Port Authority will hold nine public hearings Tuesday on the proposed toll hikes
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The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is defending its proposal to raise the tolls at bridges and tunnels, as well as PATH fares.Despite a negative reaction from both governors to a proposed hike in bridge and tunnel tolls of $6 in two phases, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is defending the increase as "absolutely necessary" and says it will stand by its initial proposal.
"It is absolutely necessary to ensure the financial strength of the Port Authority," the agency's executive director, Christopher Ward, said in a statement issued today.
Ward's late-afternoon statement came on the eve of Tuesday's eight public hearings scheduled at Port Authority facilities in the two states (see full list of hearings below), and was the first time an official of the bi-state agency was quoted by name defending the hike.
On Aug. 5, the agency announced a plan to raise the round-trip toll by $4 for E-ZPass users, to $10 off-peak and $12 during rush hour, and by $7 for cash payers, to $15 at all times, followed by an additional $2 hike for all toll payers in 2014. Trucks also face a steep increase, and PATH fares would rise $1 each way, to $2.75, and from $54 to $89 for monthly passes.
Gov. Chris Christie and his New York counterpart, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, immediately issued a joint statement expressing their "concern" over the proposed increase. A few day later, the Associated Press quoted Cuomo calling the proposal a "non-starter."
Christie then told reporters that his reaction when briefed by Port Authority Chairman David Samson and Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni two days before the announcement was, "You're kidding, right?"
But that’s just how some observers have reacted to the governors’ assertions they were surprised by the proposal, since both men have veto power over the agency’s actions, and Samson and Baroni are Christie appointees. Rather, skeptics suggest the entire scenario was orchestrated to allow governors to demand partial rollback in a move calculated to please commuters, while still boosting the Port Authority’s recession-battered revenues to help pay for a $33 billion, 10-year capital plan.
Today, Gov. Christie reiterated that he will hear what the public has to say and will confer with Cuomo before acting on the proposal. He also dismissed any assertions about political orchestration.
"I think any of these folks who are out there predicting that they know what Gov. Cuomo and I are going to do will be just as wrong as most the people who try to predict what I’m going to do, they usually turn out to be wrong."
Cuomo’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Statehouse Bureau staff writer Ginger Gibson contributed to this report.
TOLL HIKE HEARINGS
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Drivers in New Jersey and New York might have to pay substantially more to cross bridges and tunnels, if the Port Authority has its way. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will hold nine public hearings Tuesday, including one online, on the proposed toll increase at its bistate bridges and tunnels.
To speak, pre-register online at www.panynj.gov/about/toll-fare-2011.html or call (212) 435-6916. Registration at hearing locations is permitted up to 30 minutes after the start of the hearing. Pre-registrants will speak first. Comments are limited to three minutes.
Written comments may be mailed to: Public Hearing Comments, 225 Park Ave. South, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10003.
Comments can also be made online.
PUBLIC HEARING TIMES & LOCATIONS:
8 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16
• Newark Liberty International Airport
1 Conrad Road / Building 157, Bay 3 / Newark, NJ 07114 / (973) 961-6161
• Port Authority Technical Center
241 Erie St., Room 212 / Jersey City, NJ 07310 / (201) 216-2700
• Port Ivory/Howland Hook
40 Western Ave. / Staten Island, NY 10303 / (718) 330-2950
• Port Authority Bus Terminal
625 Eighth Ave. / Times Square Conference Room — 2nd Floor / New York, NY 10018 / (212) 502-2240
• George Washington Bridge
Administration Building / 220 Bruce Reynolds Way / Conference Room / Fort Lee, NJ 07024 / (201) 346-4005
6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16
• Holland Tunnel
Administration Building / 13th Street & Provost Street / Conference Room / Jersey City, NJ 07310 / (201) 360-5021
• George Washington Bridge Bus Station
4211 Broadway / Lower Level Conference Room / New York, NY 10033 / (201) 346-4005
• JFK International Airport
Port Authority Administration / Building 14, Second Floor Conference Room / Jamaica, NY 11430 / (718) 244-3501
The online hearing will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, at www.panynj.gov
Related coverage:
• Gov. Chris Christie won't rule out toll hikes on Port Authority bridges and tunnels
• Port Authority plans $4 toll hike next month on bridges and tunnels
• Proposal to hike Port Authority fares, tolls gets mostly chilly reception
• Audit finds Port Authority could have saved $22M yearly, service contracts lack oversight