Will toll hikes impact locals’ lives and summer traffic?

“I changed my driving habits completely,” he said. “I usually got the card every three to four weeks and spent $15 roughly a month.”

Along with the toll increases, the bridge authority also announced the implementation in mid-2023 of the E-ZPass system on the Atlantic Beach span.

Last month, authority board commissioners told the Herald they had reached an agreement with TRMI Systems Integration, a service that specializes in electronic toll systems, to get E-ZPass up and running.

Sanchez doesn’t approve of E-ZPass for the local bridge, because of the jobs that will be lost. “Eventually they’ll get rid of the toll operators,” he said. “… The bridge is one of the few bridges that have live people.”

It remains to be seen whether the toll hikes will impact beach-bound traffic through the Five Towns, or nearby businesses on either side of the bridge, during the peak summer months. One employee at Atlantic Beach Café Deli, who declined to give his name, said that, so far, business had not suffered.

“Some people prefer to come through Oceanside instead of taking the bridge,” he said.

“But some other people don’t mind and just pay to pass by, but it might affect people who won’t come in if the toll is so high.”

Two peTiTions were created on Change.org, calling on the Nassau County Bridge Authority to detail the reasons for the toll increases on the Atlantic Beach Bridge, and to be transparent about the agency’s finances. Long Beach resident and Uber driver Robert Sanchez, seen here outside the authority headquarters, says the toll hike is unfair for him, and he has taken alternate routes to avoid the bridge.

In February, two petitions were created on Change.org, calling on the bridge authority to rescind the toll increases and to make its financial statements public. More than 2,000 people have signed them.

The Herald reached out to the bridge authority for comment, but had not received a response as of press time.

One signee commented that the new tolls would prevent her from going to restaurants in Atlantic Beach. “I like to go to the restaurants over there like

Beginnings,” Alian Spielman wrote, but “at that price, I’m not going to go anywhere.”

Have an opinion on the Atlantic Beach Bridge toll increases? Send a letter to jbessen@liherald.com.

She’s been there through thick and thin. Always a shoulder, a hug or words of encouragement. Whoever the ‘ mothers’ are in your life, mom, grandmother, sister, aunt or a good friend, we have the perfect gift for each.

We’ve selected our freshest looks for mom. From statement pieces that we know she’ll love to versatile styles that will become seasonal favorites, these are gifts that will delight and inspire.

There really is no one like mom! Now’s the time to give her gifts that are unforgettable.