Fasten your seatbelts because fare increases will go into effect starting March 1, according to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
The average price increase for passenger cars on the New Jersey Turnpike will be 15 cents. The average price increase for cars on the Garden State Parkway will be 5 cents, said Tom Feeney, a spokesman for the authority.
What does that mean for toll road drivers in Monmouth and Ocean counties?
Feeney said that as of March 1, the EZ Pass fare for passenger cars on the main parkway plazas (Asbury Park, Barnegat, New Gretna) with one-way tolling will increase by 7 cents to $2.09. It is said to become.
E-ZPass fares for passenger vehicles at the main parkway plaza, where tolls are collected in both directions (Toms River), will increase by 3 cents to $1.04.
The toll for drivers who pay cash at the Asbury Park Toll Plaza and Barnegat Toll Plaza will increase to $2.20, and the new cash fare at the Toms River Toll Plaza will be $1.10.
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E-ZPass fees for passenger vehicles will increase by 3 cents at most tolled parkway ramp plazas (Matawan, Keyport, Holmdel, Red Bank, Belmar/Wall, Brick, Lakewood, Berkeley, Voigt River) It will be 73. cent.
The cash rate at these squares increases to 80 cents.
on tuesday, Officials unanimously approved the 2024 budgetalso approved by Gov. Phil Murphy.
“We continue to prioritize the safety and mobility of all New Jersey residents and commuters by investing responsibly in the maintenance of our state’s highways and mass transit systems,” said Governor Bailey Lawrence, spokesperson for the Governor. said.
The Turnpike Authority’s budget is almost a carbon copy of the proposed 2024 budget, which included a 3% toll increase that Gov. Phil Murphy vetoed in October.
Three months ago, Murphy said he needed further “justification” for it and “further information about why the board took this action.” The governor’s subsequent veto came as lawmakers from both parties lamented that the increase was being proposed at a time when New Jerseyans are struggling to meet the cost of living. The election also came just 12 days before a crucial election in which all 120 seats in the state Legislature will be up for grabs in November.
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On Wednesday, 10th District Council members Sen. Jim Holzapfel, Rep. Greg McGuckin and Rep. Paul Kanitra (all R-Ocean) introduced the authority’s $2.6 billion budget, which includes planned fare increases. It criticized Murphy’s decision to sign.
“This is typical of the Murphy administration: halting rate increases during an election period, then reversing direction and approving rate increases the following year,” McGuckin said in the release. “This increase is an insult to all drivers and an attack on the wallets of working families around the world, especially working families who live in coastal communities and take toll roads to work every day. It deserves more respect and consideration.”
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Ocean County Commissioner Virginia E. Haynes said her constituents will suffer the most financial pain as a result of the increase. The county with the longest stretch of the parkway is in Ocean, she noted.
“There’s a lot of people who work in North Jersey, and there’s a lot of people who take the train and go to New York or go somewhere. And it’s the people of Ocean County, and of course the state of New Jersey, who are going to raise the rates. I think it’s unfair to people,” Haynes said.
In a letter to the Murphy administration, 9th District Councilwoman Carmen Amato and all-Ocean Republicans Brian Rumpf and Greg Myre urge the governor to veto the fare increase. Ta.
“Rented voters are asking the same questions we are about potential toll increases. Mr. Trenton wants to ensure average taxpayers continue to pay high property taxes while paying more tolls. How do you expect to continue paying?” southern Ocean County state legislators asked in a joint letter to the governor. “Why does Trenton brag about offering tax breaks and business tax breaks just to intentionally raise the cost of living and doing business in the state? Taxpayers rightly expect their governments to make tough but common sense decisions, just as they are forced to do on a daily basis when it comes to public finances.
Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Eric Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.