NEW YORK CITY-Drivers who travel across the Goethals and Bayonne Bridges and Outerbridge Crossing will receive some relief at the tolls come next month. A new plan by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey will reduce tolls by 50% for EZ-Pass customers at the three bridges spanning Staten Island and northern New Jersey.
The plan, which will be enacted on Feb. 1, was developed at the request of Governors Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie after the team strongly opposed a fare and toll increase on area roads, bridges and tunnels last summer.
Under the new plan, commuters who enroll will pay $47.50 for 10 trips in a 30-day period, amounting to $4.75 a trip. According to the port, drivers who commute five times a week over the crossings can save nearly $1,200 a year on their E-ZPass rush-hour tolls, and $1,800 a year off the cash toll. This amounts to savings of between $100 and $150 per month. However, commuters who make at least six trips will yield savings compared to the standard toll rate of $9.50.
Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority, told reporters after a meeting of the New York Building Congress that the discount plan improves on an existing discount by benefitting commuters who use the crossings less frequently. “In this economy, $120 to $150 is a lot of money, and I would urge every Staten Island commuter who is not signed up to please do so,” he said.
The plan could also be a boon for industrial sites on both sides of the harbor. David Lebenstein, senior managing director at Cassidy Turley, who was retained by the New York City Economic Development Corp. to help lease the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Southern Brooklyn, says the toll plan is a “small element” that could help relieve the burden on tenants and potential employees coming in from Staten Island and New Jersey.
“Anything that will reduce transportation costs and encourage people into the region is very good for a place like the Brooklyn Army Terminal,” Lebenstein tells GlobeSt.com. “There are so many other factors, but it is certainly a plus and it is useful.”
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