By Eileen Buckley
Grand Island, NY – Efforts to remove the Grand Island tolls kick into high gear Friday.
Proposed legislation will be unveiled by Senator George Maziarz and the citizen group No Grand Island Tolls.
The State Thruway Authority controls the Niagara Section of the Thruway, including the Grand Island Tolls.
But now a state senator and a Grand Island resident are calling for the State Department of Transportation to take over.
Rus Thompson is a Grand Island resident fighting to get rid of the tolls. He tells WBFO News that Senator Maziarz has drafted proposed legislation to give the DOT control so tolls could be removed.
Thompson says by moving the Niagara section over to the DOT, it would open the door for federal funding for road, bridge and reconstruction dollars.
Thompson says he has already received reassurances from Senators Volker, Rath and Thompson that they would support it.
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