The National Transportation Research Nonprofit, TRIP, released the report, “The New York Thruway: The Empire State’s Main Street,” that found that Thruway vehicle travel has returned to near pre-pandemic levels and is projected to increase by nine percent from 2022 to 2031.

The report said that the Thruway Authority has a $1.2 billion funding gap through 2031 in revenue needed to maintain its high levels of safety and service, maintain good infrastructure conditions, support Thruway operations, and maintain debt service coverage at appropriate levels.

Current toll rates per mile on the New York Thruway System, and rates proposed for 2024, are well below rates on most similar toll facilities in the northeastern U.S.

The report added that significant increases in the cost of highway and bridge improvements could threaten the ability of the Thruway Authority to improve the condition, safety and reliability of the Thruway. The Federal Highway Administration’s national highway construction cost index, which measures labor and materials cost, increased by 50 percent during the 21 months from the start of the first quarter in January 2021 to the end of the third quarter in September 2022.