Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority

The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, described to the public by the "popular name" MTA Bridges and Tunnels, or MTA B&T, is an affiliate agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a public benefit corporation, that operates all intrastate toll bridges in New York City.

The TBTA operates seven bridges and two tunnels in New York City, the Triborough Bridge (connecting Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens), Bronx-Whitestone Bridge (the Bronx and Queens), Verrazano Narrows Bridge (Brooklyn and Staten Island), Throgs Neck Bridge (the Bronx and Queens), Henry Hudson Bridge (Manhattan and the Bronx), Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge (Brooklyn and Queens—Rockaway peninsula), Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge (Queens—Broad Channel and the Rockaway peninsula), Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (Brooklyn and Manhattan), Queens Midtown Tunnel (Queens and Manhattan).

This particular bond was issued to fund the building of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on Manhattan’s west side. A convention center, of course, has little to do with bridges and tunnels. But the TBTA became the financing vehicle because it had the necessary credit to issue bonds, while the UDC, the authority responsible for initiating the project, had nearly brought the state into bankruptcy in the mid-1970s. Because an authority, rather than the state government itself, issued the bonds, voter approval was not required. As a result, the grandchildren of the generation championing this project will be paying off the debt incurred in the center’s construction.


Certificate: Convention Center Project Bond, issued in the 1980’s

Printer: American Bank Note Company

Dimensions: 13 1/2” (h) x 9 1/2” (w)

State: NY-New York

Subject Matter: Bridge and Tunnel Companies | Government Bonds

Vignette Topic(s): Bridge Featured | Stylized Modern

Condition: Horizontal fold lines, punch hole cancels in the signature areas and body, stray staple holes and markings. A full page of coupons remain attached at right side margin.