Staten Islanders may get a new bridge financed via an old-fashioned installment plan.
The Goethals Bridge, which joins Staten Island and New Jersey, could be rebuilt by a private company, the Daily News reported Tuesday.
The Port Authority would then buy back the new span, making payments on the estimated $1 billion price tag in installments lasting 30 years, the paper said.
The new span would replace the crowded 82-year-old Goethals, whose lanes are now too narrow for modern vehicles.
The PA will still collect the toll, which is $8 eastbound.
This idea of private sector financing harkens to the 19th century when rich backers financed public projects, including the Brooklyn Bridge.
"We are buying a bridge, paying for it over a period of time and getting a guaranteed warranty on it," PA spokesman Steve Coleman told the paper.
