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Another day, another toll hike—this one affecting commuters in New York and New Jersey.
Citing inflation as the main culprit, the Port Authority approved fair increases at select crossings last month and the changes just went into effect this past weekend.
Overall, drivers will be charged an extra dollar per trip when taking the Outerbridge Crossing, the Bayonne Bridge, the Goethals Bridges and the George Washington Bridge in-between the two states.
Specifically, cars traveling through the passages during peak hours (weekdays: 6-10am and 4-8pm, weekends: 11am-9pm) will have to pay a toll of $14.75 via E-ZPass. Off-peak fare has now reached $12.75 when using E-ZPass. A flat fare of $17 will be applied to all cars who do not use the electronic toll collection system (that's a $1 increase as well).
The news is a stark reminder that the price of just about everything went up. This past summer, for example, our bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches got much more expensive while taxi fares increased for the first time in a decade. And who can forget about the death of the $1 slice?
Silver lining: we can't imagine why you'd have to travel to New Jersey more than, say, once a year, so this particular transportation development might not affect your directly.
As for New Jerseyans who head into Manhattan regularly: well, that's the price you have to pay to visit your great neighboring state.