Tolls in NYC Collect Millions Annually from Commuters
It’s no surprise that New York City and its’ surrounding areas are home to some of the most costly tolls in the country. In fact, according to a New York Daily News article, New York and New Jersey commuters account for just about 1/3 of all tolls collected across the United States, as of October 2015.
For a clearer understanding, according to the 2015 Report on Tolling in the United States, 1/3 of the United State’s toll revenue for 2013 estimated out to be about 4 billion dollars. Keep in mind the the country’s total toll revenue for 2013 was 13 billion dollars (New York Daily Times).
According to the same report, when ranked, New York State Thruway Authority came in third place in the Top 10 Toll Agencies by Mileage. New York was led only by 1. Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, and 2. Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise.
When ranked in the Top 10 Toll Agencies Revenue in Millions, New Jersey Turnpike Authority ranked number one, with 1.413 million dollars in toll revenue.
New Jersey commuters make up a large portion of the New York toll payers who travel into New York City each day for work, not to mention the large number of commuters that also stem from Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
In the same list, New York State Thruway Authority ranked number 8 with 649 million dollars in toll revenue.
Although it seems obvious, here is some professional insight regarding the overall reasoning for the high toll intakes in this area, according to New York Daily News:
“ ‘The primary reason (for New York and New Jersey drivers paying the highest tolls) would be the concentration in the region of bridges and tunnels connecting the greater New York metro area,’ said Neil Gray, director of government affairs at IBTTA.”
New York City not only has an overly dense population of commuters and residents but also, what seems to be endless options when it comes to daily transit.
Here is what commuters can expect to pay for tolls in NYC:
According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the following rates apply to: Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, the George Washington, Bayonne & Goethals bridges, and the Outerbridge Crossing.
The following images are from the official Port Authority of NY and NJ Website.
Cars and Smaller Trucks
Larger Vehicles
Larger Buses and Motorcycles
The good news is, there are no tolls collected exiting NY and entering NJ, these tolls are only in to be expected while entering the state of NY.
Bottom line, with commuter numbers this high, the NYC area can expect to see tolls in place for years to come.
Tolls may be frustrating to some, but according to the 2015 Report on Tolling in the United States, “84% of Americans feel tolls should be considered as a primary source of transportation revenue or on a project-by-project basis.”