By Allison Perrine | aperrine@tworivertimes.com
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) is now accepting public comments on proposed toll increases on the Garden State Parkway and Turnpike. Comments will be accepted through April 3 at 5 p.m.
At public hearings March 18 hosted by the state Department of Transportation (DOT), one in Woodbridge and one in Camden County, authority members presented a proposed 2020 capital improvement program and toll adjustment schedule to the public. About 40 people attended, keeping with Gov. Phil Murphy’s mandate banning gatherings of 50 or more.
“The proposed NJTA Capital Plan is amongst the strongest economic stimulators of the State of New Jersey,” said Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, commissioner of the DOT and chairman of the NJTA. It will sustain “tens of thousands” of jobs, and maintain and strengthen the transportation network, she added.
As proposed in the plan, the average toll on the Parkway will increase by 27 percent, from $1.11 to $1.41. On the Turnpike, fees will increase by 36 percent, from $3.50 to $4.75. If approved, tolls will be indexed starting in 2022, allowing for annual increases to keep up with rising costs. It will be capped at 3 percent. Buses would receive a 40 percent discount.
These proposed toll rates will remain in line with rates drivers pay on other U.S. toll roads, Gutierrez-Scaccetti said.
The NJTA does not receive tax money from any source and 92 percent of its revenue comes from tolls paid by people who use the turnpike and parkway. The remainder is generated from service areas, the PNC Bank Arts Center and other miscellaneous small sources, she added.
Additionally, all cash collection lanes on the parkway and turnpike have been suspended in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Drivers are being asked to use E-ZPass lanes. Anyone without an E-ZPass tag in the vehicle will be billed by mail at the cash toll rate.
During the public comment portion of the meeting in Woodbridge, several people spoke out as either individuals or representatives of larger groups. All of them had positive reactions to the plans.
Neptune resident Zoey Baldwin spoke as the director of government affairs and communications for the Utility & Transportation Contractors Association. She said she strongly supports the adjustments, as the last adjustments were made to the Turnpike and Parkway nine years ago.
“While no one likes to pay more, everyone wants a better, faster commute. Increasing tolls will afford the Turnpike Authority the resources it needs to continue providing us with the same premium service that we’ve come to expect,” said Baldwin.
According to the NJTA, the additional revenue from the last toll increase allowed it to take on a $7 billion capital program, which included the widening of the Turnpike between interchanges 6 and 9. “At a final cost of $2.13 billion, the widening added 170 lane miles and represented the largest capital improvement in the history of the Authority,” according to the NJTA.
Tinton Falls resident Cindy Williams spoke on behalf of herself and members of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. She said the state is in “desperate” need of investment in replacing and repairing its infrastructure.
“The modest raise in tolls that are being proposed by the NJDOT will help to make sure that we have projects moving forward. It will help put hardworking men and women, like myself, to work,” she said.
Matawan resident Denis Brady also said he approves of the plan, but asked that officials “close the gaps” on the Parkway so that no matter what exit people get on or off of, they pay the same toll fees that others do.
“They get on and off at Cheesequake. They get on and off at Belmar. Close the holes. Everybody pays to get on, everybody pays to get off, you’re going to see a substantial increase,” he said.
In addition to the verbal comments made at the March 18 meeting, the public is invited to send written comments by email to njtapubliccomments@njta.com or by mail or courier to Executive Director, New Jersey Turnpike Authority, 1 Turnpike Plaza, P.O. Box 5042, Woodbridge, NJ 07095. The NJTA’s full plans are available at njta.com.
