The
Predecessor Agencies to the TBTA
As each bridge or tunnel was planned, an new agency was organized
to discuss planning, apply for financing and to issue bonds, and issues
the construction contracts; as well as operate the completed crossing.
This led to several agencies in the New York Metropolitan area all pretty much doing the same thing.
the Triborough
Bridge Authority in 1933, Henry Hudson
Parkway Authority in 1934, Marine Parkway
Authority (which included the Cross Bay Bridge as well when opened) in 1934,
and the
Queens
Midtown Tunnel Authority in 1935, which was quickly renamed the New York City Tunnel
Authority the following year.
Please keep in mind that the incorporation date of the operating
entity was usually a few years prior to the actual opening of the
crossing.
The Marine Parkway and the Henry Hudson Parkway Authorities would be
merged into the New York City Parkway Authority i 1939, consolidating
their efforts and organizations; but for all the others, they
were separate.
As it has been observed, each of these operating agencies issued its
own scrip and passes for the express use at their specific crossings;
and as far as it known, they were not reciprocal with other crossings
or agencies.
It
is mentioned in several New York Times articles
published prior to
the
existence of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, and one article in
particular dated January 19, 1938 (seen to the right).
Robert Moses campaigned for the creation of a unified parkway
administration agency to administer to all the toll roads and crossings
within the City of New York; this to include the existing Henry Hudson
Parkway Authority and the Marine Parkway Authority.
Robert Moses was
chairman and sole member of those Henry Hudson and Marine Parkway
Authorities. As proposed, these two agencies would be consolidated
into the New York City Parkway
Authority in 1938;
until that agency itself would be merged into the Triborough Bridge
Authority in February 1940 (and with that name being retained) with the passage of the
"Crews-Nunan" bill.
Not so coincidentally, Mr.
Moses was also in charge of the Triborough Bridge Authority.
| |
The New York City Tunnel Authority
At
this juncture, the New York City Tunnel Authority (former Queens
Midtown Tunnel Authority) was not part of this organization and was
administered to separately until 1946.
It should
also be noted that the New York City Tunnel Authority had
also been authorized by the New York State Legislature to
administer to the operation of two tunnels: the Queens-Midtown AND the Brooklyn Battery Tunnels. With
subsequent funding issues and World War II material and
manpower shortages, the construction of the Brooklyn Battery
Tunnel was not to take place
until 1950, and after the agencies had
been consolidated under the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority
name.
This New York Times article also mentions the intent to widen the
Beach Channel Bridge on Cross Bay Boulevard, which at the time of
publication, the Boulevard was a free passage. It is
upon this
improvement, that a toll would be collected on crossing the Cross Bay
Bridge.
To better understand what agency merged
into which and on what date, you can refer to the the following
organizational chart.
Keep in mind however that
the history and toll items of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel
Authority will be discussed and displayed on the next page of this
series and accessible via the
link in the brown index tab of this page.
Toll Fare Schedules Upon Crossing Opening
Triborough Bridge Authority
| | New York City Tunnel Authority
| Triborough Bridge
July 11, 1936
| | Bronx-Whitestone
Bridge
April 29, 1939
| | Queens
Midtown Tunnel
November 15, 1940
| | class | vehicle | toll | | class | vehicle | toll | | class | vehicle | toll | | 1 | passenger
autos, all types taxicab,
ambulances, hearses, horsedrawn vehicles | .25 | | 1 | passenger
autos, all types taxicab,
ambulances, hearses, horsedrawn vehicles | .25 | | 1 | passenger
auto, all types taxicabs,
ambulances & hearses | .25 | | 2 | 2 axle trucks, less than 2 tons | .25 | | 2 | 2 axle trucks, less than 2 tons | .25 | | 2 | 2 axle trucks, less than 2 tons | .25 | | 3 | 2 axle trucks, 2 - 5 tons | .35 | | 3 | 2 axle trucks, 2 - 5 tons | .35 | | 3 | 2 axle trucks, 2 - 5 tons | .40 | | 4 | 2 axle trucks, more than 5 tons | .50 | | 4 | 2 axle trucks, more than 5 tons | .50 | | 4 | 2 axle trucks, more than 5 tons | .60 | | 5 | all buses | .50 | | 5 | all buses | .50 | | 5 | buses
(2 & 3 axle) | .50 | | 6 | 3 axle
trucks, tractors, passenger autos w/ semi trailer | .60 | | 6 | 3 axle
trucks, tractors, passenger autos w/ semi trailer | .60 | | 6 | 3 axle trucks, tractors or passenger autos w/ semi trailer | .75 | | 7 | 4 axle trucks, tractors, cars with trailer | .75 | | 7 | 4 axle
trucks, tractors, cars with trailer | .75 | | 7 | 4 axle trucks, tractors or passenger auto w/
2 axle trailer | $1.00 | | 8 | motorcycles | .15 | | 8 | motorcycles | .15 | | 8 | special classification | tbd | | 9 | bicycles | .10 | | 9 | bicycles | .10 | | 9 | motorcycles | .15 | .
