MTA Bridges and Tunnels

MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Public benefit corporation
Founded New York State (1933)
Headquarters 2 Broadway, New York, NY, 10004
Area served
 New York City
Key people
 James Ferrara, President
Revenue US$ 437,200,000 (2010)[1]
US$ 586.5 million (2013)
Number of employees
 1,545
Parent Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Website www.mta.info/bandt

MTA Bridges and Tunnels, legally known as the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, is an affiliate agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, that operates seven intrastate toll bridges and two tunnels in New York City. In terms of traffic volume, it is the largest bridge and tunnel toll agency in the United States serving more than a million people each day and generating more than $1.5 Billion Dollars in toll revenue annually as of 2012.[2]

The seven bridges are:

The two tunnels are:

History

Originally named the Triborough Bridge Authority, the authority was created in 1933 as a public-benefit corporation by the New York State Legislature. It was tasked with completing construction of the Triborough Bridge, which had been started by New York City in 1929 but had stalled due to the Great Depression.

Under the chairmanship of Robert Moses, the agency grew in a series of mergers with four other agencies:

With the last merger in 1946, the authority was renamed the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority. Generating millions of dollars in toll revenue annually, the TBTA easily became a powerful city agency as it was capable of funding large capital projects. From the 1940s-60s, the TBTA built the Battery Parking Garage, Jacob Riis Beach Parking Field, Coliseum Office Building and Exposition Center and East Side Airlines Terminal,[3] as well as many parks in the city.

Headquarters on Randall's Island

The TBTA was merged into the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1968. Surplus revenue, formerly used for new automobile projects, would now be used to support public transportation. [4] Since then, more than $10 billion has been contributed by the TBTA to subsidize mass transit fares and capital improvements for the New York City Transit, Long Island Rail Road, and Metro-North Railroad. Since 1994, the TBTA has been doing business as MTA Bridges and Tunnels.[5] The name Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority is still the legal name of the Authority and was used publicly between 1946 and 1994.

Law enforcement

Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority patch

The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) employs 966 Bridge and Tunnel Officers (BTOs), who are NYS Peace Officers authorized to make arrests and carry firearms on and off duty. BTOs patrol the authority's 9 facilities on foot and in marked patrol cars. Besides law enforcement, the BTOs collect tolls, assist vehicles stuck in E-ZPass lanes, operate tow trucks to clear disabled vehicles, and clear snow from the roadways. The TBTA also has a Special Operations Division/Collision Reduction Unit, which enforces all aspects of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law and NYC Traffic Rules with a main emphasis on speed enforcement.

In 2007, Bridge and Tunnel Officers were involved in two shootings, on the Triborough and Bronx Whitestone Bridges. They also assisted in the delivery of a newborn baby.

Toll rates

E-ZPass rates are for tags issued by the New York Customer Service Center only. Tolls are charged in both directions unless otherwise noted. All rates are effective on March 22, 2015.[6]

Crossing(s) Cars Vehicles over 7,000 lbs GVWR Motorcycles Resident Programs Franchise Buses
(EZ-Pass)		 Notes
Cash EZ-Pass Cash EZ-Pass Cash EZ-Pass Token EZ-Pass Carpool
Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge
Throgs Neck Bridge
Bronx–Whitestone Bridge
Queens Midtown Tunnel
Hugh L. Carey (Brooklyn–Battery) Tunnel		 $8.00 $5.54 $16.00 $10.00 $3.25 $2.41 None $4.01 (2 axles)
$4.76 (3 axles)		 No toll for vehicles leaving Randall's Island (RFK Bridge only). Each additional axle is $9 Cash or $6.14 EZ-Pass.
Verrazano–Narrows Bridge $16.00 $11.08 $32.00 $20.00 $6.50 $4.82 $8.87 $6.24 or
$6.60		 $3.08 $8.02 (2 axles)
$9.52 (3 axles)		 Tolls are charged westbound only. Carpools must use cash lanes. Residents must live on Staten Island to receive discount. Resident EZ-Pass discount is $6.36 for 1-2 trips per month and $6.00 for 3+ trips per month. Each additional axle is $18 Cash or $12.18 EZ-Pass.
Henry Hudson Bridge $5.50 $2.54 Not allowed $3.25 $1.73 None Bridge is closed to all commercial traffic. Vehicles without EZ-Pass are sent a bill by mail.
Marine Parkway Bridge
Cross Bay Bridge		 $4.00 $2.08 $8.00 $5.00 $3.25 $1.73 $1.86 $1.36 None $2.00 (2 axles)
$2.51 (3 axles)		 Residents must live in Rockaway or Broad Channel to receive discount. Each additional axle is $4.50 Cash or $3.07 EZ-Pass.

Prohibited traffic

Part 1022 of the Rules and Regulations Governing the Use of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority Facilities prohibits certain types of vehicles, such as:[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ MTA BudgetWatch May 2010 (PDF), Metropolitan Transportation Authority, retrieved 2010-05-30
  2. ↑ http://web.mta.info/mta/investor/pdf/2013/StantecEngineerReport042613.pdf APPENDIX E History & Projections Of Traffic, Toll Revenues & Expenses April 26, 2013
  3. ↑ Armode Schwabe, NY Times, 1954 July 12 Seven-Month-Old Air Terminal Doing a Good Job for Just About Everone
  4. ↑ Roberts, Sam (2006-07-11), "Reappraising a Landmark Bridge, and the Visionary Behind It", The New York Times, retrieved 2007-10-09
  5. ↑ McKinley, James C, Jr. (1994-08-28), "What's in a Symbol? A Lot, the M.T.A. Is Betting", New York Times, retrieved 2008-02-23
  6. ↑ "Crossing Charges". MTA Bridges and Tunnels. March 22, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  7. ↑ Rules and Regulations Governing the Use of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority Facilities, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York). Accessed October 9, 2007.

External links

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