The New York Thruway Authority says bridge and highway tolls won't increase in 2016. The agency also says Monday a new panel will study future tolls on the new Tappan Zee Bridge, along with potential discount programs and other aspects of financing the span.
The authority is proposing a $2.1 billion budget that is $291 million, or 16 percent, higher than this year. It includes $1 billion for the new Tappan Zee Bridge now under construction over the Hudson River, $348 million for the operating expenses of the authority and the state Canal Corp. and $380 million for other capital projects across the Thruway and canal systems.
Authority officials also pushed back the timetable for opening the first Tappan Zee span from December 2016 to spring or summer in 2017.