MTA Demands NYC Marathon Pay $750K in Bridge Tolls

(Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images)

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is waging war against New York City Marathon organizers.

According to reports, the transit agency is requesting $750,000 from the New York Road Runners (NYRR) to compensate for toll revenue lost during the closure of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge for the event. If the payment is not made, the MTA is considering imposing restrictions on bridge usage, which could ultimately impact the participation of runners in the marathon, the New York Post reported.

Initially, the MTA threatened to restrict all participants to the lower deck of the bridge. However, according to a report by The New York Times, the authority has since adjusted its position, indicating that the marathon could utilize the upper deck if preferred by the organizers. Regardless, the MTA maintains that if both levels of the bridge are utilized, a fee will be required.

The NYRR, which accepted just about 4% of applicants from this year’s drawing, stated to The Times that if runners are limited to one level of the bridge, they may need to reduce race participation or extend event hours to accommodate the changes.

Negotiations have been ongoing for months regarding the New York City Marathon, a major event that annually draws 50,000 runners and injects over $425 million into the local economy.

An analysis by the Post indicates that last year’s marathon also resulted in a notable increase in revenue for the MTA, with record-high ridership on race day contributing an additional $1.1 million.

The MTA stated that it aims to ensure the organizers of the marathon contribute their share.

“Taxpayers cannot be expected to subsidize a wealthy non-government organization like the New York Road Runners to the tune of $750,000,” the president of MTA Bridges and Tunnels, Catherine Sheridan, told the Post in a statement.

“The MTA is prepared to continue working toward a final agreement with the NYRR, provided it leads, over time, to full reimbursement for the lost revenue.”

NYRR has not yielded to the MTA’s demands. Instead, they are seeking intervention from Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul who, in a previous statement, applauded that “Marathon runners and spectators alike took the subway to Sunday’s race, accounting for 2,304,683 paid rides, the highest for a Sunday in almost four years.”