Verrazano tolls to go up again, St. Agatha’s in Sunset to close, and 8 other top stories

January 27, 2017 Editorial Staff

BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/file photos

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News that tolls will increase once more on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, and of the impending closure of a Sunset Park Catholic School were two of ten top stories of the week in Brooklyn.

Drivers will see an increase in the tolls they pay as of March 19, with undiscounted tolls on the Verrazano set to rise from $16 to $17, announced the MTA on Wednesday, January 25. That day, the MTA board voted to increase the tolls, while maintaining the same base subway/bus fare currently in effect, though the actual cost of a ride will increase for many commuters, who buy weekly or monthly passes or who take advantage of the discount available for loading their per-ride MetroCards with lump sums to get the bonus.

According to a fact sheet sent out by the MTA, those who use an E-ZPass will see the cost of a round-trip across the Verrazano rise from $11.08 to $11.52, with Staten Island residents set to pay about half of that, ranging from $5.74 with rebate (from $5.50) to either $6.48 or $6.84 without rebate (from $5.74).

Meanwhile, it’s closing time for another Brooklyn Catholic school. Sunset Park, which continues to experience school overcrowding, will soon lose another educational institution as St. Agatha School, 736 48^th Street, which opened in 1922, closes its doors after the 2016-17 school year. Parents were informed of the news on Monday, January 9 by the school and in a letter sent the following day by the Diocese of Brooklyn.