MTA Bridges and Tunnels
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Predecessor | Triborough Bridge Authority |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Fate | Merged into Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in 1968 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | New York City |
Key people | Robert Moses (former chairman) |
| Products | Toll bridges and tunnels operation |
| Owner | Metropolitan Transportation Authority |
Number of employees | ~100 (Bridge and Tunnel Officers) |
| Parent | Metropolitan Transportation Authority |
The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), operating under the name MTA Bridges and Tunnels, functions as a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. It oversees the operation of seven toll bridges and two tunnels within New York City. Ranking as the busiest toll bridge and tunnel operator in the United States by vehicle count, it collected over $2.4 billion in toll revenues from 335 million vehicles during 2023. The authority’s operational expenses totaled $596 million in the same year, financed through a combination of toll income and tax revenues.
Initially established in 1933 as the Triborough Bridge Authority (TBA), named after its inaugural crossing, the Triborough Bridge, the entity was restructured in 1946 to become the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority. In 1994, it adopted the commercial designation MTA Bridges and Tunnels. Historically, TBTA’s portfolio included assets such as the New York Coliseum and the East Side Airline Terminal, both of which have since been demolished.
Facilities
The authority is responsible for operating seven bridges and two tunnels throughout New York City:
- The Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (previously known as the Triborough Bridge), serving as the primary link among Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens via Randalls and Wards Islands.
- The Bronx–Whitestone Bridge, which connects Queens to the Bronx.
- The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, spanning between Brooklyn and Staten Island.
- The Throgs Neck Bridge, linking Queens with the Bronx.
- The Henry Hudson Bridge, connecting Manhattan and the Bronx.
- The Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, connecting Brooklyn to Queens’ Rockaway Peninsula, named partly in honor of Gil Hodges, a former baseball player and manager.
- The Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, linking Broad Channel to Rockaway in Queens.
The two tunnels under TBTA management are:
- The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (formerly called the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel), connecting Manhattan with Brooklyn, named after ex-New York governor Hugh L. Carey.
- The Queens–Midtown Tunnel, linking Manhattan to Queens.
Founding
MTA Bridges and Tunnels traces its origins to the Triborough Bridge Authority (TBA), created specifically to complete construction of the Triborough Bridge. Work on this project began in 1929 but was interrupted during the Great Depression due to financial constraints. In 1933, a committee proposed securing a $150 million loan from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation for various New York infrastructure projects, including this bridge. However, Mayor John P. O'Brien opposed RFC loans to New York City, instead supporting formation of an independent bridge authority capable of issuing bonds to fund both the Triborough Bridge and a planned Queens–Midtown Tunnel. Robert Moses, then serving as New York City parks commissioner, championed establishing an authority responsible for financing, constructing, and operating these crossings.
Subsequently, in April 1933, state legislators rapidly approved legislation creating the TBA, which Governor Herbert H. Lehman signed into law. This authority was empowered to issue up to $35 million in bonds and finance construction through toll revenue collection. George Gordon Battle was appointed as chairman alongside three commissioners. Battle stepped down later that year due to health issues and was replaced by Nathan Burkan.
Early years
The initial period of the TBA was marked by instability: by January 1934, one commissioner had stepped down, and New York City Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia was investigating another commissioner, John Stratton O'Leary, on corruption charges. Consequently, Public Works Administration head Harold L. Ickes withheld segments of the RFC grant designated for the Triborough Bridge until financial accountability was established. Following O'Leary's dismissal, La Guardia appointed Robert Moses to fill the vacancy, prompting Ickes to release $1.5 million for the bridge’s development. Moses assumed the roles of CEO and Secretary of the TBA in February 1934 and was elevated to Chairman in November 1936.
Utilizing his influential positions within the TBA and various government levels, Moses accelerated progress on the Triborough project. The Triborough Bridge officially opened on July 11, 1936. Subsequently, the TBA initiated construction of the Bronx–Whitestone Bridge in 1937, which was completed and opened by April 29, 1939, just before the 1939 New York World's Fair. Moses also proposed a third crossing, the Brooklyn-Battery Bridge; however, this plan was blocked by the United States Department of War, citing obstruction concerns for shipping routes to the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
During Moses’ leadership, the agency expanded through consolidation with four additional entities. In January 1940, aiming to develop an approach to the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel, Moses suggested merging the New York City Parkway Authority—which managed the Henry Hudson, Marine Parkway, and Cross Bay Bridges—with the TBA. This consolidation took effect in February 1940. Prior to this merger, the Parkway Authority had integrated with both the Henry Hudson Parkway Authority and Marine Parkway Authority, centralizing control over all parkways and toll bridges located entirely within New York City. However, this legislation also eliminated the TBA’s authorization to construct a bridge connecting Brooklyn to the Battery.
In anticipation of uniting with the New York City Tunnel Authority, the TBA rebranded itself as the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) in 1945. At that time, it operated the Queens–Midtown Tunnel and was overseeing construction of the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel. The merger was finalized in 1946. The TBTA completed and opened the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel in May 1950.
Growth
With annual toll revenues generating millions, the TBTA evolved into a formidable municipal agency capable of financing significant infrastructure projects. Between the 1940s and 1960s, it developed several key facilities including the Battery Tunnel Parking Garage, Jacob Riis Beach Parking Field, New York Coliseum, and East Side Airlines Terminal.
