The NYS Bridge Authority, which has been around for almost 90 years maintaining the five iconic bridges of the Hudson Valley, is in serious peril and is facing abolishment under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2020 budget proposal. We have less than 30 days to change the 2020 budget before the demise of the NYSBA is set in stone. The proposed budget pushes a merger of the NYS Bridge Authority into the NYS Thruway Authority under the guise of efficiency. This could not be further from the truth.
The NYS Bridge Authority is an anomaly within the state government. Funded solely by tolls collected from our Hudson Valley bridges, the Bridge Authority maintains and protects these historic spans along with the surrounding properties while operating entirely in the black. At $1.50/$1.25 per passenger vehicle, no taxpayer dollars are ever used to fund the operation of this entity. With a modest sized crew of around 50 maintenance workers, these massive structures are meticulously cared for all year round. NYSBA is the reason why the oldest bridge in the Bridge Authority, the Bear Mountain Bridge, is almost 100 years old and standing strong. Every Winter, plow and sander trucks with the Bridge Authority emblem can be seen ensuring safe travel for every vehicle crossing the Hudson River in the valley. When not at work, maintenance workers stay ready 24/7 to answer the call and brave the roads during the worst winter storms to ensure safe passage. Every Spring, these same maintenance workers don their climbing gear and wash every inch of each span from top to bottom. If left alone, the sand and salt from a harsh winter would quickly destroy the structural steel that supports these sturdy relics. The NYS Bridge Authority is the reason these functional Hudson Valley landmarks stay forever young.
A merger into the Thruway Authority means the beginning of the end for our essential Hudson Valley bridges from the Bear Mountain Bridge all the way up to the bridge that started it all in the 1930’s, the Rip Van Winkle. The Thruway Authority has shown its capability of maintaining bridges (or…a bridge) with the unsafe conditions on the old Tappan Zee Bridge at a young age. Built in the 50’s, the Tappan Zee was named one of the most decrepit and dangerous bridges in the U.S. by New York Magazine article in 2013. Structural deficiencies in vital steel components, due to the lack of maintenance by the NYS Thruway Authority, started long before this article was published. At the time it was decommissioned, the Tappan Zee had over 1200 red flagged structural issues (NYSBA has none), including massive holes rusted through steel beams. Apparently, washing a bridge has a very different definition in the Thruway Authority. This eventually led to the construction of a new bridge to the tune of over $6 billion, paid by all who have the pleasure to cross this symbol of fiscal irresponsibility. Building a new bridge is never cheaper than maintaining the old bridge the right way…
If the NYS Thruway Authority absorbs the NYS Bridge Authority, you can guarantee a surprising toll hike as Gov. Cuomo would love to see more money in his “piggy bank”. The Thruway Authority does not have the same self-restraint on toll increases as the Bridge Authority. Keeping tolls at a modest rate keeps local commerce running smoothly, as history has shown that toll hikes cause people to second guess their trips to the other side of the river and commuters to second guess their commute. A decrease in east-west traffic can be expected if the Thruway Authority takes possession of our local bridges, which hurts everyone. When new spans must be built in the future, you can expect an even larger financial burden placed on the backs of Hudson Valley travelers. Do not allow Gov. Andrew Cuomo to push his failure of a budget and sneak this poison pill into our lives.
Act now because as of February 20, 2020 NYSBA will be abolished on April 1, 2020.