The state Thruway Authority last week #- following a series of perfunctory public meetings to gather feedback on its plan - approved a pair of 5 percent toll hikes, the first of which will hit drivers in July.

The increases are needed, we're told, because a decrease in traffic volume means revenues will fall far short of $2 billion needed for highway and bridge repairs.

The authority's public relations spin is that advancing a “penny-per-mile” increase, will enable it to continue to provide safe roads and bridges.

The Authority says it has cut more than 450 positions since 1995; plans to chop another 50 by 2013; and has plans to bring in more money through advertising and sponsorship deals.

The Thruway Authority is a bloated, multi-layered bureaucracy that has been unable #- or unwilling #- to balance its books, and the bulk of the money it needs will continue to some straight out of the pockets of already overburdened New York workers.

You may recall a report showing that 200 Thruway workers made more than $10,000 each in overtime in 2006, with one worker effectively doubling his annual salary by collecting $32,317 in OT.

You may also have noticed that gas prices are still going up.

New Yorkers certainly can't afford another toll increase, but we're stuck with the Thruway Authority unless efforts in Albany to have it dissolved can be made law. The authority's board does not answer to the Legislature or the governor, operating on a budget made up mostly of toll collections.

Requiring commuters and businesses to keep paying more is unreasonable, but as the state Thruway Authority continues to be mismanaged, New York motorists will continue to pay the price for it.