The groups expressed concern that the George Washington Bridge toll hike and large-scale reconstruction at Thruway Exit 8 will exacerbate Tappan Zee back-ups.

Since the Port Authority raised rush hour tolls last week to $5 for E-ZPass and $6 for cash, Rockland and Bergen County car commuters can save up to $4 a trip by using the Tappan Zee Bridge, where regular car commuters with E-ZPass pay only $1. Traffic counts indicate that more cars may already be traveling the Tappan Zee. Thruway officials told the Journal News that 19% more cars than average used the T-Z between 6-7am on March 26th - the first day of higher Port Authority tolls. A Journal News analysis found that previous toll hikes at the George Washington Bridge directly preceded the three highest percentage traffic increases on the Tappan Zee during the last 30 years.

The groups urged the Thruway to try congestion pricing, vanpooling and other strategies to improve conditions before seriously considering construction of a new Tappan Zee Bridge. A Thruway study of congestion pricing showed that rush hour traffic could be reduced by at least 7% percent if rush hour tolls were $4 for cash-payers and the commuter discount raised to $2.50. The plan would keep off-peak tolls the same or lower them to provide the anti-congestion incentive.

"Before we pursue the question of whether a new or wider bridge is needed, we should do our best to reduce traffic congestion in other ways. Working to reduce demand first is the environmentally and fiscally responsible course of action," said Thom Kleiner, Supervisor of Orangetown.

"In what has seemed like a foregone decision to build a replacement bridge, the Thruway Authority has gotten ahead of itself," said David Gordon, Senior Attorney for Riverkeeper. "From a public policy standpoint, the obvious first step is to see how congestion pricing and other demand-side strategies work to ease traffic problems along the I-87/287 corridor."

Organizations participating were the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Environmental Defense, Clearwater, Concerned Citizens for Responsible Development, Riverkeeper, the Village of Tarrytown and the Town of Orangetown.