“With the expected opening of one span of the Tappan Zee Bridge this week, the questions revolving around how we’re paying for it echo even louder throughout New York. The bridge is a main artery from downstate into the city and Gov. Cuomo’s project is siphoning over $4 billion to it. From adding LED lighting to the bridge to calling in a special session to rename the bridge after his father, the governor is showing that the bridge is all politics and wasting money. We’re all in favor of improving our infrastructure but policy must be accompanied by fiscal responsibility.

“I’ve joined with my colleagues to call for a concrete financial plan for the bridge many times in the past but the governor’s office has yet to provide one. With the bridge being partially operational it’s past time for answers. If taxes are going to be raised on upstate residents who won’t even see the bridge or, tolls being drastically hiked after 2020, we don’t know, but something is definitely rotting under this bridge.”

“The Thruway Authority exists to serve the entirety of the state, not just New York City. If there is even a chance that tolls upstate will be funneled to support the project then we have to know about it. If that’s the case then Upstate New York should not have to pay the price for something the majority of its residents won’t even use. It’s sacrificing the wants and needs of the people in service to Gov. Cuomo’s grandstanding and political ambition.”