MTA Reminds Customers New Tolls at Bridge and Tunnel Crossing to Begin Aug. 6

Toll Increase Lessened for E-ZPass Customers, Who Will Now Save 2% More Than Before Compared to Tolls by Mail Customers 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is reminding motorists that new tolls take effect Sunday, August 6 at 12:00 a.m. The toll increase adopted by the MTA Board on July 19 increases the discount offered to E-ZPass users, as had been proposed as “Option B”.  The new tolls, which are expected to yield a 5.5% toll revenue increase, were adopted by the MTA Board at its July meeting. 

Under the new toll structure, customers who use an E-ZPass administered by the E-ZPass NY Customer Service Center will be able to save 2% more than before as compared to Tolls by Mail customers. 

Toll rates continue to vary based on vehicle type and bridge or tunnel crossed. For automobiles using the MTA’s major crossings, the Bronx-Whitestone, Robert F. Kennedy, Throgs Neck, and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridges, and Hugh L. Carey and Queens Midtown Tunnels, the new toll rates are set forth in the table below.  

*Mid-tier rate is charged to an E-ZPass account-holder when an E-ZPass tag is not read due to improper mounting and the toll is collected via license plate lookup. 

Discounts for qualifying Staten Island residents using the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and Rockaways and Broad Channel residents using the Cross Bay and Marine Parkway bridges will remain in place. 

Continuation of Periodic, Incremental Fare and Toll Adjustments that Began in 2009 

The modest increase in fares and tolls is a continuation of an MTA practice that began in 2009 in which small, predictable adjustments are made to fares and tolls on a biennial basis. Due to the impact the pandemic had on ridership, fare increases were temporarily put on hold in 2021. The toll and fare revenue increase for 2023 is projected to generate $117 million in 2023. The five-year plan announced on Monday, July 17, assumes an additional 4% increase in 2025 and in 2027. 

Traffic has returned with MTA Bridges and Tunnels crossings back at, or above, pre-pandemic levels. Paid ridership across subways, buses, commuter railroads, and paratransit continue to trend towards the midpoint scenario analyzed by consulting firm McKinsey, which has the MTA reaching 80% of its pre-pandemic ridership by 2027.