By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
A proposal to waive tolls for Syracuse-area Thruway commuters has risen from the ashes, long after efforts from the Onondaga County Legislature in the early 1990s and a 2007 bill from Sen. John A. DeFrancisco fizzled out. In December, the county legislature voted unanimously to recommend that the state make travel between exits 34A and 39 toll-free, and DeFrancisco plans to reintroduce a bill supporting the waiver.
“I think it’s important for many reasons. You want to be in a position to keep traffic flow in the most efficient way. It’s one of the safest roads in the state,” DeFrancisco said.
As the reconstruction of Interstate-81 looms ahead, county legislators say waiving the Thruway toll for Syracuse commuters could reduce the strain of traffic on routes 690 and 481. Legislator Judy Tassone said the toll waiver could ease traffic in the Liverpool area as well, especially on Taft Road, Electronics Parkway and Route 57.
Local municipalities are showing their support for the toll waiver as well. The Van Buren Town Board passed a resolution Jan. 3 requesting that Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the New York State Legislature and the New York State Thruway Authority act on the issue.
“We’d like to see them eliminate the tolls for local residents because it makes getting around the county a lot easier,” Van Buren Town Supervisor Claude Sykes said. “When 81 construction starts, we’re going to need to get around a lot easier.”
Salina Town Supervisor Mark Nicotra said the Salina Town Board is considering a similar resolution.
“I think the Thruway is underutilized,” Nicotra said. “[Waiving the toll] might ease some traffic in the village. People who might not normally use it could use it.”
Syracuse is one of only a handful of cities bisected by the Thruway. Buffalo and Albany have already waived tolls for their local commuters, and the Onondaga County Legislature and other local leaders want the same for their region.
“It would be nice for Central New York,” Tassone said. “It’s the perfect time to put traffic on to the Thruway from 81. I know they would be losing some revenue, but perhaps in the long run more people would be using the Thruway.”
DeFrancisco said waiving the Thruway toll for Syracuse drivers is an issue distinct from the reconstruction of I-81, but if more drivers used the Thruway, they would use less gas and spend less time on local streets, reducing air pollution and road congestion in Central New York.
“Commuters would rather, I would think, have a bypass rather than go through local roads,” he said. “You’re stopping at lights and lights and burning gas.”
DeFrancisco said he will reintroduce “S 6316,” the 2016 bill, to the State Senate. Last year, Assemblymember Bill Magnarelli introduced a corresponding Assembly bill, “A 8398.” But, DeFrancisco cautioned, there is some opposition to the idea.
“The problem is simply that it’s very difficult to get these things passed,” DeFrancisco said. “Once there’s a waiving of fees in one area, people down the Thruway will want the same thing: ‘Why them and not me?’”
The state also may oppose the bill because of the potential loss of revenue from Syracuse-area Thruway drivers, but DeFrancisco said that loss has not been calculated yet.
Assemblymember Pam Hunter said she is supportive of the Thruway toll waiver, but wants to make sure the lost revenue doesn’t compromise Thruway maintenance.
“I support making the Thruway toll-free for local drivers, as long as we can ensure that it will continue to be maintained despite the lost revenue. Thruway tolls from Central New York generate over $1 million in yearly revenue, and we must consider the impact losing this revenue might have on the safety of local families, especially during the difficult winter months,” Hunter said in a statement. “At this point, it is hard to know what the full impact would be of eliminating these tolls. But as our community looks to the future of our transportation infrastructure, I am committed to finding solutions — like this one — that will make it easier and cheaper to get around.”
“There’s no way that there’s going to be a toll-free Thruway any time soon,” DeFrancisco said. “The Thruway is involved in the construction of an expensive bridge, the Tappan Zee Bridge.”
Since 2013, the state has been chipping away at a $3.98 billion project to replace the 3.1-mile Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River. The bridge is expected to be completed this year.
While the state may be concerned about lost revenue, Sykes pointed out that the Thruway was supposed to go toll-free in 1996 after the state Thruway Authority paid off its construction bonds.
“We’re still paying it off,” Sykes said.
The memorializing resolutions approved by the county legislature and Van Buren will be passed on to the state. County Legislator Derek Shepard said Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney is part of the Thruway Authority, so she may have some influence on what comes next. But Sykes isn’t so sure.
“This has been talked about every six or eight years and it never seems to go anywhere,” Sykes said. “I don’t hold a whole lot of hope, but hope springs eternal.”
