Agency to Surpass Previous All-Time Record of 330.7 Million Crossings Set in 2019
View Graphs Showing Increasing Traffic Volumes
MTA Bridges and Tunnels today announced that it is set to record its highest annual traffic volume in 87 years, with over 335 million vehicular crossings expected to be made in 2023, an increae of 1.3% over the previous record year, 2019, when 330.7 million crossings were made.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels operates and maintains seven bridges and two tunnels listed at the bottom of this release that link the five boroughs of New York City. It is the busiest bridge and tunnel agency in the United States.
The agency recorded 18.5 million crossings in its first full year of operation, 1937, with only three bridges completed at the time.
“I’d like to commend the workforce for promoting safe road operations throughout this record year, through enforcement and infrastructure maintenance and improvements,” said MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan. “As a message to motorists traversing our facilities, E-ZPass is the least expensive, easiest way to pay your tolls. Customers can also download the increasingly popular Tolls NY app, which conveniently allows you manage your E-ZPass account.”
MTA Bridges and Tunnels has made dramatic advances in operating efficiencies leading to greater traffic throughput, road safety, and customer experience, notably through one of its biggest transformations with the installation of Open Road Tolling (ORT) in 2017. Since implementation of cashless tolling, average daily traffic through B&T facilities has increased by 7%, customer travel time has been substantially reduced, and the rate of collisions has significantly decreased.
The agency is planning further enhancements to customer experience and road safety through safety improvement projects focused on reducing congestion. Additionally, in coordination with NYC Department of Transportation, Bridges and Tunnels plays a significant role in improving regional mobility for bicyclists, pedestrians and micromobility users through the Extending Transit’s Reach plan.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels’ facilities are:
- Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
- Cross Bay Bridge
- Henry Hudson Bridge
- Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (formerly known as the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel)
- Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge
- Queens Midtown Tunnel
- Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (formerly known as the Triborough Bridge)
- Throgs Neck Bridge
- Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