. | Henry Hudson Parkway Authority
| | Marine Parkway Authority > New York City Parkway Authority
| Henry
Hudson Bridge
December 12, 1936 | | Marine
Parkway Bridge
July 3, 1937
| | Cross Bay Bridge
June 3, 1939
| | class | vehicle | toll | | class | vehicle | toll | | class | vehicle | toll | | 1 | 2 axle passenger autos all types, station
wagons,
ambulances, hearses, franchise buses engaged in general transportation,
and
2 axle trucks less than 2 tons | .10 | | | passenger cars | .15* | | 1 | 2 axle passenger autos, station
wagons, ambulances, hearses | .10 | | | passenger trailers | .50 | | 2 | 2 axle trucks less than 2 tons | .10 | | | motorcycles | .15* | | 3 | 2 axle trucks, 2 - 5 tons | .25 | | 9 | motorcycles | .10 | | | bicycles | .10 | | 4 | 2 axle trucks more than 5 tons, passenger autos with 2 axle trailer | .35 | | | | | | franchise buses | .25 | | 5 | 2 axle buses (other than buses in 1 above),
and all
2 axle vehicles transporting 10 or more persons including operator | .35 | | | | | | charter buses | .50 | . . | 6 | 3 axle
trucks, tractors, buses | .40 | | | | | | commercial vehicles up to 2 tons | .25 | | 7 | 4 axle trucks, tractors, buses, | .50 | | | | | | 5 ton trucks | .35 | | 8 | franchise buses | .10 | | | | | | 10 ton trucks | .50 | | 9 | motorcycles | .10 | | | | | | single axle trailers | .60 | | | | | | | | | | double axle trailers | .75 | | | | | | | | | * = toll reduced to 10 cents in 1939 upon opening of Cross Bay Bridge
upon opening of second Cross Bay Bridge, classification system adopted at Marine Parkway Bridge
Tolls were collected on the second Cross Bay Bridge, which was an improvement upon the 1925 span & causeway, which were free until that time.. |
Scrip / Tickets
Mentioned in a New York Times article dated July 16, 1939; are the
give-aways of a 50 ticket book to drivers on "landmark" occasions: one
millionth auto to cross the bridge, the two millionth, and so on;
over particular crossings.
In this particular case, the driver of the
4,000,000th car at the Marine Parkway Bridge received a book of 50 toll
tickets.
This same article above also describes the lowering of the toll on
the Marine Parkway Bridge from 15 cents to 10 cents upon the opening of
the Crossbay Parkway Bridge (which took place June 3, 1939 - just 45
days prior) and the 1,000,000th automobile was expected to cross the
bridge the following week!
That number doesn't seem impressive by today's standards, and
granted a lot of those are round trip crossings by residents of
Brooklyn and Queens; but when you consider there were only just over
twenty-six million private automobiles registered for the entire United
States in 1939, four million autos at only one minor non-interstate
crossing in the City of New York does leave one a little impressed. |  |
It
is with utmost thanks to Ms. Nellie Hankins, Assistant Archivist for
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority - Bridges & Tunnels, that
I am proud to share the following with you. I received
a reply to my
email inquiry and request of 01 October 2019 on 22 October:
"There
are TBTA predecessor agency toll tickets in our collection dating back
to 1939 (they may have been issued as early as 1936). The early ones
were special passes issued for free passage to military vehicles,
vehicles on government business, and employees at Manhattan State
Hospital on Randall's Island. The New York City Tunnel Authority sold
toll tickets from the Queens Midtown Tunnel beginning in 1940, and TBTA
began selling tickets in 1946. The ones that you sent were the square
punch card variety that were issued beginning in 1963, although yours
are slightly later (c. 1970). I
have attached an image of the tokens with their release dates, as well
as order sheets for various denominations of tickets. While there were
relatively few types of tokens issued, there were many types of scrip
issued by TBTA and its predecessor agencies. The attached samples and
price lists are not exhaustive.
