By PHILIP MARCELO (Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) — The people who organize the New York City Marathon will soon have to pay for the bridge toll, just like all other commuters, if New York transit officials have their way.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is requesting that the New York Road Runners, who organize the famous race usually held on the first Sunday of November, hand over about $750,000 for using the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
The agency overseeing New York’s bridges and tunnels says the fee is the approximate amount of toll revenue lost when the nation’s longest suspension bridge is shut down.
Catherine Sheridan, president of MTA’s department of bridges and tunnels, stated, “New Yorkers enjoy Marathon Sunday, but taxpayers should not have to cover the cost of a wealthy non-government organization like the New York Road Runners to the tune of $750,000.”
The Road Runners have disagreed, arguing that the MTA benefits from increased revenue due to more people using public transportation during marathon week, which supposedly compensates for any lost toll revenue from the bridge. The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge links the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island and is named after the first European explorer to sail into the New York Harbor.
The organization also pointed out that the 2019 marathon brought in an estimated $427 million for the city, significantly boosting tourism, tax revenues, and the economy, according to an economic impact report commissioned in 2020.
Crystal Howard, a spokesperson for the organization, mentioned, “The impact of MTA’s request would represent a material change to the cost structure and would require an increase in the amount runners pay to participate in the Marathon, making it less affordable for local runners and those who travel to New York City from around the world—both of whom contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to the City’s and State’s economy.”
She stated that the organization has repeatedly asked the MTA for evidence to support their claim of $750,000 in lost revenue but has not received any.
The agency has also refused to share data regarding the revenue generated by the increased ridership during marathon week, despite Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announcing after last year‘s marathon that the MTA enjoyed “record subway ridership” on race day, Howard said.
The Road Runners are open to negotiating with transit officials, but any agreement should reflect the “significant value” the agency gains from the marathon, which the organization claims has crossed the bridge since 1976.
The MTA has also threatened to limit the marathon to using only one of its two traffic decks if it doesn’t pay, but the Road Runners have stated that such an action would greatly hinder the race, the largest marathon in the world, with over 50,000 participants each year.
The organization said it might have to either reduce the number of runners or extend the total time of the marathon, leading to the bridge and other city roadways being closed even longer on race day.
The MTA refused to answer more questions, but Sheridan, in her statement, said the agency is also willing to collaborate with the organization on a solution, as long as it eventually results in full repayment for the lost money.
