The Record
January 2, 2008
By Tom Davis
The Port Authority will vote on a plan Friday that would raise tolls on Hudson River crossings during peak hours - but the bistate agency is considering scaling back proposed PATH fare hikes, a Port Authority official said Wednesday.
Under the plan, car drivers would pay $2 more on Hudson River crossings during peak hours, from $6 to $8. Motorists would also pay $2 more for off-peak E-ZPass tolls on the bridges and tunnels.
PATH fares would jump 50 cents to $2 - though Port Authority officials are concerned the increase would discourage more people from using mass transit. Officials said the 50-cent hike could bring in $25 million in additional revenue, depending on volume. The combined toll and fare hikes would produce an additional $300 million.
The hikes are considered key components of the Port Authority's 2008 budget and 10-year, $29.5 billion capital plan, which will pay $8.4 billion for rebuilding the World Trade Center site; $4 billion toward rehabilitating Port Authority bridges and tunnels; and $3.3 billion for modernizing the PATH system and increase its capacity by 25 percent.