On April 4, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) celebrated its 90th anniversary of Bridges and Tunnels (B&T). The sector was founded as the Triborough Bridge Authority (TBA) in 1933 and now operates and maintains seven bridges and two tunnels linking the five boroughs of New York City and is the largest bridge and tunnel toll agency in the United States.
A brief look at MTA’s history of achievements
In 1937, the agency’s first full year of operation, the agency recorded 11.2 million crossings, with only the Triborough Bridge under its operation at the time. In 2022, the agency reported 327 million crossings – a nearly thirty-fold increase since its founding – and surplus toll revenue of nearly $1.2 billion dollars to support the MTA’s public transit services.
MTA B&T has made advances in operating efficiencies leading to greater traffic throughput, road safety and customer experience, notably through the installation of Open Road Tolling (ORT) in 2017. Since the implementation of cashless tolling, average daily traffic through B&T facilities has increased by seven percent, customer travel time has been reduced and the rate of collisions has decreased.
“Joining Bridges and Tunnels around the agency’s 90th anniversary has underscored to me the impressive work which has been done at this agency,” said MTA B&T Interim President Catherine Sheridan. “As an engineer, I’m excited to be leading an agency with infrastructure designed and built by some of the most significant bridge and tunnel engineers in history “I look forward to working with our talented team in maintaining our strong record and advancing future achievements.”
Milestones over the agency’s nine decades include:
- Introduction of the electronic toll payment system, E-ZPass, in 1995, of which approximately 94 percent of B&T customers use today
- The construction of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, which was completed in 23 months and timed for the opening of the 1939-1940 New York World’s Fair at the new Flushing Meadows Park, now known as Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
- The 1964 opening of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, which remains the longest suspension span in North America and links Staten Island to Brooklyn.
- Construction of a reversible HOV/bus lane in 2017 on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge’s upper level, reducing weekday travel times for MTA express bus commuters and B&T customers.
- A newly built ramp in 2020 from the RFK Bridge's Manhattan span to the northbound Harlem River Drive that provided a direct connection and reduced drivers’ travel time by bypassing the need to travel through local city streets.
Timeline of facilities’ opening years:
- 1936 – Robert F. Kennedy, TBA's first facility, formerly known as the Triborough Bridge
- 1936 – Henry Hudson Bridge Lower Level, became part of TBA in 1941
- 1938 – Henry Hudson Bridge Upper Level
- 1937 – Marine Parkway Bridge
- 1939 – Bronx Whitestone Bridge
- 1939 – Cross Bay Bridge, rebuilt in 1970
- 1940 – Queens Midtown Tunnel
- 1950 – Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, formerly known as the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel
- 1961 – Throgs Neck Bridge
- 1964 – Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (today’s upper level)
- 1969 – Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge Lower Level
Looking ahead
MTA B&T is planning further enhancements to customer experience and road safety through safety improvement projects focused on reducing congestion. Additionally, in coordination with New York City Department of Transportation, Bridges and Tunnels plays a significant role in improving regional mobility for bicyclists, pedestrians and micromobility users through Extending Transit’s Reach, through the MTA’s recently released Bicycle, Pedestrian and Micromobility Strategic Action Plan. At the RFK Bridge where the TBA began in 1933, crews are building a 650-foot long stair-free ramp connecting the bridge’s walkway to the Manhattan Greenway being developed on the Harlem River.
