Schumer, in Meeting with New Port Authority Chairman, Pushes for Residential and Commercial Toll Relief on Staten Island Bridges

Press Release

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that in a personal meeting with new Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye, Schumer pushed for the Port Authority to institute much needed toll discounts for Staten Island residents and businesses. Recent toll increases on the Port Authority bridges have made commuting much more expensive for Staten Island residents, and made it prohibitively expensive for shipping companies to send trucks Staten Island. In a personal meeting with Foye, Schumer urged the Port Authority to enact much needed toll relief for Staten Island commuters and local businesses.

"I made the case to Chairman Foye that sky-high toll increases hit Staten Islanders harder than anyone, and the bottom line is that Staten Island residents and businesses need and deserve a toll discount on Port Authority bridges that works in the same way as the discount on the Verrazano," said Schumer. "It is critical that the new leadership at the Port step up to the plate and deliver the toll relief that Staten Insiders need. After meeting with Chairman Foye, someone with whom I have worked on many issues in the past, I'm optimistic that this is being considered in a serious way, and I will press that case until we see some real progress."

Last month, the Port Authority raised tolls on the Goethals Bridge, Bayonne Bridge and Outerbridge Crossing for residents and trucks, increasing tolls during peak hours from $8 per trip to $9.50 a trip for cars with EZ-Pass, with an additional $2 penalty charge for cars paying cash. In addition, tolls for trucks went up from $8 per axle to $10 an axle for trucks using EZ-Pass, with an additional $3 penalty charge per axle for trucks paying cash.

These tolls increases have hurt both Staten Island residents and businesses. Staten Islanders are the only New Yorkers who must pay a toll to enter and or leave their home borough, which can extract a painful financial burden on all Staten Island families and residents, regardless of the frequency of travel. And local businesses that send trucks to Staten Island can end up paying thousands more in bridge tolls: the Staten Island Advance has reported that the trucking company Modern Industries has moved its trucks off the Island because it saves that company $3,000 per week in bridge tolls.

With Staten Island residents and businesses struggling under the weight of these tolls increases, Schumer decided to bring his case right to the new Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye. In a personal meeting with Foye, Schumer reiterated his support for adopting residential discounts, currently in place on the Verrazano Bridge, for all Port Authority-operated Staten Island bridges. The current Verrazano Bridge discount is a flat percentage discount available to all Staten Island residents regardless of time of day or frequency of use. Schumer wrote in September to then Port Authority Executive Director Christopher Ward urging for this toll discount on all of the PA controlled Staten Island bridges.

Schumer also called on Foye to return the truck toll to $8 per axle, down for the current new rate of $10, in order to prevent businesses from leaving Staten Island and to save local jobs. Schumer briefed Foye on the damage toll increases have on Staten Island businesses, specifically the Staten Island Container Terminal (NYCT). The NYCT is one of the largest employers on Staten Island with over 500 jobs and over $170 million in annual revenue. Over the last six years, the PA has invested heavily in the facility, expanding the pier by 500 feet and dredging the approach channels to 41 feet. Schumer noted that that PA investment in NYCT exceeds $250 million. Despite this investment, toll increases are slowly killing the industry, and Schumer urged Foye to reinstate the discounts in order to save businesses on Staten Island.

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