More than 51,000 runners descended on the Big Apple for last year’s marathon, bringing hundreds of millions in revenue to the city plus $1.1 million for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority alone, according to the New York Post. But that’s not enough for the MTA, who wanted the New York Road Runners to cough up $750,000 for runners to cross the Verrazzano Bridge.
According to the Post, negotiations between the two groups did not go well. MTA, if it didn't get its way, threatened to restrict use of the bridge to one level, squeezing the number of runners that could participate.
The MTA said that it’s just trying to make the organizers of the New York Marathon pay their fair 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.”
But, critics slammed the MTA for giving the marathon a run for its money, when the system lost $690 million to fare and toll evasion in 2022 — with $46 million in toll-dodging on bridges and tunnels alone.
“They can find that money in nine hours if they enforce the law,” Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella told The Post.
But, critics slammed the MTA for giving the marathon a run for its money, when the system lost $690 million to fare and toll evasion in 2022 — with $46 million in toll-dodging on bridges and tunnels alone. (New York Post)
The NYRR, which has been using both decks of the bridge without problem for 36 years, has refused to cave, and took the issue up with Gov. Kathy Hochul.
On Thursday, after the Post's reporting on the issue, the Democrat sided with marathon organizers.
“I’ve directed the MTA to fix this mess and allow the marathon to move forward as it always has,” Hochul told the Post in a statement. “The marathon is an iconic symbol of New York City’s tenacity and resilience that unites communities across the five boroughs each fall.”
