NY Thruway tolls set to increase in January. How much more will you pay?
Tolls on the New York State Thruway will increase by 5% come January, the first in a series of system-wide hikes.
January's increase will be followed by an identical hike three years later, representing the first system-wide increases in 14 years.
For passenger cars with E-ZPass, that means an increase to nearly 5 cents per mile in 2027, up from the current 4.5 cents. Tolls by Mail passenger car users would pay 8.6 cents per mile in 2027, from the current 5.8 cents.
The hikes were approved by the Thruway's Board of Directors Monday, following months of public hearings that began in December.
Hearings: NY Thruway plans toll hike: Here's what you'd pay, and when
How much more will you pay on the NY Thruway?
Translated into dollars, the increases would mean this:
A 272-mile trip from Exit 24 in Albany to exit 50 in Buffalo, which currently costs $12.18, will be $12.78 in 2024 and $13.41 in 2027, an increase of $1.23.
And the 117-mile trip from exit 15 in Woodbury to Exit 24 in Albany, currently $5.25, will jump to $5.51 next year and $5.77 by 2027, a 52-cent bump.
For a full list of toll adjustments go here.
Frank Hoare, the Thruway’s interim executive director, said the increases are needed to sustain a highway system that relies almost entirely on users to balance its budget.
“Today’s vote by the Board of Directors maintains some of the lowest toll rates in the country and fulfills the system-wide operating, debt service, and capital needs for our financial plan,” Hoare said.
Cuomo Bridge tolls also going up. How much?
Tolls will also be going up on the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, the Thruway’s main revenue driver.
A series of 50-cent per year hikes begins in January and continues through 2027, when the toll for passenger cars using E-ZPass will be $7.75, an increase of $2 from the current $5.75. Tolls by Mail users would pay $13.56 in 2027, up from the current $7.48.
What about commuter, resident NY Thruway discounts?
Discounts for residents from Rockland and Westchester counties will increase to 20% from the current 17%. The 40% commuter discount plant for E-ZPass users who make a minimum of 20 passenger car trips per month will remain. In 2021, more than 30% of tolls collected on the Cuomo bridge in 2021 were discounted.
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What's behind the NY Thruway toll increases?
Thruway officials said the increases are necessary as the Thruway tackles needed upgrades, amid increased construction-related costs.
Three quarters of the Thruway’s 815 bridges are more than 60 years old, with some dating back to the mid-1950s when the 570-mile system opened to traffic.
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Some 85 bridges will need to be replaced over the next ten years at a cost of $800 million.
“Factoring the hundreds of bridges that will require replacement not long thereafter, the costs escalate into the $6 to $7 billion range which the existing toll rate structure will not support,” Thruway officials note.
Joanne Mahoney, the chairwoman of the Thruway board said the increases will allow the Thruway to continue operating one of the "safest and reliable toll roads in the country."
“The toll adjustments approved today by the Board of Directors follow a year-long public process and represent a responsible approach to ensure continued investment in the 570-mile Thruway system for years to come," Mahoney said.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY Thruway tolls set to increase in January. How much more will you pay?
