Assemblyman Dave McDonough (R,C,I-Merrick) today applauded the decision by the Thruway Authority to reverse course on its recently-proposed toll hike. The Thruway board had been considering a proposal that would have raised tolls for vehicles with more than two axels traveling on the New York State Thruway by 45 percent.

“Today’s announcement means residents across Long Island do not have to fear increases in the costs of goods and services simply because of mismanagement by government,” said McDonough. “This proposal would have been devastating to Long Islanders as they begin to recover from Hurricane Sandy. With many of the goods and services we need coming to us via the Thruway, any toll increase would have been devastating to businesses and residents, who would have had to pay higher prices for the products they use every day.”

Under the new plan, the Thruway Authority will now cut $900 million in risky short-term debt, eliminate roughly 6 percent of its workforce and cut its operations budget by 21 percent in 2013.

“I want to applaud the members of the Board for reassessing this proposal and realizing the negative impact this toll hike would have had on our state. As we work to rebuild our community after Hurricane Sandy, we must do all we can to avoid increasing the burdens that government places on our residents,” concluded McDonough.