Abinanti Asks Thruway Authority To Save Money: Don’t Move Gantry

TARRYTOWN- Assemblyman Tom Abinanti (D-Greenburgh/Mt. Pleasant) is asking the New York State Thruway Authority to save money! He is suggesting that the Thruway Authority not move the “gantry,” that holds the EZPass and license plate readers from the Rockland side to the Westchester side of the New NY Bridge.

“The Thruway Authority should save money and leave the gantry and all of the attached equipment that reads and transmits EZPass and license plate information where they are,” said the Westchester Assemblyman. “The present placement on the Rockland side works just fine and the money could be better spent helping the riverfront communities deal with the unintended consequences of the construction of the new bridge.”

The final construction plan for the two new bridge spans over the Hudson (replacing the Tappan Zee) requires moving the gantry over the southbound lanes from its present location on the Rockland side of the River to a new location on the Westchester side. The gantry holds EZPass and license plate readers and supporting equipment.

Abinanti made his request in a letter to the Thruway Authority’s Chair. In his letter, Abinanti also noted that constructing the gantry and installing EZPass and license plate readers with the supporting equipment on the Rockland side cost approximately $1 million and that the cost of moving the gantry and equipment to the Westchester side could cost twice as much.

“The money saved should be added to the monies already allocated in a Community Benefit Fund to the riverfront communities impacted by construction and the new motor vehicle/bicycle/pedestrian traffic patterns,” said Abinanti.

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