Thruway Authority votes to remove I-190 tolls
by KEATON T. DEPRIEST Cheektowaga Editor

Western New Yorkers will now be able to travel Interstate 190 without paying a toll, after the New York State Thruway Authority voted Monday to end charging motorists a 75-cent fee and to remove the booths.

"Today the New York State Thruway Authority gave this community what it deserves - a toll-free I-190 in Buffalo," said U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-27th District.

Higgins said residents, leaders of the public and private sectors were relentless in the fight for capping the toll.

"Commuters forced to pay for the Thruway once at the gas pumps and again at the toll booths will no longer be double taxed," he said. "Drivers will save hundreds of dollars each year - and still this action adds up to so much more than 75 cents in our pockets."

Last week, Higgins said he wrote a letter to New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno about actions to permanently remove the tolls.

The cost of operating the toll barriers on I-190 was approximately $2.13 million annually.

"The barriers of access to this region's urban core are coming down," Higgins said. "The obstacles to experiencing all that Buffalo has to offer are gone. Tourists and residents from the suburbs and the city have a new opportunity to rediscover downtown."