APPENDIX E HISTORY AND PROJECTION OF TRAFFIC, TOLL REVENUES AND EXPENSES and Review of Physical Conditions Of the Facilities of Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority April 29, 2008 Prepared for the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority By TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE .............................................................................E-1 Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA)..........................................................E-1 Metropolitan Area Arterial Network ...............................................................................E-3 Other Regional Toll Facilities..........................................................................................E-4 Regional Public Transportation .......................................................................................E-4 TOLL COLLECTION ON THE TBTA FACILITIES................................................................E-5 Current Toll Structure and Operation ..............................................................................E-5 E-ZPass Electronic Toll Collection System ....................................................................E-7 TBTA’s Role in E-ZPass.................................................................................................E-9 Passenger Car Toll Rate Trends and Inflation .................................................................E-9 HISTORICAL TRAFFIC, REVENUES AND EXPENSES AND ESTIMATED/BUDGETED NUMBERS FOR 2008 ..............................................................................................................E-12 Traffic and Toll Revenue, 1997 to 2007........................................................................E-12 Traffic by Facility and Vehicle Class, 2007 ..................................................................E-15 Monthly Traffic, 2007....................................................................................................E-17 Changes in Monthly Traffic, 2006 to 2007....................................................................E-17 Estimated Traffic and Toll Revenue, 2008....................................................................E-19 Operating Expenses 1997 to 2007 .................................................................................E-20 2008 Budget...................................................................................................................E-22 FACTORS AFFECTING TRAFFIC GROWTH ......................................................................E-22 Employment, Population and Motor Vehicle Registrations ..........................................E-22 Fuel Conditions..............................................................................................................E-27 Toll Impacts and Elasticity ............................................................................................E-29 Bridge and Tunnel Capacities........................................................................................E-32 TBTA and Regional Operational and Construction Impacts.........................................E-33 Other Considerations .....................................................................................................E-40 Summary of Assumptions and Conditions ....................................................................E-41 PROJECTED TRAFFIC, REVENUES AND EXPENSES ......................................................E-43 Traffic and Toll Revenue at Current Tolls.....................................................................E-44 Traffic and Toll Revenue with Periodic Toll Increases.................................................E-45 Effects of Second Avenue Subway Construction in Forecast Years .............................E-48 Operating Expenses .......................................................................................................E-48 Net Revenues from Toll Operations ..............................................................................E-50 REVIEW OF PHYSICAL CONDITION ..................................................................................E-51 Review of Inspection Reports........................................................................................E-53 Other Systemwide Improvements..................................................................................E-58 Long-Term Outlook for TBTA Facilities ......................................................................E-60 E-i TABLES Table Page Table 1 Toll Rates at TBTA Facilities, Effective March 16, 2008 E-6 Table 2 E ZPass Participation Rates E-8 Table 3 Historical Trends in Non-Discounted Cash Passenger Car Toll Rates E-10 Table 4 Cash Passenger Toll Rates Versus Consumer Price Index E-11 Table 5 Annual Toll-Paying Traffic and Toll Revenue: 1997 to 2007 E-14 Table 6 Summary of Annual Paid Traffic and Toll Revenue: 1997 to 2007 E-15 Table 7 Traffic by Facility and Vehicle Class, 2007 E-16 Table 8 Monthly Traffic Variations, 2007 E-17 Table 9 Changes in Monthly Traffic – 2006 to 2007 E-18 Table10 Estimated Changes in Annual Traffic – 2007 to 2008 E-19 Table 11 Estimated 2008 Toll-Paying Traffic and Toll Revenue E-20 Table 12 Historical Operating Expenses: 1997 to 2007 E-21 Table 13 Employment Trends and Projections E-24 Table 14 Population Trends and Projections E-25 Table 15 Motor Vehicle Registrations E-26 Table 16 Historical Elasticity Factors E-30 Table 17 Elasticity Factors for 2010-2018 E-31 Table 18 Estimated Percent Change in Average Toll Rates and Traffic E-31 Table 19 Comparison of 2007 Traffic with Highest Recorded Levels Since 1970 E-32 Table 20 Traffic and Toll Revenue Forecast, Constant Tolls E-46 Table 21 Traffic and Toll Revenue Forecast, Periodic Toll Increases E-47 Table 22 Projected Operating Expenses E-49 Table 23 Net Toll Revenue Forecast E-50 Table 24 Opening Dates of TBTA Facilities E-51 Table 25 Capital Commitments by Facility, 2005 to 2009 E-52 FIGURES Figure 1: Location Map E-2 Figure 2: Aggregated TBTA Facilities Paid Traffic and Toll Revenue, 1970 to 2007 E-12 E-ii April 29, 2008 To Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority: In accordance with your request, URS Corporation-New York (URS) conducted this annual study to develop projections of traffic, revenues and expenses for the toll bridge and tunnel facilities operated by Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), and to provide an overview of the physical conditions of each facility. We have reviewed the bridge and tunnel inspection reports provided by TBTA, toured the facilities in light of these inspection reports with TBTA Engineering and Facilities staff, and discussed TBTA’s on-going maintenance and capital programs with its engineering staff. Our projections have taken into account: (1) the general physical condition of TBTA’s toll facilities; (2) traffic and revenue data, reflecting the 13 toll increases since 1972; (3) the impact of the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system; (4) the toll structure; (5) possible future toll increases; (6) population, employment and other demographic forecasts in the New York Metro- politan Area; (7) the traffic capacities of the bridges and tunnels and the existing roadway net- work that feeds the facilities in terms of the potential for future growth of peak versus non-peak period traffic; (8) current and programmed construction activities on TBTA’s facilities and the arterial highway network serving the New York Metropolitan Area, including the toll-free East River bridges; (9) mass transit network projects; and (10) the impacts of recent economic and political events on metropolitan area traffic. In 2007, actual total toll revenues for the TBTA were $1,250.5 million, or 0.2 percent lower than the URS forecast of $1,253.0 million. TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE The New York Metropolitan Area’s transportation infrastructure consists of an extensive net- work of highways, tunnels and bridges (both tolled and toll-free), regional commuter rail and the New York City transit system. Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) TBTA operates nine toll facilities within New York City (the “City”), consisting of seven bridges and two tunnels that provide vital links across the City’s rivers and bays. In 2007, these facilities carried 307.8 million total vehicles, of which 304.2 million were toll paying, and generated $1,250.5 million in toll revenue. (Non-revenue transactions include police, emergency and TBTA vehicles.) The locations of the facilities are shown on the following map in the context of the regional highway network. URS Corporation One Penn Plaza, Suite 610 New York, NY 10119-0698 Tel: 212.736.4444 Fax: 212.629.4249 www.urscorp.com Figure 1: Location Map E-2 The facilities are briefly described as follows: Verrazano-Narrows Bridge - a two-level suspension bridge, with three lanes of traffic in each direction on both decks. It crosses the entrance to New York Harbor and connects Brooklyn and Staten Island. Triborough Bridge - a complex of three bridges connecting Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens, with a central connecting interchange on Randall’s Island. Manhattan is reached via a six-lane vertical lift bridge over the Harlem River. The Bronx is accessed via a six-lane truss bridge over the Bronx Kill. An eight-lane suspension bridge over the East River leads to Queens. Bronx-Whitestone Bridge - a suspension bridge, with three lanes of traffic in each direction, which crosses the East River connecting the boroughs of Queens and the Bronx. Throgs Neck Bridge - a suspension bridge, with three