Although the plan recently put into action by the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority doesn’t feature tolls quite as high as the one initially proposed a few weeks ago, the ruling will still cost heavy trucks more. This news comes as a direct counter-point to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recent announcement that the toll hikes were “off of the bargaining table.”
According to the newly ratified toll plan, cash tolls for a 5-axle truck crossing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge will rise to $80, from the current $70, while the E-ZPass rate will rise to about $52 from about $47. That bridge is the only one with one-way tolling.
The same truck using the Robert F. Kennedy, Bronx-Whitestone or Throgs Neck bridges will see the cash tolls rise $5 to $40, with E-ZPass up about $2.50 to about $26.07 each way. The rates will be the same for the Hugh L. Carey and Queens Midtown tunnels.
The cash toll on the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial and Cross Bay Veterans Memorial bridges will rise $2.50 to $20, and the E-ZPass rate will rise $1 to about $13 each way.
This plan of action is the result of months-long proposals and inter-fighting between the NY City government, the MTA and business leaders. At this point, NYC business owners are still opposing the toll hikes, as they note it will be passed directly down to consumers, week by week.
In August of this year, NYC Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said that instead of increasing truck tolls, the thruway authority should cut costs and find other ways to raise revenue, such as government spending cuts.
As of now, the new toll increases will begin on March 1st, 2013. More news as it develops.