🚀 go-pugleaf

stevens@madvlsi.columbia.edu (Andy Stevens) writes:
>> Is there a way to get from Long Island to New Jersey without driving over a 
>> toll bridge? If so, how?
>
>The answer is no.

	Oh, come now.  Of course there is!  It may not be practical, but the
original question didn't say anything about practicality.  We're talking
topology here, right?

	So, from Long Island, you can get to Manhattan over the Brooklyn,
Manhattan, Williamsburg, or Queesboro (59th st) Bridge.  From there, take
the Willis Avenue (or is it the Third Avenue?) Bridge to The Bronx, then go
north until you get to some bridge over the Hudson which is free.  I'm not
sure how far north you have to go.  I think the Bear Mountain Bridge has a
toll, but I'm sure you can get over the Hudson at Albany without paying a
toll, so that that's an upper bound on how far north you have to drive.
Once over the Hudson, drive south until you get to New Jersey.  Assuming you
did the New York City part of the trip at 3AM to avoid traffic, you should
be able to get from Long Island to New Jersey without paying a toll in about
8 hours.  Then again, given the way traffic can be, it might take you 6-8
hours the "normal" way of using the Throggs Neck and George Washington
bridges on a typical day anyway :-(

	If I really wanted to be pedantic, I would suggest using the Lincoln
or Holland Tunnel (they have tolls, but they are not *bridges*, and thus
technically satisfy the requirements).  Or, you could save the trip through
New York City by taking something like the Port Jefferson to Bridgeport (CT)
car ferry (a toll, but not a bridge) and driving West and North from there
to a toll-free Hudson bridge.  Or, you could take the Long Island Railroad
to Penn Station and catch a New Jersey Transit or Amtrack train to New
Jersey (not driving, and doesn't cross any bridges, so you're OK on *two*
technicalities).  And lastly, if you had a boat, you could just go down the
East River and cross the harbor to New Jersey -- you would go under some
bridges (three of which are toll bridges), but not cross them.

	And, if you really, really wanted to pick nits, you could say that
going over the George Washington Bridge to New Jersey is not crossing a toll
bridge, since you don't have to pay a toll in that direction.