Pols Push For Two-Way Tolling On Verrazzano To Reduce Traffic

LOWER MANHATTAN, NY — Politicians re-ignited a push to return the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to two-way tolling after years of only requiring a fare for those entering Staten Island.

The pols' plan would cut the existing fare in half for those entering Staten Island — currently a whopping $19 for those without an EZ Pass — and, instead, require the halved fare in both directions. They say a two-way toll would reduce traffic all the way from Brooklyn through Lower Manhattan — where vehicles currently pass through for free from the Verrazzano to get to New Jersey through the Holland Tunnel.

"All New Yorkers, will reap the benefits of the restoration of two-way toll collection, from new additional revenue for the MTA and fewer trucks on the Staten Island Expressway, Gowanus Expressway, Manhattan Bridge and Canal & Broome Streets in Lower Manhattan," Congressman Jerrold Nadler said in a statement.

Today I announced w/ @RepMaxRose @NydiaVelazquez legislation to restore two-way tolling on the Verrazzano Bridge. Two-way all electronic tolling will improve traffic & congestion in Bklyn and Lower Manhattan, while also capturing new funding for @MTA from out of state trucks. pic.twitter.com/whCBpf7fT9
— (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) April 28, 2019

In the 1980s, the bridge's former two-way toll was scrapped after gripes of congestion on the Staten Island side of the bridge before electronic tolling was implemented. But with a one-way toll, drivers had a free route over the bridge through Brooklyn and across Manhattan's East River bridges and through the Holland Tunnel into New Jersey. Studies shortly after the two-way toll was scrapped revealed an increase in 4,000 vehicles per day through the Holland Tunnel, causing congestion on Canal Street, the New York Times reported in 1986.

Recently elected Rep. Max Rose, a Staten Island Democrat, announced the proposal with Nadler and Rep. Nydia Velázquez, who represents parts of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, over the weekend.

"Staten Island and South Brooklyn have been used as a cheap thoroughfare for far too long," Rose said. "The status quo is not working for Staten Islanders and South Brooklynites who are living through nightmare commutes every single day. We don’t have decades to wait, we need action — and this plan to bring Split Tolling to the Verrazzano will help get us there by dramatically decreasing commuter traffic in Staten Island and Brooklyn, while also reinvesting future revenue into the buses and public transit options that Staten Island and South Brooklyn deserve."

MTA Chairman Patrick Foye supported the proposal, and said the funds would help the MTA's capital plan fund transit investments in Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn.

The fares could lead to $10 to $15 million in additional MTA revenue, according to a release from Rose's office.