State Sen. Patrick Gallivan, whose 59th District includes portions of Ontario and Livingston counties, wants to strip the state’s canal system from the New York State Thruway Authority and return it to the Department of Transportation.
Gallivan, R-Depew, and 60th District Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo, plan to introduce legislation that would move the canal system to the DOT, Gallivan states Wednesday in a letter to Thruway Authority chairman Howard Milstein.
“We hope that you will consider supporting this proposal as an alternative to increasing tolls,” Gallivan said in the letter.
The canal system has been under the jurisdiction of the Thruway Authority since 1992.
The authority is planning a 45 percent increase in tolls for large commercial vehicles. The hike is scheduled to be in place Sept. 30.
“Just this year, the canal system is projected to require $55.7 million for operating expenses and $51.4 million for capital expenses,” Gallivan states in the letter.
“At the same time, annual revenue from the canal system totals only $2 million, a small fraction of its annual cost. This gap in revenue has to be covered each and every year by commuters and commercial drivers using the Thruway.”
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Joseph DiDonato at 5:42:19 AM on 9/8/2012
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