert Megna, chief operating officer for the State University of New York and vice chairman of the Thruway Authority Board of Directors; Heather Briccetti, a member of the Thruway Authority Board and president of the Business Council of New York; and Mario Cilento, president of the AFL-CIO.
The hearings will be held on Wednesday, July 17 at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown and on Thursday, July 18 at The Time Nyack Hotel in Nyack. Both sessions will run from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The panelists will not be taking questions at the sessions but will listen to comments and use them in their review.
Any changes in tolls will require the approval of the Thruway Authority Board of Directors.
