Trucks, Autos Facing Higher Tolls, Paper Says
Drivers around the country will see big hikes in toll fees this year for roads, bridges and tunnels, USA Today reported Monday.
The increases come as states endure lean budgets as they struggle to find money to maintain and replace infrastructure, the paper said.
In March, the toll for truckers crossing the George Washington Bridge into New York City from New Jersey will pay $35 in peak hours, up from $25, USA Today reported. Autos’ fees will rise to $8, from $5.
Patrick Jones, chief executive officer of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, which represents toll authorities, told the paper that Congress’s decision to keep the federal gas tax at 18.4 cents per gallon, which has not changed since 1993, has led to a more reliance on tolls.
The paper cited other planned toll hikes, including:
• The Golden Gate Bridge will boost its toll to $6 from $5 if approved by an oversight board, as well as a possible new toll of $2 for drivers exiting into San Francisco.
• The cost of driving the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road will rise in April to $8 from $4.65 for cash customers, though it will not change for those with electronic i-Zoom accounts.
• In Massachusetts, rates for the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels in Boston rose to $3.50 from $3 on Jan. 1, and the funds will help pay for the city’s $14.6 billion “Big Dig” project.
• New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) wants to increase tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway by 50% every four years, starting in 2010, and add an extra adjustment for inflation.
• The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will raise tolls on the Holland and Lincoln tunnels and its bridges by $2 to $10 per trip in March. The state will impose smaller toll increases on nine other New York-area bridges and tunnels on March 16.
• Pennsylvania has asked the federal government for permission to add tolls to Interstate 80. The cost of driving the 316-mile road would be $25 for cars and $93 for trucks. The state will increase tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike by 25% in 2009, making the cost similar to the proposed I-80 tolls.
