At a recent Albany meeting, the Authority announced $5 Million more in revenue than anticipated during the first quarter of 2006.  “The fact that Thruway Authority has said they can’t afford to remove the tolls on the I-190, revenue which is only one percent of overall budget, seems even more preposterous after their admission this morning,” said Higgins.  “In light of this admission, it is even more salient today to call for the immediate removal of the Ogden Street and Breckenridge tolls, and to urge the Thruway Authority to stop their financial shenanigans and complaints.  The people of Western New York will not continue to be fooled by this Authority.”

 

 

April 21, 2006: NTSB Blasts Toll Plazas Generally as Unsafe

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a report on Tuesday of this week citing the dangers of toll plazas on Interstate highways.  Congressman Higgins responded by formally requesting state records which would spell out the dangers of the toll barriers on the I-190 specifically.

 

April 19, 2006: Congressman Higgins Says Thruway Authority Continues Bureaucratic Babble, Turning Their Back on Western New Yorkers

After receiving the latest correspondence from the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA), Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) believes the Authority is too caught up in Albany bureaucracy to recognize they are exploiting Western New York commuters. 

 

April 11, 2006: Thruway Authority’s Broken Promises on Buffalo Waterfront Development Egregious

Congressman Higgins responded to the statement made by NYS Thruway Authority Executive Director Michael R. Fleischer in this morning’s Buffalo News.  Fleischer stated that, “I notice the congressman did not include $15 million for the Buffalo inner harbor,” in the list of non-Thruway spending which Higgins conveyed to Fleischer in a letter sent on Monday.  “I did not address the concern of the $15 million for the Inner Harbor because the Thruway Authority’s failure to live up to its obligations to the people of Buffalo and Western New York with regard to Waterfront development has been so egregious as to deserve separate treatment and a separate inquiry,” said Higgins.

April 10, 2006: Higgins Blasts Thruway Authority’s Ongoing Distortions about Niagara Tolls

Congressman points to lavish Authority spending to refute claims that they can’t afford toll elimination; says Authority still changing its story about and underreporting federal aid

April 6, 2006: Thruway Authority Inconsistent About Acknowledging Receipt of Federal Aid; Higgins Reveals Truth Regarding Thruway Funding

Congressman Higgins today refuted the inconsistent and false assertions of the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) regarding federal funding they have received.  “Should an agency that doesn’t know how much federal funding it receives be trusted with that funding?” asked Higgins.  “The serious inconsistencies and blatant falsities that the Thruway Authority has responded to me with are inexcusable.  The Thruway Authority needs to come clean and fess up—their ineptitude in calculating the inconsistencies in their public statements is troubling.”

Congressman Higgins revealed that his office has been denied access to public New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) official documents, despite the fact that Higgins’ staff followed official rules outlined on the Authority’s own website.  “We went to Albany to get the primary information necessary to research the history of the Buffalo tolls and the Niagara section of the Thruway and we were road-blocked,” said Congressman Higgins, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.  “Local residents have the right to know the truth.  What is the Thruway Authority so afraid of?”

“Approximately $11 million is collected at the Niagara tolls each year,” said Erie County Legislator Timothy M. Kennedy, Chair of the Legislature’s Economic Development Committee.  “This money isn’t reinvested in infrastructure in Erie County, it’s used to subsidize projects in Westchester and other counties where commuters travel toll free."

“This is a matter of simple fairness – Buffalo commuters have supported New York’s roadways for far too long, and it’s high time that the Federal Highway Administration takes a second look at these agreements,” said Higgins.