Steep toll Hike Possible for NJ-NY Crossings

The Port Authority plans to seek a toll hike of at least $2 on its Hudson River crossings and an increase in PATH rail fares after next week’s state legislative elections, The Star-Ledger has learned.

Current peak-hour tolls of $6 per vehicle at the George Washington Bridge and Lincoln and Holland tunnels are expected to jump to at least $8 early next year – the first hikes since 2000, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject.

While a toll and fare hike proposal likely will be presented at the Port Authority’s Nov. 15 board meeting, the agency’s leadership has not yet settled on the exact amount of the increases, the officials said.

They explained there are some within the agency who would like a $3 increase, while others want to limit the hike to $2 on the Hudson River crossings and the Staten Island bridges – the Outerbridge Crossing and the Goethels and Bayonne bridges. Tolls are charged only one way.

There also is talk of eliminating the $1 E-ZPass discount for drivers.

No decision has been reached on a PATH increase, though a 25- to 50-cent jump on the current $1.50 fare is being discussed, they said.

One scenario calls for raising the current $6 peak and $5 off-peak bridge and tunnel tolls to $8 and $7 respectively, with an additional $1 off if the agency decides to keep the E-ZPass discount. Under this scenario, the increase would raise about $275 million annually for the agency.

“We have stated for nearly a year that to fund our 10-year capital program, including security costs that have risen by $400 million a year, the second Hudson River rail tunnel, completely replacing the PATH system, maintaining the bridges and tunnels and rebuilding the World Trade Center, eventually a toll increase will be necessary,” said Marc La Vorgna, a spokesman for the Port Authority. ”That position has not changed.”

La Vorgna declined to elaborate.