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Follow TURFNJ toll hikes could reach $100 for bridge crossing
New Toll Hike Hits Drivers Hard
By Hank Flynn
My 9 NJ.com
December 3, 2013
Fort Lee, New Jersey (My9NJ) - Could you imagine spending $100 to drive over a bridge or through a tunnel? Well, as of Sunday, that is the new reality for truckers driving into Manhattan.
This will be the third of five Port Authority toll increases passed since 2011. It means only a 75 cent increase for car drivers using E-ZPass. For cash paying truckers, on the other hand, it means a $12 hike, taking them from $90 per crossing to $102 just to cross the George Washington Bridge.
Many truckers are upset over the toll increase.
Independent trucker, David Edwards says that the toll hike is wiping them out. “I came across here the other day and had to do a lot of deliveries, and it cost me over $400,” he said.
Last year, Port Authority saw a 31% profit, causing many to question why the Port Authority couldn’t delay or cancel the toll hike all together.
Mike Kilduff, another independent trucker, wants to know what Port Authority plans to do with the new money. “Where’s the money going? That’s what I’d like to know,” he said.
This increase is essentially causing small businesses to pay a business tax to do business in New York and New Jersey. Even though tolls were created so that those who use the road pay to fix it, it seems like the Port Authority has enough money that they do not need to raise the tolls.