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MTA Removing Toll Gates on Henry Hudson Bridge, Report Says

By Nicole Bode | September 28, 2010 7:58am
The Henry Hudson Bridge, which links Inwood to the Bronx, could see a faster crossing after the MTA removes toll gates early next year.
The Henry Hudson Bridge, which links Inwood to the Bronx, could see a faster crossing after the MTA removes toll gates early next year.
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Steve Guttman NYC/Flickr

By Nicole Bode

DNAinfo Senior Editor

MANHATTAN — Drivers headed over the Henry Hudson Bridge could look forward to a little less gridlock under a new MTA plan to shed toll gates early next year, according to reports.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority plans to get rid of the toll gates in EZ-Pass lanes on the Bronx-to-Inwood bridge, and rely instead on cameras and sensors to charge drivers. Anyone who uses the gate-free lanes without an EZ-Pass will be mailed a bill, the Daily News reported.

The Henry Hudson Bridge will continue to have a cash lane during the initial phase of the experiment, but the number of cash lanes will reportedly shrink from three to two. The agency could eventually stop accepting cash in all lanes, according to the New York Post.

Agency officials reportedly said Monday they hope the changes will speed up traffic, and save them some money on labor costs.

"There’s the strong presumption that we will be moving traffic through faster," MTA project manager Robert Redding said at an agency committee meeting Monday, the News reported.

If successful, the pilot program could prompt the agency to do the same at the six other bridges and two tunnels they oversee in the city, the News reported. The changes also reportedly coincide with a planned toll hike at the Henry Hudson Bridge.

Bridges run by the Port Authority currently have no toll gates on their bridges and tunnels, the News reported.

Not everyone on the MTA board was happy with the pilot program, the Post reported.

"Suppose a plate is from Nova Scotia. You expect to get paid?" MTA board member Mark Lebow said, according to the Post.