Reach deeper into those wallets when traveling in and out of New York City (NYC). Lawmakers’ aim to increase the price of tolls for tunnels and bridges went into effect on April 1.
Back in February, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board approved the fare and toll upsurge to raise money for road, train, and subway improvement as part of the 10-point plan from NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and NY state Governor Andrew Cuomo.
For example, a 4-axle truck crossing a major NYC bridge like the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge with an E-ZPass will now cost $23.16.
However, if you don’t have an E-ZPass, it will cost even more. A 4-axle truck crossing the same bridge without an E-ZPass will cost $39.12.
In addition, going farther into Manhattan will cost even more on top of the toll increases. Congestion pricing is coming before the end of 2020, charging truck drivers around $25 to drive below 60th street. This strategy is aiming to raise more than $1 billion a year toward the improvements to the public transportation system on top of the bridge and tunnel toll increase.
“We’re dealing with a crisis with our subways and buses like we’ve never seen before,” de Blasio said. “We cannot allow the status quo, particularly with our subways to continue. It’s causing too many problems for hardworking people in this city…I’ve come to the conclusion there is no way to achieve what we need without congestion pricing.”
While renovations for the NYC public transportation system is past due, drivers and companies functioning on a budget are having to strap their belts even tighter. However, drivers will not be charged more than once a day for their travels inside of Manhattan, and these charges exclude the FDR and West Side highways.
