Under a proposal introduced Sep. 4, the cost of driving on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway would more than double by 2023.
The plan, which aims to pay for road widening and a commuter rail tunnel to New York, involves raising turnpike tolls 50% in 2009 and 2012, and 5% in 2017 and 2023. This would bring the current 35-cent toll on the parkway to 85 cents by 2023.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which runs both highways, would have to hold a public hearing before implementing the toll increases, and Gov. Corzine would have the final say.
Republicans have voiced opposition to the proposal, saying that instead of increasing tolls, the state should cut spending in other areas and shift money to transportation.
"It's only been about two months since the governor and Democratic leadership in the Legislature trumpeted their role in passing the first budget on their six-year watch that didn't increase spending, taxes or fees. A fuel taxes or toll-hike proposal now will only prove they were never sincere about fiscal discipline in the first place," Senate Minority Leader Thomas H. Kean Jr. (R., Union) said in a statement.
Transportation officials argue that the toll hikes were needed to pay for a $2.5 billion project to widen the turnpike between Exits 9 and 6 and an $800 million project to expand the parkway between Exits 30 and 80. The proposal would also provide $1.25 billion for the planned tunnel to New York to relieve congestion in North Jersey.
"Although the board remains reluctant to burden motorists with a toll increase in this time of escalating fuel prices, the needs of these roadways, and the costs of meeting those needs, have increased exponentially since the previous toll increases," the six-person board wrote in a letter to Corzine. "We can no longer afford to defer taking action."
The authority said that without the toll increases, there may not be enough money to pay debts or pay for projects to improve safety and relieve congestion.
