Transit & Streets Reviewed 2026-08-22
Who owns which New York City bridge
Three different agencies own New York City's bridges and tunnels, and ownership is what decides whether a crossing is free. NYC DOT owns more than 800 bridges and tunnels and charges no toll on any of them; MTA Bridges and Tunnels operates seven bridges and two tunnels, tolled to help fund transit; the Port Authority operates the six crossings into New Jersey, tolled only entering New York. The three landmarked exceptions, and why High Bridge belongs to neither DOT nor a toll agency at all.
The numbers that matter
- The default owner
- NYC DOT owns, operates, and maintains over 800 bridges and tunnels citywide, including the Brooklyn, Queensboro, Manhattan, and Williamsburg Bridges; none of them are tolled (NYC DOT Bridges page, read August 2026)
- MTA Bridges and Tunnels
- Operates seven bridges and two tunnels, handling more than 336 million vehicle crossings a year; surplus toll revenue helps fund MTA transit service (MTA Bridges and Tunnels agency page, read August 2026)
- The Port Authority
- Operates six crossings between New York and New Jersey: the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, and the Bayonne Bridge, Goethals Bridge, and Outerbridge Crossing (Port Authority Tolls page, read August 2026)
- Which direction tolls
- Tolls are collected entering New York; no toll is collected entering New Jersey (Port Authority Tolls page, read August 2026)
- The landmarked exceptions
- Of the ten landmarked bridges in the city, three are not DOT's: the George Washington Bridge (Port Authority), High Bridge (NYC Parks), and Hell Gate Bridge (Amtrak) (NYC DOT Bridges page, read August 2026)
The default owner is the city
Most of what New Yorkers cross is not tolled, and not by accident. NYC DOT owns the great majority of the city's river and creek crossings outright, and its own description of the portfolio doubles as the reason there is no charge:
NYC DOT owns, operates, and maintains over 800 bridges and tunnels throughout New York, including the Brooklyn, Ed Koch Queensboro, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges, 24 movable bridges, and four tunnels. There are no tolls on bridges operated by NYC DOT.
Every icon on a postcard skyline, the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Queensboro Bridges, is on this free, city-owned list.
The other two owners
The crossings not on that list belong to one of two other agencies, and DOT's own page draws the line between them:
Many roadway bridges and tunnels not under NYC DOT's jurisdiction are the responsibility of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) or the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Other bridges and tunnels are the responsibility of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, the New York State Department of Transportation and Amtrak.
We operate seven bridges and two tunnels in New York City, handling more than 336 million vehicle crossings each year.
We serve more than 920,000 vehicles on an average day. In 2023, we carried more traffic than any bridge and tunnel authority in the nation—more than 336 million vehicles. Surplus revenues from our tolls help support MTA public transit services.
This is the reason MTA crossings are tolled and DOT's are not: toll revenue here does double duty, maintaining the crossing and funding the subway and buses.
The crossings, by owner
MTA Bridges and Tunnels names its own roster this way:
Bronx-Whitestone Bridge Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge Henry Hudson Bridge Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge Robert F. Kennedy Bridge Throgs Neck Bridge Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge Hugh L. Carey Tunnel Queens-Midtown Tunnel
The Port Authority's crossings all connect New York to New Jersey, and it lists exactly six of them:
George Washington Bridge Lincoln Tunnel Holland Tunnel Bayonne Bridge Goethals Bridge Outerbridge Crossing
Tolls are collected entering New York. No tolls are collected entering New Jersey.
A one-way toll structure: drive from New Jersey into New York and pay; drive back the other way and there is nothing to pay at the plaza.
The landmark exceptions, and the one bridge in neither camp
Ownership and landmark status are two separate lists, and they only mostly overlap.
Ten bridges in New York City had been awarded some degree of landmark status, including seven that under DOT's jurisdiction: the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queensboro, Washington, University Heights, Carroll Street and Macombs Dam Bridges. The three landmarked bridges not operated by DOT are the George Washington Bridge (Port Authority), the High Bridge (NYC Department of Parks & Recreation), and Hell Gate Bridge (Amtrak).
High Bridge, the city's oldest standing bridge and now a pedestrian walkway over the Harlem River, belongs to neither DOT nor a toll agency; it sits with the Parks Department, which is why it carries no vehicle traffic and no toll of any kind.
For exactly what each MTA and Port Authority crossing costs, see what the bridges and tunnels cost, and which ones are free; for the one MTA-run crossing that carries no vehicles or toll at all, why the Staten Island Ferry is free; and for how MTA toll revenue fits into the wider budget, how the MTA is funded.
The questions New Yorkers actually ask
Who owns the bridges in New York City?
Three agencies, mostly. NYC DOT owns the great majority, more than 800 bridges and tunnels, and charges no toll on any of them. MTA Bridges and Tunnels operates seven tolled bridges and two tolled tunnels. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates six tolled crossings between New York and New Jersey. A handful of others belong to NYC Parks, NYC Environmental Protection, the state DOT, or Amtrak.
Why are some NYC bridges free and others tolled?
It comes down to which agency owns the crossing. NYC DOT does not toll any of its bridges or tunnels. MTA Bridges and Tunnels and the Port Authority do, because for both agencies toll revenue doubles as a funding source: MTA surplus tolls help pay for subway and bus service.
Which bridges does MTA Bridges and Tunnels operate?
Seven bridges (the Bronx-Whitestone, Cross Bay Veterans Memorial, Henry Hudson, Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial, Robert F. Kennedy, Throgs Neck, and Verrazzano-Narrows) and two tunnels (the Hugh L. Carey and Queens-Midtown), carrying more than 336 million vehicle crossings a year.
Which bridges and tunnels does the Port Authority operate?
Six crossings between New York and New Jersey: the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel, the Bayonne Bridge, the Goethals Bridge, and the Outerbridge Crossing. Tolls are collected only entering New York; there is no charge entering New Jersey.
Who owns the Brooklyn Bridge?
NYC DOT, along with the Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Ed Koch Queensboro Bridges. All four are free to cross.
Is the George Washington Bridge owned by New York City?
No. It is one of the Port Authority's six crossings and is tolled entering New York. It is also one of the city's landmarked bridges, but landmark status and ownership are separate: the George Washington Bridge is not under NYC DOT's jurisdiction the way the Brooklyn or Manhattan Bridge is.
The documents
The public records this page draws on. Read them yourself:
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