George Washington Bridge tolls now entirely cashless
NEW YORK -- The George Washington Bridge is now cashless. A new electronic tolling system went online Sunday morning and all cash lanes were eliminated.
The system takes pictures of vehicles without E-ZPass and bills drivers by mail. Port Authority officials expect the upgrade to ease traffic delays at the bridge.
However, the upgrade eliminated carpool lanes and the toll collectors who checked them. U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer said the lanes saved drivers nearly $2,400 a year.
"Most of what happens, actually, is people meet up somewhere in their town, they meet up before going to work in the morning, and they commute in together. It costs around $6 to get across the bridge versus about $16, so you're saving nearly $10 a day by commuting," Gottheimer said.
There is technology that can track carpool lanes, Gottheimer said. He's encouraging the Port Authority to explore options to maintain the carpool rates.