The New Jersey Turnpike Authority on Tuesday approved its $2.7 billion budget, including a 3% toll increase on the Garden State Parkway and Turnpike, the fifth increase in four years.
Commuters will pay 8 cents more at toll plazas and 3 cents more on entrance and exit ramps.
According to Garden State lawmakers, in 2020, the authority granted itself the power to automatically increase tolls up to 3% each year, claiming the figure is based on a process called indexing. However, critics, including Republican lawmakers and the National Motorist Association, say the Authority lacks clarity and transparency in what that process entails.
“That’s a lot of loaves of bread or gallons of milk that Ocean County families would rather spend that money on,” Assemblyman Greg McGuckin, R-Ocean, said. “This increase targets my constituents, many of whom travel the Parkway every day to support their families. They are fed up with out-of-control government spending and tone-deaf bureaucrats who act like feudal overlords.”
