The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation and public authority in New York State, serving as New York's public transportation authority responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area. It is the largest public transit authority in North America, overseeing subways, buses, commuter rails, bridges, and tunnels. The MTA serves 12 counties in Downstate New York and two counties in southwestern Connecticut under contract with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), covering a population of 15.3 million people across a 5,000-square-mile area surrounding New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut. It carries over 11 million passengers on an average weekday systemwide and over 850,000 vehicles on its seven toll bridges and two tunnels per weekday.