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Posted: Thursday, 24 May 2007 6:44AM
NJ Might Hike Turnpike Fares
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by KYW's Sonia Rincon
A state lawmaker said New Jersey could be leaning towards annually increasing fares on some of the nation's busiest toll roads. State senator Ray Lesniak said on Wednesday that he expects Governor Corzine will soon propose raising highway tolls with the rate of inflation to help borrow as much as $15 billion dollars to cut debt and pay for unmet needs.
On the turnpike, sisters Theresa and Bridgitte said too much money already gets drained from their bank account each time they go through a Turnpike toll.
"It shouldn't go up." Asked if they use the turnpike a lot they say, "All the time! The Parkway was supposed to have paid itself off, a long time ago -- and then there shouldn't have been any tolls."
When told the The toll hike is supposed to get the state out of debt, the sisters wondered how the state got in debt to begin with. What frustrates them and other drivers is that the money isn't to go to the roads. It's already been spent.
Frank, from Howell, said that's not fair, "It's just going to hurt the guy like me who works for a living, who can't afford to go back and forth, and make this long commute." He estimated that he spends at least a thousand bucks a year on Turnpike tolls.
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