Lincoln Tunnel Toll 2026
The Lincoln Tunnel toll for a passenger car is $16.79 with E-ZPass at peak, $14.79 with E-ZPass off-peak, or $23.30 by Tolls by Mail. The toll is charged eastbound only, entering Midtown Manhattan from Weehawken.
The tunnel is fully cashless: pay by E-ZPass or Tolls by Mail. Westbound into New Jersey is free. These are the same Port Authority rates as the George Washington Bridge.
Port Authority of NY and NJ tariff effective 4 January 2026 | Verified 20 July 2026
2026 Lincoln Tunnel Car Tolls
Passenger car (2-axle), per crossing, eastbound into Manhattan only. The Lincoln Tunnel follows the Port Authority peak/off-peak schedule, identical to the GWB and Holland Tunnel.
| Payment Method | Car Toll | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| E-ZPass peak | $16.79 | Weekdays 6-10 AM and 4-8 PM, plus weekends 11 AM-9 PM |
| E-ZPass off-peak | $14.79 | All other times (overnight, weekday midday, early mornings) |
| Mid-Tier | $19.55 | NY/NJ E-ZPass tag read by plate match instead of transponder (improperly positioned) |
| Tolls by Mail (no E-ZPass) | $23.30 | License plate captured, bill mailed to the registered owner; flat rate at all times |
Rates set by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Motorcycles pay $15.79 peak / $13.79 off-peak. The Port Authority has approved a four-year phase-out of the off-peak E-ZPass discount starting January 2027 (the discount shrinks 50¢/year until off-peak equals peak in 2030).
The Real Cost Into Midtown: Toll + Congestion Charge
Unlike the GWB (which exits at 178th Street, north of the zone), the Lincoln Tunnel exits around 40th Street, inside the Manhattan Congestion Relief Zone south of 60th Street. Drivers continuing into the zone pay the MTA congestion charge on top of the tunnel toll.
The congestion charge is $9 with E-ZPass at peak (weekdays 5 AM-9 PM, weekends 9 AM-9 PM) or $2.25 overnight. Tunnel entries earn a crossing credit of up to $3 per peak passenger-car trip. See our NYC congestion pricing guide for the full rules and vehicle classes.
Quick Facts
Same Toll as the GWB, Different Destination
The Lincoln Tunnel is one of three Port Authority crossings under the Hudson River, alongside the George Washington Bridge and the Holland Tunnel. All three share a single toll schedule, so the Lincoln Tunnel car toll is exactly the same as the GWB: $16.79 with E-ZPass at peak, $14.79 off-peak, and $23.30 by Tolls by Mail in 2026. The decision between them comes down to where you are going in Manhattan, not what you pay at the toll.
The Lincoln Tunnel connects Weehawken, New Jersey to Midtown Manhattan, emerging around 40th Street near Dyer Avenue. That puts Times Square, the Javits Center, Penn Station, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal within a few minutes. The GWB, by contrast, lands you at 178th Street in Washington Heights, about 8 miles north, so a Midtown trip from the GWB means a run south on the West Side Highway.
How the Toll Is Charged
The Lincoln Tunnel is fully cashless and tolled in one direction only: eastbound, entering Manhattan. There are no toll booths. If you have an E-ZPass, the toll is deducted electronically as you cross ($16.79 at peak, $14.79 off-peak). Without E-ZPass, a camera reads your license plate and a $23.30 Tolls by Mail bill is sent to the registered vehicle owner, at the same flat rate regardless of the time of day. Driving the other way, westbound into New Jersey, is free.
A Mid-Tier rate of $19.55 applies when an NY or NJ E-ZPass tag is mounted incorrectly and the system reads the license plate instead of the transponder. Keeping the tag properly positioned on the windshield ensures you pay the lower E-ZPass rate.
Congestion Pricing Makes the Lincoln Tunnel Different
Because the Lincoln Tunnel exits inside the Manhattan Central Business District (south of 60th Street), drivers continuing into that zone pay the MTA congestion charge on top of the tunnel toll: $9 with E-ZPass at peak or $2.25 overnight. To soften the double charge, the MTA grants tunnel entries a crossing credit of up to $3 per peak passenger-car trip. A peak E-ZPass car therefore pays $16.79 + $9.00 - $3.00 = $22.79 to reach Midtown.
This is the key financial difference between the Lincoln Tunnel and the George Washington Bridge. A driver who crosses the GWB and stays in upper Manhattan or heads to the Bronx pays only the $16.79 bridge toll, with no congestion charge, because the GWB is well north of the zone. If your destination is below 60th Street, however, the toll is roughly the same whichever crossing you use, and the tunnels at least earn the $3 credit that the GWB does not.
