If you live and work in New York City and use a car to get around instead of their excellent public transportation system, you likely make use of the city’s bridges and tunnels to get from one place to another. Doing that will soon cost you a bit more money. The Metropolitan Transit Authority announced this week it is considering a proposal to increase tolls for drivers using any of the tunnels or bridges which link Manhattan to the rest of the country.

Under the scenario, cash tolls for the Verrazano Bridge would jump from $13 to $15, while the Robert F. Kennedy, Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges, as well as the Midtown and Battery tunnels would all increase to $7.50. Cash olls on the Henry Hudson Bridge would be raised to $5, while bridges like the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial and the Cross Bay Vets Memorial would rise to $3.75.

These prices will immediately affect drivers who pay cash for access to these roadway links, but the plan even addresses thos drivers who currently receive a discount for using the electronic E-Z Pass system.

So far, more than three quarters of all drivers currently use the E-Z Pass system for both its simplicity and the fact they get a discount. They would still receive a discount for using the E-Z Pass system, but if prices are going up, they will pay more too.

Regardless of whether or not you agree with the price increases for bridges and tunnels in New York City it seems all but certain that will ultimately be approved. The cost for maintaining these structures increases every which means that eventually these costs will need to be passed on to the people who make use of them.