Port Authority Board Approves Scaled-Back Toll Hike Plan

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners Friday approved a two-part plan it says will “restore fiscal health to the agency” by increasing tolls on the George Washington Bridge and other Hudson River crossings and fares on PATH at a lower rate than its original proposal released two weeks ago.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on the agency to scale back its plans in a joint letter to the Port Authority’s board president and vice president Thursday.

Following the two governors’ lead, the Port Authority’s revised toll and fare increases approved Friday are as follows:

• E-ZPass: $1.50 in September and 75 cents each December from 2012 to 2015—a total increase of $4.50 over five years
• Cash: $1.50 plus an additional $2 surcharge—rounded up to the nearest whole dollar, that means $12 in September with smaller increases through 2015
• PATH: 25 cents per year for the next four years

Tolls for trucks will also increase at a lesser rate than previously proposed.

The agency’s now $25.1 billion, 10-year capital plan will generate more than 131,000 jobs, officials say.