New York State Thruway Authority suing 3 companies they say owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in tolls
The New York State Thruway Authority says it is owed $70 million in unpaid tolls from 2024 alone, and now they're heading to court to try to collect.
Ninety-six percent of drivers on the Thruway pay their tolls, the agency says, but they chase after the other 4% with violation notices and debt collectors.
"Sometimes run up thousands and thousands of dollars. In the case of commercial truckers, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars," New York State Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank Hoare said.
3 companies owe over $1 million total in unpaid tolls, Thruway Authority says
Three companies alone owe more than $1 million total, according to allegations in lawsuits brought by the Thruway Authority:
- an Ossining-based company called Ridenhour Incorporated owes $255,000,
- the Williamsburg Materials Corporation of Maspeth owes $259,000,
- and the Northside Industrial Corporation of the Bronx owes $506,000.
All three are now targets of the agency's new plan to sue what they describe as some of the worst toll offenders.
"There are others that we're in the process of, various stages of litigation and going after," Hoare said. "And again our message is, to those who don't pay your tolls is, you use the system, you need to pay. If you don't, you're simply stealing from us and you're impacting our ability to deliver that safe, reliable and affordable highway."
None of the companies would agree to an on-camera interview, but the owner of Ridenhour said over the phone he'd struggled with bills due to deaths in his family and the financial challenges of the pandemic. He said he's working with the Thruway Authority to try to pay off the debt.
The Thruway Authority collects more than $800 million per year in tolls, and the vast majority of the money it uses to maintain the road comes from tolls.
The state of New York is now discussing a possible agreement with New Jersey and Pennsylvania to allow New York to request registration suspensions for frequent New York toll dodgers who are registered in those states and vice versa. New York already has such an agreement with the state of Massachusetts.
