New York Thruway Scraps Planned 45% Toll Hike on Trucks

The New York Thruway Authority has canceled a proposed plan to raise truck tolls by 45% after months of opposition from business groups, which said the hike would hurt the state’s economy, Bloomberg reported.

The authority will instead approve a spending plan that eliminates jobs, shifts the cost of patrolling the longest U.S. toll road to the state’s operating budget and trims benefits, Bloomberg reported, citing the authority’s executive director, Tom Madison.

Under a proposal unveiled in May, tolls for a five-axle truck currently paying about $70 to run the full length of the road would have jumped to almost $100. The proposal, which would have generated $85 million, would have been the toll road’s fifth increase since 2005.

The authority plans to cut $130 million in operating spending over the next three years, and by the end of next year, Madison said it will have cut 361 jobs since 2011, Bloomberg reported.

Transferring the cost of New York State Police patrols will save $60 million annually, Madison said.