The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Friday approved raising bridge and tunnel tolls that will mean an extra $50 per five-axle truck for E-Z Pass users and even more for cash customers.

Starting next month, tolls for trucks using E-Z Pass payment tags will rise $2 per axle in September, or $10 for a five-axle vehicle. Tolls will rise an additional $2 per axle each December between 2012 and 2015, resulting in a total increase of $50 per five-axle truck over five years.

Trucks paying in cash will pay a penalty of $3 per axle. A five-axle truck using E-Z Pass currently pay a total of $40 during peak hours, $35 during off-peak hours and $27.50 during overnight hours on weekdays.

The port authorities operate New York City-area bridges and tunnels such as the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln Tunnel, and the Goethals Bridge. The tolls apply only to eastbound crossings.

Approximately 60% of the plan, $15 billion, will be invested in the next four years. The immediate projects funded in the plan include:

* George Washington Bridge suspender ropes
* Lincoln Tunnel Helix rehabilitation
* Bayonne Bridge roadway raising
* New Goethals Bridge with both Port Authority and private investment
* PATH Car, signal, and station modernizations
* Airport runway and taxiway modernizations
* Security enhancements at all facilities
* Port infrastructure improvements to rail and roads in the port
* Completion of the World Trade Center

The authority does not receive tax revenue and relies mostly on tolls to generate money. Because of this and the fact that the authority lost revenue due to the recession, it said it had no other choice but to raise the tolls.