Gimme More: The Latest Money Scheme by the MTA

By BoroPark24 Staff

In the latest of officials trying whatever they can to line their pockets, the MTA announced that they’ll be fining the New York Marathon organizers $750,000 to make up for lost toll revenue on the Verrazano bridge during the race. 

The MTA said that if the fine is not paid, they will restrict use of the bridge, which has been used as part of the race for the past 36 years, which would drastically reduce the number of marathon runners who can compete in this wildly popular event every November. During negotiations, the MTA initially said that runners will only be able to access the lower, darker deck of the bridge, but backtracked later and said that organizers can have their pick of the upper or lower deck, but not both. Marathon organizers pointed out that this would only cause longer shutdowns of local roads and (one deck of) the bridge as it will take runners longer to pass through just one deck. 

Separately, the MTA has made similar demands of Bike New York, which uses the lower deck of the bridge in its annual race. It’s not clear how much they need to pay up, but we can be sure that it’s a hefty number. 

This announcement comes on the heels of the recent controversial “congestion pricing plan” which would slap drivers with a $15 toll just to enter Midtown Manhattan below 60th Street, as we reported here.