State Comptroller

An audit released by the Comptroller’s office states that a change in collection agencies resulted in a lapse in collections from Sept 2020 until July 2021. $119.3 million in uncollected fees are owed from vehicles registered out of New York State.

Tolls and related fees make up more than 90% of the Thruway’s revenue. In 2021, the Thruway collected $804 million from tolls and related fees.

The report also cited that the Thruway Authority halting the registration suspension program in January 2018 to make way for the Thruway’s new cashless tolling program and the rejection of license plate images that were identifiable and billable as reasons for lost revenue.

Recommendations made by the Comptroller include a smoother transition in collection agencies – should the Thruway Authority require such methods again – and ensuring that rejected images that are found to be incorrectly rejected are billed.

Read the full report here: https://www.osc.state.ny.us/press/releases/2023/05/dinapoli-thruway-authority-owed-more-275-million-unpaid-tolls-and-fees

The program is a joint initiative between the New York State Department of Transportation and the New York State Thruway Authority.

A total of 30 speed violation monitoring systems that rely on RADAR technology are being used in active work zones on state maintained roads and on the thruway.

New York State has experienced a rising number of work zone speed violations in recent years, resulting in numerous highway worker injuries and several deaths among state and contractor personnel.

Under the program, all vehicles detected violating the posted speed limit within a work zone by over an established threshold will be fined. License plate images and speed data collected will be sent to NYSDOT and the Thruway within a week, with violation fines issued to the vehicle’s registered owner by mail.

Fines through the pilot program will be issued as follows:
– $50 for first violation
– $75 for second violation
– $100 for third and subsequent violations within 18 months of the first violation

For more information about the program, including a regularly updated list of camera locations, visit https://www.ny.gov/work-zone-safety-awareness/automated-work-zone-speed-enforcement-program

Section of New York State Thruway on the Cattaraugus Reservation (Google Maps)

The Seneca Nation of Indians have won a significant victory over New York State in federal Court.

Native News Online reports the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in favor of Seneca Nation when it rejected the state’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Tribe in 2018. The lawsuit alleged ongoing violations of federal law related to the continued occupation of the New York State Thruway on the Nation’s Cattaraugus Territory.

At issue is a three-mile stretch of highway on I-90 that goes through the Seneca Reservation.
The Court’s decision upholds a 2020 United States District Court decision that denied the State’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

Tribal leaders contend the basis for the case originated in 1954 when the Seneca Nation was pressured to grant an easement for a thruway to be constructed over about 300 acres of its Cattaraugus Reservation.

Land easements on Indian Reservations require federal approval to be deemed valid, but New York State did not take action to get approval from the U.S. Department of the Interior to construct the thruway at the time.

The Tribe wants the Thruway Authority to seek a valid easement so that the Tribe can be compensated for motorists who drive on the portion of the freeway that goes through tribal land.

The Thruway Authority currently operates a toll station on tribal land and the Tribe is seeking to have the station closed.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, and Governor Kathy Hochul hold a storm press briefing (December 26, 2022)

At least 27 people have died in Erie County following a winter storm that paralyzed a good portion of Western New York over the Christmas Holiday weekend.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz confirmed via Twitter of the 27 people who have died that 3 of the deaths were from an EMS Delay, 14 were from exposure, 3 were from shoveling or snow blowing cardiac events; 4 were from no heat; and 3 were those found in a vehicle. He said unfortunately he expects the number of deaths to still increase.

Poloncarz said driving bans remain in effect for Buffalo and Lackawanna with the rest of Erie County under a travel advisory.

The New York State Thruway remains closed from the Pennsylvania line to Exit 46 in Henrietta. The Thruway Authority was expecting to provide an update this morning on that situation.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo said the four-day storm total at the Buffalo Airport was 50 inches of snow. The storm, which had blizzard conditions, left hundreds of motorists stranded and 100,000 without power over the weekend.

President Joe Biden has approved a request by Governor Kathy Hochul for a federal declaration of emergency for Erie and Genesee Counties. The Emergency Declaration will provide immediate federal assistance to impacted counties to support ongoing response and recovery operations.

Hochul also deployed an additional 220 National Guard soldiers to the Western New York region, bringing the total of deployments to approximately 430.

The Thruway Authority is seeking a 5% increase on tolls for NY E-ZPass customers, the first system-wide rate hike for E-ZPass users since 2010. It would also be the first increase since the Thruway eliminated toll booths and switched to a completely cashless system in 2020.

If approved, the rate hikes would go into effect on January 1, 2024.

The Thruway Authority says the money is needed to keep up with infrastructure needs for the 570-mile Thruway system, which stretches from Western New York at the Pennsylvania border to New York City. The highway is entirely supported by tolls and does not receive funding from state or federal tax dollars.

Vehicles without E-ZPass transponders, which are charged through Tolls By Mail when license plates are photographed, would see an even bigger rate hike. Tolls By Mail are currently 30% higher than for E-ZPass users, and the rate differential would increase to 75% above E-ZPass rates.

New York State Police and local law enforcement agencies issued a record 3,062 tickets from April 1 to November 17 of this year to crack down on work zone violations.

This year’s Operation Hardhat ticketed violations total eclipses last year’s total of 2,336 tickets.

Under Operation Hardhat, members of state and local law enforcement agencies patrol Department of Transportation and Thruway Authority work zones to enforce work zone speed limits and ensure that motorists are obeying flagging personnel.

Police officers are present within the work zones, dressed as highway maintenance workers, to identify motorists who are distracted by electronic devices while driving, disobey flagging personnel, speed through the work zone or violate the state’s Move Over Law, which applies to both emergency and maintenance vehicles.

