Andrew Cuomo, Chris Christie call for PA toll hikes

Drivers may be dealt a smaller toll hike for the Port Authority's Hudson River crossings than the $4 wallop recently proposed by the agency.

A proposal Thursday by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie would instead hike the tolls by $1.50 at peak hours starting in September, calling it a “reasonable alternative” to the lager Port Authority plan that had drivers livid. The toll would then rise another 75 cents from 2012 to 2015.

The cash toll, meanwhile, would increase by $3.50, while fares on the PATH train would go up 25 cents to $2.

The Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners is set to vote on the increases Friday.

The governors are also calling for an audit of the authority, which argues it needs the higher tolls to finish construction at the World Trade Center and other major projects.