Port Authority wants you to pay more

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Eyewitness News' Lisa Colagrossi

(New York - WABC, Oct. 31, 2007) (WABC) -- Commuters get ready to dig deeper into your wallet. The Port Authority is looking to hike Hudson River tolls by $2 to $3. And PATH fares are headed higher too.

Eyewitness News reporter Lisa Colagrossi is live in Fort Lee with the latest.

Imagine paying $8.00 to use the George Washington Bridge.That's what's going to happen if the Port Authority has it's way. They are looking at sweeping hikes for PATH trains and Hudson River crossings.

From the top of Manhattan to the far reaches of Staten Island -- the plan is to take more money from people who drive -- and those who use the PATH system.

The Port Authority won't put in a formal request for the hikes -- until after next week's legislative elections. But once the voting booth is out of the way... The toll booth will look a lot more expensive.

Tolls on the GWB, the Holland and Lincoln tunnels -- should go up at least $2.
Tolls would also take a jump on the outerbridge crossing, Goethals bridge and Bayonne bridge, which connect New Jersey and Staten Island.
PATH fares are also expected to go up, by as much as 50 cents a ride.
And drivers who rely on EZ pass could lose their one dollar discount.

Port Authority officials are sitting on a budget surplus of roughly $400 million. But they say the hikes will raise roughly 300 million dollars a year, money they want to spend on long-term, big money projects.

Port Authority Comments on Raising tolls and fares:

"We have stated for nearly a year that to fund our 10 year capital program -- including annual security costs of more than $600 million, the ARC Rail Tunnel, completely replacing the PATH system, maintaining the bridges and tunnels and rebuilding the World Trade Center--eventually a toll increase will be necessary. That position has not changed." -- Steve Sigmund, Chief Spokesman for the Port Authority.

The proposal will likely be presented at the Port Authority's meeting on November 15. They are expecting a lot of public opposition. Keep in mind, for these fare hikes to be approved they must also go through the governor, Jon Corzine and New York Governor, Eliot Spitzer.

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