Traveling for Memorial Day? What to expect on the NY Thruway

Emily Barnes, New York State Team

Memorial Day weekend is here and New Yorkers are hitting the road. AAA is projecting 43.8 million travelers nationwide will travel 50 miles or more from home between Thursday, May 23 and Monday, May 28 — a 4% increase over last year. Around 38.4 million people will travel by car, specifically.

Here's what to expect on the New York State Thruway this holiday weekend.

Gas prices for Memorial Day 2024

Gas prices are expected to be similar to last year when the national average was around $3.57, according to AAA.

Memorial Day 2024: Construction zones and sobriety checkpoints

Temporary lane closures for road and bridge construction projects on state highways are suspended through 6 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28, Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a written statement Friday.

However, some work may continue behind permanent concrete barriers or for emergency repairs.

Sobriety checkpoints and increased patrols by state police and local and county law enforcement agencies will be present throughout the holiday weekend to combat alcohol and drug-impaired driving and reckless driving. The STOP-DWI enforcement period starts at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 24 and runs through 11 p.m. on Monday, May 27.

Cashless tolls: What to know about NY’s new rules to protect drivers who pay tolls by mail

NY Thruway tolls have gone up. Here's how much more you'll pay

Memorial Day travel, especially by car, is expected to be high this year, according to AAA.
Memorial Day travel, especially by car, is expected to be high this year, according to AAA.

Thruway tolls increased by 5% in January. Translated into dollars, toll increases for one-way trips from Exit 46 (Interstate 290) in Rochester, according to the New York State Thruway Authority, are as follows for E-ZPass users:

  • To Exit 50 in Buffalo: $2.72, up from $2.59

  • To Exit 36 in Syracuse: $3.73, up from $3.55

  • To Exit 24 in Albany: $10.06, up from $9.59

And for Tolls by Mail users:

  • To Exit 50 in Buffalo: $4.75, up from $3.37

  • To Exit 36 in Syracuse: $6.53, up from $4.62

  • To Exit 24 in Albany: $17.21, up from $12.47

Thruway rest areas: Four New York State Thruway rest areas have reopened this year. These are still closed

NY Thruway rest areas: Which ones are closed?

Rest stops along the Thruway have sporadically been shut down for months at a time while upgrades like new restaurants, outdoor seating, playground and pet walking areas were built over the course of a $450 million project.

Here's a list of Thruway service areas that are currently closed:

  • Sloatsburg: Located between Exit 15A - Sloatsburg/Suffern/state Routes 17N and 59 and Exit 16 - Harriman/U.S. Route 5/state Route 17

  • Malden: Located between Exit 20 - Saugerties/Woodstock/state Route 32 and Exit 21 - Catskill/Cairo/state Route 23

  • Pattersonville: Located between Exit 26 - Schenectady/Scotia/Interstate 890/state Routes 5 and 5S and Exit 27 - Amsterdam/state Route 30

  • Ontario: Located between Exit 46 - Rochester/Corning/Interstate 390 and Exit 47 - Rochester/LeRoy/Interstate 490/state Route 19

  • Angola (both directions): Located between Exit 57A - Eden/Angola and Exit 58 - Silver Creek/Irving/state Routes 5, 20 and 438

  • Scottsville: Located between Exit 47 - Rochester/LeRoy/Interstate 490/state Route 19 and Exit 46 - Rochester/Corning/Interstate 390

  • DeWitt: Located between Exit 36 - Watertown/Binghamton/Interstate 81 and Exit 35 - Syracuse/East Syracuse/state Route 298

  • Mohawk: Located between Exit 27 - Amsterdam/state Route 30 and Exit 26 - Schenectady/Scotia/Interstate 890/state Routes 5 and 5S

  • Ulster: Located between Exit 20 - Saugerties/Woodstock/state Route 32 and Exit 19 - Kingston/state Route 28 - Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge

  • Ramapo: Located between Exit 16 - Harriman/U.S. Route 6/state Route 17 and Exit 15A - Sloatsburg/Suffern/state Routes 17 North and 59

The Modena rest stop — located between Exit 19 - New Paltz/Poughkeepsie/state Route 299 and Exit 17 - Newburgh/Scranton/Interstate 84/state Routes 17K and 300 — is open but the only food option currently available is the Applegreen convenience store.

Fuel services remain open at every rest area.

Emily Barnes is the New York State Team consumer advocate reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Barnes at ebarnes@gannett.com or on Twitter @byemilybarnes.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: NY Thruway: Construction zones, rest stops and tolls. What to know

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