Latest news with #ThruwayAuthority
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
State Thruway Authority OKs added funds for firm handling Seneca Nation lawsuit
ALBANY — New York State Thruway Authority officials have agreed to increase by $1 million the payment cap on a contract with the Buffalo-based law firm that is representing the public agency in an ongoing legal dispute with the Seneca Nation of Indians. During a meeting on Tuesday, members of the authority's board of directors unanimously authorized an amendment to an existing contract with Nixon Peabody that will raise the maximum amount payable to the law firm to $1.8 million. The authority's original 2022 agreement capped the amount to be paid to Nixon Peabody at $800,000. The resolution supporting the move notes that Nixon Peabody has provided 'substantial services' pertaining to ongoing litigation involving the Seneca Nation. Seneca leaders filed a lawsuit in 2018 claiming that the state agency failed to obtain the necessary federal approvals for an easement that has allowed the thruway to run through the tribe's Cattaraugus territory for decades. The Nation's lawsuit seeks to compel the state authority to obtain a new easement or compensate the Nation for tolls collected from motorists using the authority on reservation land. It also seeks to end toll collection along the roughly 3-mile section of the thruway, which is about 30 miles south of Buffalo. In 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second District allowed the lawsuit to continue after it rejected an attempt by the state to have it dismissed. The decision upheld a 2020 U.S. District Court ruling. The resolution supporting the pay increase for Nixon Peabody notes that the law firm has provided 'substantial services' pertaining to the litigation over the easement while also serving as bond counsel for authority debt transactions that are reimbursable by the state. The resolution describes the Seneca litigation as 'complex' while indicating that there is also a 'continued need for support' with the authority's state debt transactions.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Thruway authority hires firm for study of Grand Island bridges
ALBANY — The New York State Thruway Authority has selected a Buffalo-based engineering firm to lead a $1.6 million federally funded study of the four Grand Island bridges and the I-190 corridor. During a meeting on Tuesday, the Thruway Authority's board of directors unanimously agreed to hire WSP USA, Inc., formerly Parsons Brinckherhoff, to conduct a planning and environmental linkages study. The assessment will include, 'an analysis of the bridges against the regional transportation network's current and future needs, an investigation of feasible project alternatives and an examination of social, economic and environmental conditions.' In addition, the study will involve a Life Cycle Cost Analysis and result in the development of a forecast for future toll revenue. The study will be conducted under a two-year contract that includes an option for a third year and will be performed in cooperation with the Greater Buffalo Regional Transportation Council, a metropolitan planning organization covering Erie and Niagara counties. The finished product is expected to help guide future maintenance, rehabilitation and potential reconstruction activities involving the bridges and the thruway corridor. The cost of the study will be covered under a planning grant awarded to the Thruway Authority last year under the Bridge Investment Program, which is funded through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Law. In an announcement on the awarding of the grant, Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare noted that the original Grand Island bridges were built in the 1930s and have become 'increasingly expensive to maintain due to both their age and structural complexity.' He said at the time that the funding would allow the authority to 'enhance the safety and improve the efficiency and reliability of the bridges for all who travel over them for generations to come.' The Grand Island Bridges serve more than 47.5 million vehicles annually and are part of a commercial corridor that links an estimated $23.7 billion in US-Canada freight trade. They are also the only connection points between the 21,000 residents of Grand Island and the mainland.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Your Stories Q&A: When will Thruway exit 34A in DeWitt reopen?
DEWITT, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — You ask, we answer!Exit 34A in DeWitt, closed last month so crews could work on the interchange bridge that takes eastbound drivers to I-481. The NYS Thruway Authority said the interchange bridge that goes over I-90 was built in the early 1970s. It estimates that about 10,000 cars use it daily. The exit 34A eastbound ramp will be closed until mid-June, according to the Thruway Authority. Detour signs are up, urging eastbound Thruway drivers to use exit 35, near Carrier Circle. If you fail to take that detour, you'll have to drive to Canastota before you can exit. While exit 34A is expected to reopen in mid-June, the entire rehabilitation project is expected to continue into the fall. The total project is estimated to cost $3.9 million. To read more about the project, click here. Submit a form. Your Stories Q&A: When will Thruway exit 34A in DeWitt reopen? Your Stories Q&A: Uncle Chubby's in Clay reopening after being closed for 18 months Your Stories Q&A: What documents do I need to bring to DMV to get REAL ID? Your Stories Q&A: Is my Social Security number shown when a store scans my REAL ID license? 'Why do you have to live in a war zone if you're not part of the war?': Syracuse landlord frustrated by bullets on his block Your Stories Q&A: When will the new Chick-fil-A open in DeWitt? Your Stories Q&A: When will the rough ramp near Destiny USA get repaired? Do you need a REAL ID by May 7? What to know Your Stories Q&A: Is Byrne Dairy still replacing former TK Tavern in Camillus? Your Stories Q&A: An update on the future of Beck's Hotel in Mexico Your Stories Q&A: When will new comfort food restaurant open in Bridgeport? Your Stories Q&A: $100 million golf course community planned at former Syracuse country club Your Stories Q&A: Utica bakery known for its half-moon cookies opening spot in Manlius After nearly two weeks, hot water returns to Nob Hill Apartments building Your Stories Q&A: A burning question about a flame in Oneida Nob Hill Apartments tenants continue to live without hot water after two weeks Your Stories Q&A: Opening date announced for Salina Starbucks Your Stories Q&A: Something new on the menu for the former Ponderosa in Salina Your Stories Q&A: When will construction finish on the old Hilltop Restaurant and bowling alley in Skaneateles Your Stories Q&A: Dispute over repairing potholes leads to DeWitt, Salina road being closed Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thruway Authority announces reopening of Angola service area
