Full Report is attached here.

Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara has received a new report from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli which outlines major unresolved issues with the finances, long-term projections, and spending practices of the New York State Thruway Authority including:

• Cashless tolling has not yet produced any cost savings or efficiencies for drivers, and users have faced problems including erroneous bills and significant fines.
• Changes in reporting of traffic patterns make it difficult to ascertain whether traffic projections which toll increases are based on are “reasonable and accurate”
• More than half of the Thruway’s Capital Spending ($3.8B) was spent on Mario Cuomo Bridge with an additional $254 million to be spent on it through 2024
• Outstanding debt will grow to $419 million by 2031, up 36.1% from 2022. This reflects prior debt management decisions which prioritized short-term savings at expense of long-term finances
• Thruway has not maximized non-toll revenues such as federal infrastructure dollars, or released a Comprehensive Needs Assessment to justify cost projections

“After reading this report, the Thruway Authority Board of Directors should immediately withdraw this outrageous toll hike proposal that will only hurt hardworking families, especially here in the Capital District where so many use the Thruway to commute to work daily,” Santabarbara said. “Just as past audits of the Thruway Authority found consistent issues with the Thruway Authority’s spending practices and lack of long-term financial planning, this report is no different — which is the first since the conversion to cashless tolling was completed,” Santabarbara added. “The report confirms that the conversion to cashless tolling was expected to serve as a long-term cost-saving measure that would eventually be passed down to drivers — but that hasn’t happened. Instead, 1,100 jobs were eliminated and now the Authority decides to hit us with a toll hike at the worst possible time—while families are being hit hard by inflation and already struggling with the rising costs.”