Hochul Backs Manhattan Toll Rebates for Queens, Bronx Residents

By Matis Glenn

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul sided Monday with state lawmakers who want to grant toll rebates to Queens and Bronx drivers crossing bridges that connect the boroughs to Manhattan, causing strong backlash from critics who say it doesn’t fit with her support for congestion pricing.

The rebates, which guarantee free tolls for Bronx drivers on the Henry Hudson Bridge and Queens drivers who use the Cross Bay Bridge, will take effect Saturday, but residents need to sign up for the program and have an active e-zpass account. The current cost for the Henry Hudson Bridge is $3.18, and the Cross Bay Bridge costs $2.60.

The MTA’s website states that the program is subject to “program funding as well as future toll increases.”

New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer(D-5), a longtime critic of New York City’s congestion pricing program, panned the rebates as an insult to drivers from other parts of the region, including New Jersey and Rockland County, who, together with all other drivers, will have to pay $15 to enter Midtown during daytime hours. He also said that the program is contradictory to the stated purpose of congestion pricing; namely, to minimize driving in the city.

“The irony here is rich,” Gottheimer,” the congressman said, according to the Gothamist. “They don’t really care about congestion or pollution.

“They’re using this money to help encourage more people to drive into New York City…They just want money.”

The MTA told the Gothmamist that funding for the free tolls will amount to $20.5 million, drawing from the state’s “Outer Borough Transportation Account,” created in 2018 by state lawmakers with the aim of granting opportunities for people to travel who are far from subway stations. The account is funded by surcharges on taxis and other paid vehicle trips which travel to Midtown and other busy areas of Manhattan.

But MTA Chair Janno Lieber said Wednesday that Hochul and the legislature need to reexamine the program.

“The future revenues of the outer borough transportation account should include investments in making transit more attractive or more affordable,” he said.