The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is 50 years old but not everyone is celebrating.
Staten Island's politicians are boycotting the anniversary ceremony Friday because of a proposed toll hike announced earlier this week.
The double-decked suspension bridge links the borough with Brooklyn and is the longest span of its kind in the United States.
The Staten Island Advance says the borough's 11 elected officials said they won't attend.
The MTA has proposed raising the one-way cash toll for cars by one dollar to $16.
The proposed 4 percent increase would be applied across all major MTA bridge and tunnel crossings.
The MTA said in a statement the agency regretted that the borough's elected representatives would not be attending. It says Staten Islanders can significantly lower tolls by using E-ZPass and taking advantage of the special resident discounts.
