Tolls go up Sunday on crossings from NJ into New York, Pennsylvania
Tolls are going up Sunday on many of the crossings between New Jersey and New York and Pennsylvania.
The Port Authority will up the tolls on the George Washington, Bayonne, Goethals and Outerbridge Crossing bridges and the Lincoln and Holland tunnels for E-Z Pass users during off-peak hours from $10.50 to $11.75 and from $12.50 to $13.75 during peak hours. The cost for Tolls by Mail users rises from $15 to $16.
The increases take effect at 3 a.m. to ensure for a smooth transition to the new rates, according to Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman.
Commuters did get partial relief with the Port Authority Carpool Plan discounts remaining in effect at George Washington, Lincoln and Holland after pressure from drivers and public officials, including an online petition that gathered 11,600 signatures.
The Port Authority contends that as those three crossings go cashless, there is no way to accurately count the number of occupants in a vehicle. U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. 5th District, told NorthJersey.com that technology to determine the passenger count is being studied in California, Georgia and Minnesota.
The Bayonne, Goethals and Outerbridge Crossing bridges, which are already cashless, will lose the Carpool Discount on Sunday.
The toll for the connector bridge formally known an the Pearl Harbor Extension, linking the New Jersey and Pennsylvania turnpikes, increases at 12:01 a.m. Sunday as part of a toll increase on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
E-ZPass holders will pay $5.70, up from $5.30, for the trip over the Delaware River and $7.70, up from $7.20, for the “pay by plate” program. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission approved the toll increase last July.
By law, tolls collected on the Pennsylvania Turnpike supports mass transit statewide with the most funds going towards Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