Starting Sunday, drivers who want to cross the Hudson River from New Jersey to New York will go through an electronic toll system. Drivers without E-ZPass who would otherwise pay cash will have their license plates photographed by cameras and their bills by mail. The move by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey comes as a way to help ease congestion on the bridge, the busiest of the three Hudson River crossings the agency oversees. “Many advocates have been asking for this for a long time and it’s a welcome move,” said Tom Wright, president of the Regional Planning Association. With the new system in place, the tolls currently in place will be removed, removing a connection to an unforgettable chapter in New Jersey’s political history known as “Bridgegate.” Cars pass through toll booths to use the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, NJ on July 8, 2022. AP In 2013, traffic in Fort Lee, New Jersey was snarled for several days when a group of Republican political operatives blocked some of the access lanes leading to the tollway in retaliation for a Democratic mayor who did not endorse then-Gov. Chris Christie up for re-election. Christie was not charged with anything, but two people were convicted on federal charges. These convictions were later overturned by the Supreme Court. Another who had entered a guilty plea was overturned. The George Washington Bridge is a crossing point not only for entering New York City, but also for drivers using Interstate 95. The Port Authority said more than 49 million vehicles crossed east over it last year, and it is the most used crossing of the Hudson River by trucks. Cashless tolling has been in use at the Holland Tunnel since December 2020 and is expected to begin at the Lincoln Tunnel later this year, the Port Authority said. Wright said using an electronic toll system “serves more motorists faster and more efficiently.” But, he warned, that doesn’t mean there won’t be more congestion as vehicles converge to cross the span. “It’s not like a magic wand,” he said.
