ALBANY – Three area state lawmakers and a local labor leader have voiced their opposition to the governor’s proposal to have the Thruway Authority take over the New York State Bridge Authority.
The Bridge Authority operates the five Mid-Hudson bridges across the Hudson River – The Rip Van Winkle, Kingston-Rhinecliff, Mid-Hudson, Newburgh-Beacon and Bear Mountain.
Senators James Skoufis (D, Woodbury) and Jennifer Metzger (D, Rosendale), Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson (D, Newburgh) along with regional CSEA President Anthony Adamo, condemned the proposal, which came shortly after the Thruway board announced toll hikes beginning 2021 to cover the cost of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge at Tappan Zee.
The lawmakers and union leader expressed concern that a Bridge Authority takeover would lead to increased tolls on the crossings that currently have low rates.
Jacobson called the proposal an “ill-thought merger” and said the five Mid-Hudson bridges “constitute a vital link between municipalities on both sides of the Hudson, offering residents a fast, safe, and reliable way to get to work, shop, attend school, and visit doctors, and other services across the river from their homes.”
Skoufis called the proposal “a backdoor attempt” to subsidize the Thruway Authority. “I can’t help but think that this proposed merger is intended to simply use the strong finances of the Bridge Authority to subsidize the not-so-good finances of the Thruway Authority including the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge,” he said.
Skoufis said the Bridge Authority and Thruway Authority serve two different constituencies with “distinct and diverse needs.”
Metzger said the Bridge Authority is “an efficient, well-run organization that successfully operates and maintains five bridges in the Hudson Valley at low cost, and we should keep it that way,” said Metzger. “There are no efficiencies to be gained by the governor’s proposal… and there is only one direction for tolls to go under this scenario: Up.
CSEA regional leader Adamo, meanwhile, said the Bridge Authority has long been a fiscally stable entity that has provided exemplary maintenance and oversight of its five Hudson River crossings.” He said given the fiscal concerns of the Thruway Authority, “a merger would be nothing more than a way to raid the Bridge Authority to pay for projects elsewhere in the state.”
