NEW YORK—Tolls for the new Tappan Zee Bridge, when and if it’s built, will be around $14, according to the Journal News. Larry Schwartz, secretary to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, estimated the price at a recent community meeting about the bridge.
The current toll, $5, decreases to $4.75 for E-ZPass users, $3 for commuters, and 50 cents for carpool commuters, according to the state’s Thruway website.
While the new regular toll would be $14, commuters and E-ZPass users would pay less, approximately $13.30 and $8.40, according to the Journal News.
Cuomo’s secretary, Schwartz said that if the existing bridge was repaired and not replaced, the current tolls would have to be increased to $12, because of repair and maintenance costs. “It’s a no-brainer,” he said to the more than 150 people present at a community meeting at Rockland Community College Thursday night, according to the Journal News.
Cuomo, in a statement Friday, said “On the cost the choice is clear—a new, better bridge will require about the same tolls as just fixing the old bridge and about half the toll of a new bridge plus a new bus system.”
The bus system price has been hotly contested by transit advocates, including the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. The organization didn’t respond to the new tolls announcement over the weekend, and Executive Director Veronica Vanterpool didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment by press deadline. It did, however, note on its website that the recently released Final Environmental Impact Statement “suggests that no funds have been identified whatsoever.”
Streetsblog, a transit advocacy media, responded to the announcement. Streetsblog noted that transport economist Charles Komanoff said in an analysis on its site in January that tolls might increase to $16 or even higher.
“The Cuomo administration filled in a major unknown about how the TZB [Tappan Zee Bridge] would be paid for last night, but that is leading to even more questions about whether the region can afford the governor’s vision of a gold-plated bridge for cars with no equivalent provision for transit,” wrote Ben Fried, editor-in-chief of Streetsblog.
Cuomo issued a release Sunday that included “growing support for current plans to build a new bridge,” including endorsements from former elected officials and other stakeholders.
“Instead of toll payers being forced to pay for repairing the old bridge, the smart responsible option is clearly investing in building a new better bridge, which will only cost regular commuters $1.20 cents more,” said Andy O'Rourke, former Westchester county executive, in the statement.
As far as funding, New York “has sought up to $2 billion from Washington through an infrastructure loan program, though it is expecting less,” according to the Wall Street Journal, citing Cuomo’s secretary. Current tolls could increase on the current bridge before the new bridge is built, providing more funds.
The state received proposals from three companies last Friday—approximately 750,000 pages in about 70 boxes, according to the Nyack-Piermont Patch, citing Cuomo’s spokesperson Brian Conybeare. Officials will review the proposals for about a month before making a decision.
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