Posted: Friday, 10 October 2008 4:07PM
NJ Turnpike Authority Approves Toll Hikes
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by KYW's David Madden
Get ready to dig deeper to ride New Jersey’s three major toll roads. They’re going up -- but not as high as they might have.
On the Turnpike and Parkway, three proposed increases over 15 years were paired down to two increases over four years.
But tolls will more than double by 2012, starting with an average 40 percent increase come December.
The Atlantic City Expressway will see a 50 percent increase around the same time.
The cost of an average passenger car trip on the Turnpike will go from $1.20 now to $2.60 in 2012; the average Parkway trip will go from costing 35 cents to 75 cents in four years.
For trucks, the average Turnpike trip more than doubles -- $5.05 to $10.85 -- by 2012, while the average Parkway trip goes from $1.35 to $2.90. It will cost $56.85 for trucks to drive the length of the Turnpike in 2012, compared to $26.55 today.
State Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri says the moves will fix the roads, and their bottom lines as well:
"It was necessary to put these authorities back on strong financial footing, and number two is to do these critical safety and congestion relief projects."
The Turnpike Authority cut back its long-term plan a bit, and trimmed its budget to address financial concerns raised by the governor’s office.
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