Tolls may rise at Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, GW Bridge, Hudson River crossings, PATH train: source

Tolls may rise at Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, GW Bridge, Hudson River crossings, PATH train: source

BY Pete Donohue and Larry Mcshane
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Friday, August 5th 2011, 3:51 PM

Fevelo for News

Tolls may be rising to up to $4 a pop before the end of the year.

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The cost of entering Manhattan via the Hudson River crossings would hit a staggering $15 for cash-paying customers this September under a Port Authority proposal.

Commuters using EZPass at the Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel and George Washington Bridge would pay $12 per trip – and that would increase to $14 in 2014, the bi-state agency announced Friday.

The current toll is $8.

The proposed increases would also affect the three spans between New Jersey and Staten Island: the Goethals, Outerbridge and Bayonne bridges.

Kate Slevin, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, said the huge hikes were no surprise.

“Instead of finding new and steady revenue streams to pay for growing transportation needs in each state, both governors want to use the Port Authority as a piggy bank,” she said.

“New Jersey has its hand in the Port Authority’s right pocket, and New York is ready to take from its left.”

A source told the Daily News that both New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had signed off on the toll hikes.

Neither governor’s office immediately returned messages for comment.

Riders on the PATH train can also expect increases under the Port Authority plan.

The base fare on the New Jersey-Manhattan trains will jump from $1.75 to $2.75, with the average discounted fare increasing from $1.30 to $2. The unlimited monthly pass will jump from $54 to $89.

It’s the first boost since March 2008, when the tolls were bumped to $8 on the PA’s half-dozen bridges and tunnels. The $2 hike back then was a 33% increase – a bargain compared with the current proposed hike.

The PA Board of Commmissioners will hold an Aug. 19 vote on the proposals after a series of nine public hearings.

The Port Authority, in a press release, said the unprecedented hikes were the result of the recession; the $11 billion price tag for rebuilding the World Trade Center site; and $6 billion in increased security costs since the 9/11 attacks.

pdononue@nydailynews.com