About a year or a year and a half ago all the moneygrubbers (pardon me, State Legislatures) decided they needed a raise in revenue because they spent all their tax money on stupid projects. Just about all raised tolls on bridges, tunnels and toll roads. Their main emphasis was to hit the minority constituents using the facilities such as heavy trucks, RV's and tourists passing through. It's so bad that DE charges $1 at each toll booth on SR1 during the week and $3 on weekends when the beach traffic hits. I can save $12 to $20 just by disconnecting my RV going over Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware river.
New York is one of the most outrageous of the eastern states, but they're not alone. Check before you travel and at the cost of a little time you can easily save a fuel fillup worth of dollars on tolls.