Oh No, Cuomo!

To the Editor,

In a twist for the new Tappan Zee Bridge saga, Governor Cuomo has gone back on the word of his administration. Cuomo has now indicated the new bridge will be partially paid for with a toll increase throughout the entire Thruway system in NY.

This is a 180-degree turn from what Thruway Authority executive Tom Madison said in 2014: “We have consistently said there will be no system wide toll increase to support the New NY Bridge Project.”

What will be the new toll price be when tolls unfreeze in 2020? Will those using the new Tappan Zee Bridge have a larger price hike than the rest of the Thruway system?

These are questions that the state has failed to answer. They still have not offered a complete public plan showing how the bridge will be paid for. Yet, they had the time to make a closed-door deal in Albany to get it named after former Governor Mario Cuomo.

This deal stunk so much that residents of Rockland and Westchester counties, in a Reclaim New York Initiative-sponsored poll, opposed the new bridge name overwhelmingly. A massive 70 percent of people disapproved of naming the bridge before the new toll cost is revealed.

The lack of transparency and financial plans have kept taxpayers footing the $4 billion price tag in the dark. We can only imagine what bad news that will impact our wallets will come next

Sincerely,

Domenick Cocchiara
Hudson Valley Regional Coordinator
RECLAIM NEW YORK

  cuomo, New NY Bridge Project, reclaim new york initiative, tappan zee