Jon Campbell is reporting for Democrat and Chronicle highway tolls on the New York State Thruway will increase by 30 percent for non-E-ZPass users next year, and the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge is set for an increase, as well. The Thruway Authority Board of Directors December 1, unanimously approved the hike, which will take effect on January 1. Thruway tolls will not increase for New York-based E-ZPass users in 2021. The board approved a steep increase for those without E-ZPass: A 30 percent jump plus a $2 surcharge on each mailed bill. Out-of-state E-ZPass users will see a 15 percent increase. The Thruway Authority board also approved a number of changes to the Cuomo Bridge toll, including an increase from $4.75 on the Westchester-bound span, to $5.25 in 2021 and $5.75 in 2022. This will mark the first time the rates on the 570-mile superhighway system have increased since 2010. The toll increase was first proposed by the authority last year as the transition into cashless, all-electronic tolling began. Toll revenues are down a projected 17 percent, or $123 million, in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the authority. "We have not had a toll adjustment in 10 years and as we enter into a new era of modern transportation on the Thruway, it’s the right time both operationally and financially for this adjustment to occur," Thruway Authority executive director Matthew Driscoll said in a statement. Sen. James Tedisco, a Schenectady County Republican, criticized the highway toll increase, saying it will be a burden on low-income New York drivers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more in the Democrat and Chronicle.