Port Authority toll hikes on bridges, tunnels go into effect

Driving across the bridges and tunnels that link New York City and New Jersey cost more beginning Sunday.

Motorists heading across the Port Authority's six crossings into New York now pay 63 cents more under the fee hikes, first announced in November.

For standard cars and trucks without E-ZPass, tolls at Port Authority crossings rose from $17 to $17.63, a 3.7% increase.

E-ZPass off-peak hours tolls for cars and other two-axle vehicles increased from $12.75 to $13.38, or 5%. E-ZPass peak hours tolls went from $14.75 to $15.38, a 4.3% increase. Discount plans remain in effect.

The Port Authority operates and maintains the crossings between New York City and New Jersey: the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, Bayonne Bridge, Goethals Bridge and Outerbridge Crossing. Tolls are paid when entering New York.

The increase is the first of two Port Authority hikes planned for this winter. AirTrain fares will increase by 25 cents to $8.50 on March 3. This reflects a 3% uptick in an AirTrain single-ride ticket.

The AirTrain at Kennedy Airport connects to the Long Island Rail Road and the subway system at the Jamaica and Howard Beach stations. At Newark Liberty International Airport, the AirTrain connects to NJ Transit, PATH and Amtrak.

The toll and fare hikes included in the 2024 proposed budget plans were triggered by a 3.7% increase in the consumer price index over a year period starting in September 2022, Newsday previously reported.

Automatic annual inflation-based adjustments were authorized by the authority’s board in 2019, which raised the AirTrain fare that year from $5 to $7.75. This is the third inflation-based fare boost.

Increased commuter and toll costs follow MTA-related increases that took place in August and September for the LIRR and MTA's bridges and tunnels.

The MTA raised LIRR one-way, off-peak tickets by 4.6%. The weekly and monthly ticket rates increased by roughly 4.3%.

A nearly 6% toll hike for E-ZPass customers went into effect on the MTA’s bridges and tunnels while all other drivers saw a 10% increase.

With Lorena Mongelli

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.