MTA Bridges and Tunnels

Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority
MTA Bridges and Tunnels

Type	Public benefit corporation
Founded	New York State (1933)
Headquarters	2 Broadway, New York, NY, 10004
Area served	New York metropolitan area
Key people	James Ferrara, President
Revenue	US$ 437,200,000 (2010)
Operating income	US$ 284,100,000 (2009)
Parent	Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Website	http://www.mta.info/bandt/

MTA Bridges and Tunnels, legal name Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, 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:

• Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge, connecting Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Randalls Island
• Bronx-Whitestone Bridge (the Bronx and Queens)
• Verrazano Narrows Bridge (Brooklyn and Staten Island)
• Throgs Neck Bridge (the Bronx and Queens)
• Henry Hudson Bridge (Manhattan and the Bronx)
• Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge (Brooklyn and Queens—Rockaway Peninsula)
• Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge (Queens—Broad Channel and the Rockaway Peninsula)

The two tunnels are:

• Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (Brooklyn and Manhattan)
• Queens Midtown Tunnel (Queens and Manhattan)

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:

• Henry Hudson Parkway Authority, in 1940
• Marine Parkway Authority, in 1940
• New York City Parkway Authority, in 1940
• New York City City Tunnel Authority, in 1946

With the last merger in 1946, the authority was renamed the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.

Headquarters on Randall's Island

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.

Merger with MTA

The TBTA was merged into the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1968. Surplus revenue, formerly used for new automobile projects, would now be used to support public transportation. Since then, more than $10 billion has 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.^{[citation needed]}

Name

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

Law Enforcement

Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority patch

Main article: Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority Police

The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) employs 966 Bridge and Tunnel Officers (BTOs), who are NYS Peace Officers authorized to make arrests and carry firearms on and off duty. BTOs patrol the authority's 9 facilities on foot and in marked patrol cars. Besides law enforcement, the BTOs collect 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 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.

Toll rates

Rates vary by facility and by vehicle.

All rates listed here are regular cash rates effective December 30, 2010. E-ZPass rates are for New York Customer Service Center account holders only.

Crossing(s)	Cars	Cars - EZPass	Vehicles Over 7,000 Lbs. GVWR Cash	Motorcycles Cash / EZPass	Notes
Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge Throgs Neck Bridge Bronx-Whitestone Bridge Queens–Midtown Tunnel Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel	$6.50	$4.80	$13 $8.00 per additional axle	$2.75 / $2.09	Toll is charged in both directions (except only one direction between Manhattan and Randall's Island on the RFK Bridge)
Verrazano Narrows Bridge	$13.00	$9.60	$26 $16.00 per additional axle	$5.50 / $4.18	Toll is charged westbound only. There is a discount for Staten Island residents: Token $7.72, EZPass $5.76, Carpool $2.68 (must use cash lanes for carpool discount)
Marine Parkway Bridge Cross Bay Bridge	$3.25	$1.80	$6.50 $4.00 per additional axle	$2.79 / $1.49	Toll is charged in both directions. There is a discount for Rockaway and Broad Channel residents: Minor Token: $2.17, Rockaway Resident Token: $1.62, Rockaway Resident EZPass $1.19. Registered residents with EZPass who cross the Cross Bay Bridge more than twice daily are rebated for any extra tolls beyond the first two.
Henry Hudson Bridge	$4.00	$2.20	Not allowed		Only two-axle passenger vehicles are allowed on the Henry Hudson Bridge

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:

• Vehicles with flat, solid, or metal tires
• Bicycles on the roadways. Bicycles may be walked across the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, and the Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge
• Mopeds
• Horses and horse-drawn vehicles
• Trucks and other non-passenger autos on the Henry Hudson Bridge

See also

• Robert Moses

External links

• Official Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority web-site
• TBTA Copyright page