Rush-Hour Tolls May Rise on Hudson River

By RANDY KENNEDY – New York Times November 16, 2000

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is considering a plan that could double the basic fare on the PATH train to $2 from $1 and increase tolls at several bridges and tunnels to $7 from $4 during rush hours, officials said yesterday.

The proposed increases, which could be subject to extensive changes after they are presented to the Port Authority's board members for the first time today, would affect the Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, George Washington Bridge, Bayonne Bridge, Goethals Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing, where round-trip tolls are now $4. The agency collects about 350,000 tolls at its bridges and tunnels each weekday.

According to the proposal, the bridge and tunnel tolls would rise to $7 during rush hours, which could end up being defined during the morning as 6 to 10 a.m. The tolls would then drop to a slightly lower price, except for the evening rush hours. E-ZPass users would also get some type of discount. And trucks, which pay substantially more than cars at the tollbooth, would be given large discounts for traveling late at night, in an effort to relieve the grinding congestion that trucks can cause at the Hudson River crossings during the day.

"I think that's a pretty big increase," said Bethany Grohs, 30, who was on her way home to Westfield, N.J., last night at the PATH station at the World Trade Center. "So many other things are overpriced, it's nice to have something like this that's only a dollar." Joe Garcia, who was driving a van at the Canal Street entrance to the Holland Tunnel, said: "You're kidding. That's crazy. That's a terrible idea." His passenger, Eric Acevedo, leaned over and said, "It's going to be congested regardless of how much you pay."

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