One of its lucrative holdings was the New York Coliseum—a $35 million convention and office complex at Columbus Circle—primarily funded ($26.5 million) through TBTA toll income. The Coliseum operated under a unique tax arrangement permitting the city to receive a share of TBTA revenue instead of traditional property taxes, resulting in nearly $9.1 million paid to New York within its first ten years. This agreement remained effective until the property’s sale in 1998.
During the 1960s, TBTA completed two significant bridge projects: The Throgs Neck Bridge, built between 1957 and its opening in 1961 to alleviate congestion on the Bronx–Whitestone Bridge; and the long-envisioned Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, whose construction began in 1959 and which opened in 1964. Due to traffic volumes surpassing expectations, a second deck was added to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in 1969.
Merger with MTA
In January 1966, New York City Mayor John Lindsay put forward a proposal to combine the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA), responsible for bus and subway operations, with the TBTA to establish the Metropolitan Commuter Transit Authority (MCTA).<ref>Governor Nelson Rockefeller endorsed the idea of a consolidated transit agency,<ref> whereas Robert Moses criticized it as overly complex.<ref> Lindsay's effort to secure mayoral majority appointment authority within the new organization was ultimately denied.<ref>
By mid-1966, Rockefeller sought to broaden the MCTA's scope to encompass both NYCTA and TBTA, creating a regional transit authority.<ref> Meanwhile, Lindsay favored maintaining distinct but cooperative city and state transit entities.<ref> Early in 1967, Rockefeller proposed merging NYCTA and TBTA under the MCTA umbrella and issuing $2.5 billion in bonds aimed at transit enhancements.<ref> By May 1967, legislation granted the MCTA oversight of New York City-area transit systems, including TBTA.<ref>
Initially, TBTA resisted MCTA's takeover attempts.<ref> Moses expressed concern that an expanded MCTA would undermine TBTA’s autonomy,<ref> particularly opposing Rockefeller’s plan to allocate TBTA toll revenues toward subsidizing NYCTA fares.<ref> Nevertheless, Moses consented to integrate TBTA into MCTA in March 1967 and backed the transit bond initiative.<ref> By February 1968, bondholders of TBTA had approved the merger.<ref> The TBTA records were subsequently transferred to the MTA Bridges and Tunnels Special Archive located at 2 Broadway.<ref>
In March 1968, the MCTA rebranded as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), assuming jurisdiction over New York City-area transit services and TBTA.<ref> Moses was removed from his position as TBTA chairman but remained on as a consultant.<ref> He observed that ongoing TBTA construction projects would diminish MTA’s budget surplus through 1970.<ref> Previously, surplus funds had been allocated to automobile infrastructure projects but were redirected to support public transportation.<ref>
Following the merger, TBTA has provided over $10 billion in subsidies for fares and capital investments benefiting the New York City Transit Authority, Long Island Rail Road, and Metro-North Railroad. The trade name MTA Bridges and Tunnels was adopted in 1994,<ref> although Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority remains its official legal designation.<ref><ref>
Law enforcement
The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority employs around 100 Bridge and Tunnel Officers (BTOs). The latest civil service examination for MTA Bridge and Tunnel Officer (list #6091) took place in 2007.
Duties
TBTA Officers are responsible for regulating vehicle traffic, assisting motorists in distress, and performing selected security functions across the nine intra-city crossings.
The TBTA manages seven bridges and two tunnels:
- Triborough Bridge (connecting Manhattan, Bronx, Queens)
- Bronx–Whitestone Bridge (between Bronx and Queens)
- Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (linking Brooklyn and Staten Island)
- Throgs Neck Bridge (connecting Bronx and Queens)
- Henry Hudson Bridge (between Manhattan and Bronx)
- Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge (linking Brooklyn and Queens—Rockaway peninsula)
- Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge (connecting Brooklyn and Queens—Rockaway peninsula)
Two tunnels:
- Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel (between Brooklyn and Manhattan)
- Queens–Midtown Tunnel (linking Queens and Manhattan)
TBTA personnel
Personnel of the TBTA don uniforms closely resembling those of other New York City law enforcement agencies and hold the status of peace officers with restricted state powers.
Line-of-duty fatality
In October 2013, Officer Thomas K. Choi, who had dedicated 11 years to the TBTA, was fatally injured after being hit by a vehicle on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
Toll collection
The majority of tolls for MTA Bridges and Tunnels are collected through E-ZPass, a system implemented between 1995 and 1997.
Cashless open-road tolling
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in October 2016 the plan to remove tollbooths to enhance traffic efficiency. Since September 2017, all MTA Bridges & Tunnels facilities have employed open-road cashless tolling, discontinuing cash transactions. License plates are recorded by cameras mounted on overhead gantries provided by TransCore, while E-ZPass transponders are detected wirelessly. For vehicles without E-ZPass, invoices are sent by mail.
Automated license plate recognition (ALPR) technology reads plate information but faces difficulties with temporary paper plates as of 2018. Attempts to evade tolls through obscured plates threaten revenue; violators may be penalized under Section 402 of New York Vehicle and Traffic Law. Although a 2020 proposal aimed to criminalize toll evasion using altered plates, it was not passed.
The MTA has not released data regarding financial losses from plate-related fraud; however, toll collection efficiency averaged 97.1% between December 2018 and November 2019, with the Cross Bay Bridge recording the lowest rate at 94.8%. A 2017 audit by the New York State Comptroller identified revenue losses caused by unreadable or blocked plates, which the MTA attributed to unavoidable "leakage" inherent in cashless tolling systems.