State Police

The special traffic safety initiative for the Thanksgiving weekend runs from today through Monday, November 28.

Governor Kathy Hochul said, “Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the busiest travel times of the year, and our top priority is to make sure everyone gets to and from their destinations safely. There is zero tolerance for drunk and impaired drivers who risk the lives of everyone on our roadways. If your Thanksgiving celebrations include alcohol, plan for a safe ride home with a sober driver.”

In an effort to ease travel during the busy Thanksgiving weekend, temporary lane closures for road and bridge construction projects on New York State highways will be suspended beginning at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 23 through 6:00 a.m. on Monday, November 28.

Motorists are advised that some work may continue behind permanent concrete barriers for emergency repairs.

The Thruway Authority also reminds motorists that nine service areas are closed and under construction as part of the $450 million private investment and modernization project. Fuel services remain open at all locations.

Under the pilot program, a total of 30 cameras will be set up in ten work zones along the thruway.

Locations will be determined by speed, roadway geometry and crash history.

The program will last five years and will only strictly monitor construction zones. The Thruway Authority did not have a timeline for when the cameras will be installed.

At a news conference held in Salamanca, Seneca Nation President Ricky Armstrong, Sr. indicated that the Seneca Nation Transportation Department will coordinate with the Thruway Authority and allow work to begin on the rough stretch of roadway.

The announcement follows several days of talks between the Seneca Nation and the Thruway Authority. Armstrong stated that the repairs will take several weeks to complete and some of the work may have to be continued next spring.

JAMESTOWN – An unidentified man was sent to the hospital early Thursday night after being burned in a utility accident in downtown Jamestown.

According to a story printed in today’s Jamestown Post-Journal, workers were down in a utility manhole on Pine Street just before 7 p.m. when an arc flash injured the man with burns to his hands, face and upper chest. He was removed from the manhole and was taken by Alstar Ambulance to WCA Hospital where he was believed to have then been flown by Starflight to a Buffalo hospital. The man’s identity was not released and there was no information as to which utility he was working with at the time of the accident.

The Jamestown Fire and Police Departments both responded to the scene. Power was placed on emergency shutdown after the accident and several downtown areas were affected.  Power returned at 7:41 p.m.

FREWSBURG MAN FACES CHARGES FOR SEPT. 2 FIRE IN BUSTI

BUSTI – A Frewsburg man has been charged in connection with a fire that destroyed two crude oil storage tanks and a car in Busti earlier this month. Joseph T. George, 25, of 194 Ivory Road, Frewsburg, was charged with third-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree criminal mischief by Lakewood-Busti Police.

Police say George allegedly stole a car from a residence on Southwestern Drive on Sept. 2  that was eventually involved in the accident at the intersection of Busti-Sugar Grove Road and Kortwright Road. The accident caused the oil in the tanks to catch fire, which eventually spread to engulf the car and a wooded area near the scene. Representatives from the oil company that owned the tanks said 110 barrels of crude oil was lost in the fire, most of which burnt up.

George was arraigned in Busti Town Court and taken to the Chautauqua County Jail. Bail was set at $5,000 cash. He will return to Busti Town Court on Sept. 21.

STATE THRUWAY AUTHORITY TO BUILD WIND TURBINES IN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY

BUFFALO – The New York state Thruway Authority is announcing its plan to build five wind turbines in Western New York – four of which will be located in Chautauqua County. The turbines will be built in 2012 and would be located in Dunkirk, Silver Creek, Westfield and Ripley. Three would be located in their respective exits, while the fourth would be at the toll barrier near the state line with Pennsylvania.  A fifth would also be located at the Eden/Angola interchange in Erie County.

The power generated by the wind turbines will be used internally to power Thruway Authority facilities. When fully constructed, they will produce more than 30 percent of the energy consumed in the Buffalo Division. All will be owned and operated by the Thruway Authority, and are to be located on Thruway Authority right-of-ways.

AUDUBON’S ANNUAL AWARD AND RECOGNITION DINNER SET FOR SEPT. 26

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown Audubon Society will hold its annual meeting and volunteer Recognition Night on Monday, Sept. 26, with tickets available for sale until Tuesday, September 20. Not only will volunteers be recognized, but the Chairman’s Award will also be presented to the Audubon Center and Sanctuary’s Education Department.

The group is being recognized for their leadership in developing the Summer Learning Series. Made possible in part by a grant from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the Summer Learning Series offered 20 classes on a wide variety of nature topics, from geology to butterfly gardening to nature photography. The Series was so well received that classes are continuing in the fall.

Others honored at Audubon’s 55^th annual meeting will be Bird Banders Scott Stoleson, Don Watts, Emily Thomas and Linda Ordiway; “Graduates” Elyse Johnson, Dick Johnson, and Edie Bensink; Most Active New Volunteer Heidi Bird; and Most Active under 18 Volunteer – Ben Berry.

There will also be a tribute to John Blackman, a member of the founding committee of the Enchanted Forest who was responsible for the actors through the Awareness Theater and many of the costumes.

The public is invited to this festive evening. Social time begins at 5:30 pm. Cost is $17 per person or $30 for two. Reservations can be made by calling (716) 569-2345 by 4 pm on Tuesday, September 20. For more information, visit www.jamestownaudubon.org.

PRENDERGAST LIBRARY ANNOUNCES  NEW ART ON DISPLAY

JAMESTOWN – And new artwork by an area resident is now on display at the Prendergast Library. The Library will feature beadwork and artwork by Beverly Schmidt of Cassadaga through Sept. 30 in the main reading room. The library will be open 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.  For more information, call 484-7135, Ext. 225.