Crossing the George Washington Bridge in a Chevrolet Bolt EV
The cost of using the George Washington Bridge in an eastbound direction increased by $0.63 on Sunday. The last toll increase took place just one year ago on January 8, 2023.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge that connects New York with New Jersey, put a toll increase into effect that day on all of its Hudson River crossings, which include the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, Bayonne, and Goethals bridges, and the Outerbridge Crossing, the latter which is actually a bridge named after the rather appropriately named first chairman of the New York Port Authority, Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge.
In the summer of 2022, the George Washington Bridge’s toll-booth system was replaced with open-road or cashless tolling.
Peak and off-peak tolls on the bridge as well as on other Port Authority Hudson River crossings including the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the Outerbridge Crossing, and the Goethals and Bayonne bridges. will rise by $0.63regardless of whether they are paid using the E-Z Pass or via the Tolls by Mail system.
The George Washington Bridge is the world’s busiest motor-vehicle bridge and carries over 100 million vehicles per year. It is a major travel corridor within the New York metropolitan area and has a total of 14 lanes, seven in each direction, over two decks.
The bridge was first conceived of in 1906 with construction starting in 1927 and it opened to traffic on October 24, 1931.
When the bridge opened, tolls were collected on both sides of the bridge and passage for a car was $0.50 ($9.23 in 2021 dollars). The original toll booths, which are no longer in existence, were replaced in 1970 by a series of toll booths on the New Jersey side. Tolls are only collected for east-bound traffic and the current price is $17.63, although vehicles with E-ZPass transponders issued in New York State and New Jersey are only charged $14.38. There is no toll for bicycle or pedestrian traffic nor is a toll levied on westbound traffic. Cash is no longer accepted as a toll payment.
The new rates are based on inflation and determined by the consumer price index increase of 3.7 percent from September 2022 to September 2023, the Port Authority said last year in a statement announcing the increase.
The GWB, as it is commonly referred to, was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers on October 24, 1981, the 50th anniversary of the bridge’s dedication.
Over 75% of vehicles using the crossing already use E-ZPass to pay the toll, the Port Authority said. It is a major travel corridor not only for private vehicles but for trucks, thereby enabling commerce between the mainland and Long Island as well as serving as a major truck route from New Jersey to New England.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
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