tolls

A state senator from the Hudson Valley has unveiled a plan to keep tolls affordable on the current Tappan Zee Bridge and its replacement. The current toll is $5 cash.

State Senator David Carlucci is an Independent Democrat whose district includes the Rockland County side of the Tappan Zee Bridge.

“We have one of the nation’s largest infrastructure projects being built right behind us, right in the Hudson Valley,” says Carlucci. “And we can have a beautiful, shiny bridge, but if we can’t afford to cross it, it’ll be devastating to our economy here in the Hudson Valley.”

New York state officials, including Governor Andrew Cuomo, welcomed the one of the world’s largest floating cranes to the construction site of the replacement Tappan Zee Bridge Monday. At the same time, the governor’s opponent in the November election called for details on the new bridge’s expected tolls. 

When President Obama visited Westchester Wednesday to spotlight the replacement Tappan Zee Bridge, he talked about how the project benefitted from an expedited review process. He also mentioned a large federal loan that came through. But some state and local lawmakers says there is still a big unknown: the toll price.

Tolls will soon return for motorists traveling on the western end of the Massachusetts Turnpike.

The first of two informational hearings is scheduled for tonight on implementation of tolls between Exit 1 in West Stockbridge and Exit 6, which leads to Interstate 291 and Springfield. The meeting will be held at Lee High School.