Two-way tolling is now in effect for those driving over the Verrazzano Bridge.

It officially went into effect at midnight, making drivers crossing the Verrazzano pay a toll in each direction.

The new rate is $6.12 if you have an E-ZPass and $9.50 if you do not and pay by mail.

Staten Island residents will now have to pay $2.75 and Staten Island carpool customers will have to pay $1.70.

Ultimately the MTA says the round-trip toll is not changing.

The point of all of this they say is to reduce imbalance in vehicle crossings and help ease up some of the congestion on Staten Island.

The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge was the country’s only bridge with federally mandated one direction tolling for more than three decades.

The MTA says split tolling will reduce the number of drivers who would cut through Staten Island to take advantage of only having to pay a toll when headed westbound.

News 12 is told the Verrazano Bridge was among the busiest bridges in the country with more than 215,000 vehicles crossing it on weekdays prior to COVID-19.