Drivers crossing the Verrazzano Bridge will soon have to pay going in and out of Staten Island, with a new two-way toll going into effect Dec. 1.

It's the first two-way toll on the bridge, connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn, since 1986.

What You Need To Know

  • Two-way tolls return to the Verrazzano Bridge on Dec. 1

  • Verrazzano Bridge had a one-way toll since 1986

  • Supporters say the two-way toll will cut down on out-of-state car and truck traffic

The one-way toll — drivers paying on the west-bound side to enter Staten Island — was instituted by Congress to cut down on traffic building up at toll booths in the borough.

But it caused traffic problems elsewhere in the city because motorists and truckers heading to New Jersey would avoid the toll by taking the free Holland Tunnel, a journey that took them from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, over the Manhattan Bridge and through Canal Street.

Since New York removed its toll booths and installed overhead EZPass readers, members of Congress from New York brought back the two-way toll without fear of traffic congestion.

“With our current open road tolling technology, motorists will see little to no change in traffic flow as they travel under the new eastbound (Brooklyn-bound) tolling gantries," MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Daniel DeCrescenzo.

Rep. Max Rose, a Democrat representing Staten Island and southwest Brooklyn, said he pushed for the return of two-way tolling on the Verrazzano Bridge to cut down on out-of-state cars and trucks using the Staten Island Expressway.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Manhattan Democrat, also praised the traffic relief his district would see.

“The restoration of split-tolling will greatly improve traffic and congestion in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, while also capturing much needed new funding for the MTA from out-of-state trucks," Nadler said in a statement.

The new tolling system means drivers with E-ZPass will pay $6.12 each way down from the $12.24 under the current, one-way toll.