Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River) is asking the governor to force the Thruway Authority to submit a real financial plan for the new Tappan Zee Bridge (TZB). A frivolous plan was approved last week to borrow $255 million from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which benefits regions like the North Country and the Mohawk Valley, to pay for the estimated $3.9 billion New York City bridge project.

“I am incensed that the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which benefits upstate, was raided by the careless Thruway Authority to the tune of $255 million to pay for a New York City bridge,” said Blankenbush. “Albany bureaucrats often take the easy way out to pay for their mistakes by using sweeps and shifting the financial burden onto upstate taxpayers. The governor must put pressure on the Thruway Authority to come up with a sensible financial plan and reverse its raid of our water conservation fund.”

Blankenbush noted the Thruway Authority’s long history of mismanagement; for instance, in 2012, they threatened a 45 percent toll hike. Fortunately, it was abandoned after heavy pressure from the assemblyman and others across the state.

Blankenbush sponsors the Thruway Authority Accountability Act (A.2008-A), a bill that would merge the authority with the Department of Transportation (DOT). The measure also would require board members to have expertise in transportation, make the DOT commissioner chair of the Thruway Authority Board, require a forensic financial audit every three years, require any toll increases to be clearly delineated in the DOT budget, and consolidate overlapping functions of the DOT and the Thruway Authority through attrition.

“Over the last few years, we’ve worked hard to instill sensible financial planning and responsibility in our state government, and now it’s the Thruway Authority’s turn to get on board and on track – all New Yorkers deserve this,” added Blankenbush.