Pheffer Amato Celebrates 1st Anniversary of Queens Bridge Rebate

This month, Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato and Queens residents celebrated the one-year anniversary of her successful work to enact the Queens Resident Toll Rebate on the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge. The rebate is set up to provide an automatic reimbursement for Queens residents who have their car and E-ZPass registered in Queens, as this is the only interborough bridge in NYC and connects the Rockaways to the rest of Queens. Through negotiations, legislative efforts, and budgetary work, Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato and Senator Addabbo were the sole elected officials to get this enacted.

“Promises made, promises kept! After years of hard work and perseverance, it’s wonderful to celebrate this milestone as residents of Queens are no longer penalized for going over the bridge! Through the legislation I passed with Senator Addabbo, Queens residents who utilize the New York E-Zpass program get full access to their entire borough, especially the Rockaway Peninsula. We were able to remove this awful barrier and secure economic opportunities for everyone in Queens,” Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato said.

With the recent developments on congestion pricing, Pheffer Amato clarified that the rebate was not in jeopardy. “I can confirm that our community, and the entire Borough of Queens, are not going to lose this long-deserved rebate. The rebate was not contingent on congestion pricing because, through intense negotiations, the Senator and I obtained the needed funding to make sure this program continues. Anyone who says differently is purposely spreading misinformation; they’re wrong. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, and we will continue to celebrate year after year,” Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato said.