The XBL: The Country's Only Contraflow Bus Lane
During the weekday morning rush, the Lincoln Tunnel runs the Exclusive Bus Lane (XBL), a roughly 2.5-mile contraflow lane that borrows a westbound lane of the approach highway for eastbound buses heading into the Port Authority Bus Terminal. It is the only such contraflow bus lane in the United States and moves tens of thousands of commuters per morning. For drivers, it means the Lincoln Tunnel is heavily used by NJ Transit and commuter coaches, and the approach can be congested even when the tunnel itself flows.
Trucks, Trailers, and Size Limits
The Lincoln Tunnel is more truck-friendly than the Holland Tunnel. It permits tractor-trailers, subject to Port Authority length limits: a semitrailer longer than 28ft, or an overall vehicle length over 85ft, needs advance permission and pays an additional charge. The center tube is closed to trucks, and the height limit is 13ft 0in, higher than the Holland Tunnel's 12ft 6in but below the open-air GWB upper level. Oversize loads and most hazmat still route via the George Washington Bridge.
A Three-Tube Crossing
The Lincoln Tunnel opened its center tube in 1937, six years after the George Washington Bridge and a decade after the Holland Tunnel. The north tube followed in 1945 and the south tube in 1957, giving the tunnel three tubes and six lanes in total, the highest capacity of the three Port Authority Hudson crossings. Even so, its central Midtown destination makes it one of the busiest vehicular crossings in the world.
Related Pages
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Lincoln Tunnel toll in 2026?
The 2026 Lincoln Tunnel toll for a passenger car is $16.79 with E-ZPass during peak hours, $14.79 with E-ZPass off-peak, and $23.30 by Tolls by Mail for drivers without a transponder. A Mid-Tier rate of $19.55 applies to an NY/NJ E-ZPass tag that is improperly positioned and read by plate match. The toll is charged eastbound only, when entering Midtown Manhattan from Weehawken; westbound into New Jersey is free. These are the same Port Authority rates as the George Washington Bridge and Holland Tunnel. Tariff effective 4 January 2026.
Is the Lincoln Tunnel toll the same as the George Washington Bridge?
Yes. The Lincoln Tunnel, the George Washington Bridge, and the Holland Tunnel are all operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and share one toll schedule: $16.79 E-ZPass peak, $14.79 E-ZPass off-peak, and $23.30 by Tolls by Mail for passenger cars in 2026. Choose between them by destination, not by price.
Do you pay the Lincoln Tunnel toll both ways?
No. Like the GWB and Holland Tunnel, the Lincoln Tunnel is tolled in one direction only: eastbound, entering Manhattan from Weehawken. Driving westbound back into New Jersey is free. The tunnel is fully cashless, so there are no toll booths; you pay by E-ZPass or Tolls by Mail.
Does the Lincoln Tunnel have congestion pricing on top of the toll?
Yes, for drivers continuing into the zone. The Lincoln Tunnel exits around 40th Street in Midtown Manhattan, inside the Congestion Relief Zone (south of 60th Street), so you also pay the MTA congestion charge: $9 with E-ZPass during peak hours or $2.25 overnight. Tunnel entries earn a crossing credit of up to $3 per peak trip for passenger cars, which the George Washington Bridge does not get because it exits at 178th Street, well north of the zone. A peak E-ZPass car therefore pays $16.79 tunnel + $9.00 congestion - $3.00 credit = $22.79 to reach Midtown.
Can trucks use the Lincoln Tunnel?
Yes. Unlike the Holland Tunnel, the Lincoln Tunnel permits tractor-trailers, subject to length limits: a semitrailer over 28ft, or an overall vehicle length over 85ft, needs advance permission and pays extra. The center tube is closed to trucks. The height limit is 13ft 0in, higher than the Holland Tunnel's 12ft 6in but lower than the open-air GWB upper level. Oversize loads and most hazmat still route via the GWB.
Which is closer to Midtown Manhattan: the Lincoln Tunnel or the GWB?
The Lincoln Tunnel. It exits around 40th Street, minutes from Times Square, the Javits Center, Penn Station, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The George Washington Bridge exits at 178th Street in upper Manhattan, roughly 8 miles north, adding 20 to 40 minutes of local driving to reach Midtown. For Midtown trips, the Lincoln Tunnel is the direct choice.