50949_WKBW_7_Problem_Solvers_658x90.png

Actions

Cashless tolls: progress in GI toll debate

Posted at 12:26 PM, Jun 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-28 12:26:35-04

After years of tolls, traffic, and frustration for some, the conversation around the future of tolls at the Grand Island Bridges is seeing movement, thanks to Supervisor Nate McMurray. 

With rising concerns over the impact of these tolls on the Grand Island economy, McMurray took to social media with a video that has since gone viral, calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to do something about the situation. 

"For decades, these tolls have affected everything on Grand Island. I get it, people say there are tolls everywhere. But the situation on Grand Island is different, the only other way to get here is by taking a swim," McMurray said.

While this conversation is garnering new attention, it's not a new one. With a bit of creativity, a light switched that caught the governor's attention and has since given people hope.

After seeing the video,"Dear Governor Cuomo," the governor called on his team, beginning with Sam Hoyt, Regional President of Empire State Development Corporation, to get the ball rolling.

With the suggestion of cashless tolls as a starting point, it was a conversation McMurray called, "positive."

"We weren't getting anyhere before. I told them this is your chance to do something no one has been able to do in 80 years," he said. 

There's been no timeline as to when cashless tolls will make there way to Upstate New York, but McMurray says, for now, this is a "reasonable middle ground."

To watch Supervisor McMurray's entire video, visit his website