A familiar stop along the thruway between Buffalo and Pennsylvania is back open for business. The New York State Thruway Authority announced Tuesday that the new Angola service area has reopened. Located on I-90 eastbound and westbound between exit 57A (Eden-Angola) and exit 58 (Silver Creek-Irving-NY Routes 5, 20 & 438) in Erie County, it's the 26th service area to reopen to customers as part of the $450 million private investment to redevelop and modernize all 27 service areas. With its raised walkway over both lanes of the thruway, the Angola service area is one of the busiest service areas on the state system and serves as a gateway to Western New York. The opening of the Angola Service Area signifies the completion of the modernization of service areas along the more than 346-mile stretch of the I-90. 'We've reached another milestone in the Service Area Redevelopment Project, as motorists can now enjoy a seamless trip on the Thruway with every new service area open from Albany to the Pennsylvania State line,' Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare, Esq. said. 'The project is nearing completion with one location left to open, and it marks the Thruway Authority's commitment to modernizing our transportation system and enhancing safety and reliability on the system.' New restaurants include: • Shake Shack • Chick-fil-A • Panda Express • Auntie Anne's (opening soon) • Cinnabon (opening soon) • Three Starbucks locations (One located in restaurant building, and two Drive-Thru locations available in both eastbound and westbound parking lots) Customers can learn more about the project including a project map, photo gallery and renderings and more information about the planned amenities and services on the Thruway Authority's website. The Thruway Authority's service areas are open 24 hours a day and offer motorists a variety of food and beverage options, restroom facilities and fueling for passenger and commercial vehicles. Taste NY Farm Markets are also available at select locations.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Before pushing NYC congestion pricing, Gov. Hochul was an anti-toll ‘pioneer'
Long before she became a champion for congestion pricing, Gov. Hochul spent a decade opposing tolls in upstate New York — and was even hailed as a 'stop-the-tolls pioneer.' From her perch on the upstate Hamburg town board to her time in Congress, Hochul fought to get NYS Thruway toll booths torn down and railed against toll hikes, arguing that they placed 'a heavy burden on the communities and businesses' — a stark contrast from her vehement defense of the controversial $9 fee in NYC. In 1998, town board member Hochul described the tolls in a Buffalo News op-ed as a 'noose' that was 'strangling' the city and having a 'chilling effect' on business. 'The citizens of Buffalo and its first- and second-ring suburbs should not be penalized every time they leave their boundaries by paying tolls to drive to work, go to the mall, visit downtown attractions or take the kids to play hockey,' Hochul wrote. In an ironic foreshadowing how critics now describe her own congestion-pricing cash grab for the MTA, Hochul argued, 'It's time for the state Thruway Authority, a non-elected entity, which spends over $40 million just to collect tolls, to stop nickel-and-diming us to death.' The 35-cent Thruway tolls, which were initially charged to pay off bonds and were expected to expire in 1996, were a 'nail in the coffin' for business people, she said. The same idiom has been employed by taxi industry leaders and restaurant owners in describing NYC congestion pricing, which opponents say is a tax on the working class and bad for business. In 2003, as deputy county clerk, Hochul convinced her boss, then-County Clerk David Swarts, to join her in lobbying against tolls. When the Thruway Authority jacked tolls up to 75 cents two years later, she participated in a 'Penny Protest,' where drivers handed over the fee one cent at a time, according to the Niagara Falls Reporter. By 2007, some of the tolls had been successfully removed and Hochul, newly elected as Erie County Clerk, bragged on her website about having 'championed' the pet project for nine years. 'I want to build on the success we had in removing the … tolls as I undertake new challenges representing you and the residents of Erie County,' she said. In 2012, as a member of Congress, Hochul pivoted to another toll crusade, writing to then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo to oppose a 45% toll hike on truck drivers. 'If implemented, this would seriously hinder economic activity in our region,' she contended. She said drivers would have to avoid the Thruway altogether or pass on the additional costs to customers — just as NYC-area businesses from funeral homes to event planners have been forced to pass on the new congestion charges to customers since the program began. Months later, Hochul boasted in a press release that she was dubbed the 'stop-the-tolls pioneer' by the Buffalo News. Her Encyclopedia Britannica entry even includes her 'crusade' against highway tolls early in her political career. New Yorkers slammed Hochul for changing her tune and supporting NYC tolls, which charge $9 for cars and up to $21.60 for trucks traveling below 60th Street during peak hours. This week, she and MTA Chair Janno Lieber vowed to defy an order from President Trump to shut down the program. Susan Lee, president of the group New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax, slammed Hochul's reversal as 'hypocritical.' 'If Western New Yorkers [couldn't] afford the [Thruway] toll, what makes her think everyday New Yorkers can afford the [congestion pricing] toll?' Lee told The Post. Lee said Hochul may have championed the working class back in the day but her support for congestion pricing is clearly a ploy ahead of her re-election campaign to curry favor from lefties who back the costly program. 'She needs to get the votes from that segment of the population, so she doesn't care about the true effects of this regressive tax on every day New Yorkers,' Lee added. Queens Councilman Robert Holden agreed Hochul's decisions are 'purely political.' 'Kathy Hochul has always been a flip-flopping politician with no real principles and certainly no integrity,' Holden told The Post. 'She knows the congestion scam tax is bad for New York — she's admitted as much before — but, as always, her decisions are purely political, not based on what's right for the people,' he added. A spokesperson for Hochul defended her support of congestion pricing, saying it 'meets the unique needs of New York City.' 'New York City had the worst traffic congestion in the world until Governor Hochul took bold action to help commuters,' the spokesperson said, adding, 'It's reducing congestion, reducing pollution, improving drive times, investing in public transportation and bringing more foot traffic directly to small and local businesses — and the results speak for themselves.'
