Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority

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Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority
Type Public benefit corporation
Founded New York State (1933)
Headquarters 2 Broadway, New York, NY, 10004
Area served New York metropolitan area
Key people David Moretti, Acting President
Revenue US$ 1,063,790,000 (2007)[1]
Operating income US$ 771,906,000 (2007)[1]
Parent Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Website http://www.mta.info/bandt/

The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, doing business as "MTA Bridges and Tunnels", is a division 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 $900 million in toll revenue annually.

The seven bridges are:

And two tunnels:

Contents

[edit] 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.

Capable of 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, as well as many parks in the city.

[edit] Merger with MTA

Because of long-neglected public transportation systems, the city was brought to a standstill in the 1960s due to automobile congestion. Therefore, the TBTA, was merged into the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1968. Surplus revenue that was used to fund new automobile projects would now be used to support public transportation. Since then, more than $10 billion have been contributed by the TBTA to subsidize mass transit fares and capital improvements for the NYC Transit Authority, Long Island Rail Road, and Metro-North Railroad.[2]

[edit] Name

Since 1994, the TBTA has been doing business as MTA Bridges and Tunnels[3]. The name Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority is still the legal name of the Authority and was used publicly between 1946 and 1994.

[edit] Law Enforcement

Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority patch
Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority patch

The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) employs about 900 Bridge and Tunnel Officers (BTOs), who are NYS Peace Officers authorized to make arrests and carry firearms. BTOs patrol the authority's 9 facilities on foot and in marked patrol cars. Besides law enforcement, the BTOs collect the 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. There is also a police combat shooting team.

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

There has been discussion around incorporating the BTOs into the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police, since both are ultimately part of the same agency, but this has not yet occurred.

[edit] Toll rates

Rates vary by bridge/tunnel and by vehicle.

All rates listed here are regular cash rates effective March 16, 2008. E-ZPass users pay discounted tolls at most facilities, and certain classes of users are eligible for even larger discounts; for example, Staten Island residents are eligible for discounted crossings of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

Facilities Cars Vehicles
Over 7,000 Lbs. GVW		 Motor
cycles		 Buses Notes
Triborough Bridge
Throgs Neck Bridge
Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
all tunnels		 $5.00 $10
$5.00 per additional axle		 $2.25 $10 Toll is charged in both directions
Verrazano Narrows Bridge $10.00 $18
$10.00 per additional axle		 $4.50 $18.00 Toll is charged westbound only. There is a discount for Staten Island residents.
Marine Parkway Bridge
Cross Bay Bridge
Henry Hudson Bridge		 $2.25 $4.50
$2.50 per additional axle		 $2.25 $4.50 Toll is charged in both directions. There is a discount for Rockaway residents on the Cross Bay and Marine Parkway bridges

[edit] 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:[4]

  1. Vehicles with flat, solid, or metal tires
  2. Bicycles, but they may be walked across the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, and the Triborough Bridge on sidewalks (This requirement is often unpopular among bicyclists, especially on the Triborough Bridge with long spans.)
  3. Mopeds
  4. Horses and horse-drawn vehicles

The Henry Hudson Bridge, which is part of the Henry Hudson Parkway, also prohibits commercial traffic.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Bridges and Tunnels Financial Performance - Oct 2007 Year-to-Date, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, <http://www.mta.info/mta/ind-finance/month/bt-financial.htm>. Retrieved on 23 February 2008 
  2. ^ Roberts, Sam (2006-07-11), “Reappraising a Landmark Bridge, and the Visionary Behind It”, The New York Times, <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/11/nyregion/11bridge.html>. Retrieved on 9 October 2007 
  3. ^ McKinley, James C, Jr. (1994-08-28), “What's in a Symbol? A Lot, the M.T.A. Is Betting”, New York Times, <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903E6D81E39F93BA1575BC0A962958260>. Retrieved on 23 February 2008 
  4. ^ Rules and Regulations Governing the Use of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority Facilities, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York). Accessed October 9, 2007.

[edit] External links

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Bridges and tunnels in New York City
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v • d • e
MTA Bridges and Tunnels
v • d • e
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
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Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (d/b/a MTA Bridges and Tunnels)
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