I’m attaching examples of toll tickets to a separate email."
Without
any doubt, Ms. Hankins apparently went all out and spent three weeks
(or a very good portion of it at least!) searching through the TBTA/MTA
archives, because I was sent three emails with more images and pdf's
than I know what to do with!
It should be remembered, that the Henry Hudson Parkway
Authority, Marine Parkway Authority and the Triborough Bridge Authority all operated concurrently.
Each
crossing in essence was operated as its own authority.
Individual (Predecessor) Authority Scrip Issues - 1936 to 1946:
Please
Note:
On some scrip, the date on the design is the incorporation date for the
agency, NOT the date the bridge(s) or tunnel opened; e.g.: the New York
City Tunnel Authority was chartered 1936
and as such is displayed as "AD 1936" in the agency seal on the script
design. But in actuality the Queens Midtown Tunnel did not open to
traffic until 1940.
| Henry
Hudson Parkway Authority Issues: ca. 1941 |  | Henry Hudson
Parkway Authority - ca. 1941 - ?
Toll Permit for Official
Business
collection
of MTA Bridges & Tunnel Archives
| .
. | | New
York City Parkway Authority Issues: 1939 to 1946 |  | Cross Bay Parkway
Bridge - Toll Permit for Official Business (book cover) - ca. 1939
collection
of MTA Bridges & Tunnel Archives | .
. | | | .
. | | New York City
Tunnel Authority (Queens Midtown Tunnel) Issues: 1940 to 1946 |  |  | 25 cent - 1940 to 1946
facsimile
signature of Fearson Shortridge, manager
printed by American Bank Note
Company
Heritage
Auction Archives
| .
. | |  |  |  | 25 cent - 1940 to 1946
steel intaglio plate, American Bank Note
Company #81536
4" x 5.5"
facsimile
signature of Fearson Shortridge, manager
ink color: purple
Lawrence collection | .
. | |  |  |  | 40 cent - 1940 to 1946
steel intaglio plate, American Bank Note
Company #81537
4" x 5.5"
facsimile
signature of Fearson Shortridge, manager
ink color not known
Lawrence collection | .
. | 
As auctioned off on eBay |  |  |  |  | | As arrived | after 20 minutes with Goo Gone followed with 91% rubbing alcohol |  |  | | |  | 50 cent - 1940 to 1946
steel intaglio plate, American Bank Note
Company #81538
4" x 5.5"
facsimile
signature of Fearson Shortridge, manager
ink color not known
formerly Lawrence collection
formerly Mucha collection
at present authors collection
| .
. | |  |  |  | 60 cent - 1940 to 1946
steel intaglio plate, American Bank Note
Company #81539
4" x 5.5"
facsimile
signature of Fearson Shortridge, manager
ink color not known
Lawrence collection | .
. |  |  |  | 75 cent - 1940 to 1946
steel intaglio plate, American Bank Note
Company #81540
4" x 5.5"
facsimile
signature of Fearson Shortridge, manager
ink color not known
Lawrence collection | .
. |  | Special Ticket for Queens
Midtown Tunnel - ca. 1940 to 1946
issued to secretary of the
Mayor of New York City (Fiorello H. LaGuardia)
printed by The Jarrett Press.
facsimile
signature of Fearson Shortridge, manager
collection
of MTA Bridges & Tunnel Archives
| .
. | | Triborough
Bridge Authority Issues: 1936 to 1946 |  |  | Official Ticket
for Bronx Whitestone Bridge only - 1/16/1947
facsimile
signature of Paul Loeser, general manager (1934-1943)
collection of MTA
Bridges & Tunnel Archives | .
. | |  | "C"
Official Ticket for Cross Bay Bridge?
City? only
owner:
Department of Sanitation?
with
facsimile signature of Paul Loeser, general manager (1934-1943)
collection
of MTA Bridges & Tunnel Archives
| | | 
"C"
Official Ticket for Cross Bay Bridge? City? only -
1/19/1947
without facsimile
signature of Paul Loeser, general manager
collection of MTA Bridges & Tunnel Archives | .
. | | 
|
Official Ticket - general issue - good for all crossings
owner: Long Island State Parkway Commission
facsimile signature
of Paul Loeser, general manager (1934-1943)
collection
of MTA Bridges & Tunnel Archives |
all text
& images: © 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 ~ Philip M. Goldstein ~ www.nynjtollscrip.info
bedt14@aol.com |
