Toll Hikes Take Effect: Going To NYC Costs More

If you’re heading into New York City on Sunday, it’ll cost you more.

A toll hike for all bridges and tunnels between New York and New Jersey went into effect at 3 a.m. Sunday. EZ Pass customers pay 75 cents more per ride, while cash tolls increased from $13 to $14. Truck drivers will pay $12 more for six-axle tractor trailers.

The hikes, according to the Port Authority, were approved three years ago to ”restore fiscal health to the agency” as the bi-state agency pursues a $25.1 billion 10-year capital plan.

The hikes come just as forecasters are predicting that a nor’easter will hit New Jersey on Monday through Wednesday.

The Port Authority, in a press release, said the revised toll and fare rates “recognize the severe financial constraints facing the agency and the financial limitations on regional commuters and businesses dependent on the Port Authority’s transportation network each day.”

Tolls on cars using E-ZPass were to increase 75 cents in December each year from 2012-2015 for a total increase of $4.50 over five years.

Projects funded in the capital plan were to include:

• George Washington Bridge suspender ropes
• Lincoln Tunnel Helix rehabilitation
• Bayonne Bridge roadway raising
• New Goethals Bridge with both Port Authority and private investment
• PATH Car, signal, and station modernizations
• Airport runway and taxiway modernizations
• Security enhancements at all facilities
• Port infrastructure improvements to rail and roads in the port
• Completion of the World Trade Center

More on Patch:

• Nor’easter: Could Be ‘Long Event’ With Heavy Rains, Snow
• Carbon Monoxide Kills 2, Injures 12 Others In North Jersey Recording Studio
• One Dead After Fiery Multi-Vehicle, Fuel Tanker Crash On Route 78
• Coastal Flooding Expected After Heavy Rains In Jersey Shore
• Nor’easter, Snow To Hit New Jersey Early Next Week