Consumers Paying The Price For Truck Toll Hikes
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Even if you're not driving across Port Authority bridges and tunnels, the most recent toll hike is still hitting you in the wallet.
Because there is no freight service across the Hudson River by rail, goods enter New York City by truck. The trucks use the same crossings as cars do, except they pay a whole lot more.
While, as of this past Sunday, many drivers are shelling out up to $14 to cross the George Washington, Bayonne and Goethals bridges, the Holland and Lincoln tunnels and the Outerbridge Crossing, the cash toll for 18-wheelers is now $114, WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported.
Robert Sinclair, spokesman for AAA New York, said somebody has to eat those costs, and that somebody ends up being the consumers.
It's a reason everything from spaghetti sauce to shaving cream to shoes is more expensive in New York.
WEB EXTRA: Port Authority Toll Rate Table (2012-15)
"New York, because of its overreliance on trucks for freight deliveries, there is a trickle-down, if you will, of toll increases," Sinclair said.
AAA sued to block the toll hike, saying it violated federal law because the money is being used to fund redevelopment of the World Trade Center.
But last month, a federal judge refused to stop the increase.
The Port Authority says the hikes are critical for capital projects dealing with transportation, including a new Goethals Bridge.
The hikes aren't over yet. Sunday's increase is the fourth of five scheduled for Port Authority bridges and tunnels. By December 2015, the cash toll for cars will be $15 -- and $126 for 18-wheelers.
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