Three major infrastructure projects totaling $17.4 million have been completed on the New York State Thruway in Central New York, Governor Kathy Hochul announced. The projects were finished on schedule and within budget.
“Infrastructure investments are benefiting New Yorkers by modernizing our transportation system and improving the quality of life for travelers, local businesses and residents,” Governor Hochul said. “These projects are transforming our roadways, critical for the economy and improving travel for millions of motorists.”
New York State Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare commented, “The Thruway Authority continues to strategically reinvest toll revenue back into the system, modernizing the more than 71-year-old roadway and enhancing safety and reliability. These projects reflect the Thruway Authority’s ongoing commitment to investing into the roadway, helping to maintain some of the lowest toll rates in the nation while ensuring the Thruway remains one of the safest superhighways in the country.”
Since 2024, nearly $170 million from toll revenue has been invested by the Thruway Authority into capital infrastructure projects within its Syracuse Division, which covers over 150 miles between Fort Plain in Montgomery County and Victor in Ontario County. In its proposed five-year Capital Plan for 2026-2030, more than $470 million is recommended for capital projects in Central New York.
The first project was a $6 million pavement improvement initiative on I-90 through Seneca and Ontario Counties that began in 2024 and concluded in November. This included full-depth repairs along a 20-mile stretch between exits 42 (Geneva-Lyons) and 44 (Canandaigua-Victor), affecting approximately 28,000 daily motorists. Additional upgrades involved reflective line striping and milled-in audible roadway delineators to improve safety.
A second project replaced the Townline Road bridge over I-90 at a cost of $7.5 million. The new bridge increases vertical clearances on both eastbound and westbound lanes to reduce incidents involving overheight vehicles. It also features reconstructed approaches, new guiderails, snow fencing, pedestrian sidewalks, drainage improvements, and other safety enhancements.
The third project rehabilitated the Interchange 34A bridge (Syracuse-Chittenango-Oswego-I-481) over I-90 at milepost 276.58 with an investment of $3.9 million. The ramp bridge now has an extended service life of up to 35 years after deck repairs, substructure work, waterproofing installation, new joints, asphalt overlays on ramp lanes and shoulders as well as updated guiderails.
According to information from the New York State Thruway Authority, maintenance and operation of this highway system is primarily funded by tolls rather than federal or state tax dollars; about one-third of drivers are from out-of-state.
In 2024 alone, more than 400 million toll transactions were processed as motorists drove a total of 8.2 billion miles on the Thruway network. The current Capital Plan allocates $2.7 billion toward infrastructure improvements—an increase driven by a multi-year toll adjustment plan approved in 2023—which will impact around two-thirds of pavement lane miles as well as about one-fifth of bridges along this route.
Toll rates remain among America’s lowest for similar roads; base passenger vehicle rates are less than five cents per mile compared with higher rates found elsewhere such as Ohio or Pennsylvania Turnpikes.
Officials urge drivers to remain alert while traveling these routes—especially near work zones—and remind them that New York’s Move Over Law requires slowing down or changing lanes when approaching stopped vehicles on highways.
