NJ Tolls Can Pay For NJ Toll Roads
May 7, 2008
As New Jersey struggles to find the money to pay for much needed infrastructure improvements, a group of legislators are advocating doing what makes perfect sense: use toll-road tolls to improve toll roads. According to a May 5 item from the Associated Press, lawmakers Senate President Richard J. Codey and Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney say the governor should let the New Jersey Turnpike Authority invoke its own power to increase tolls 45 percent to widen some of the nation's busiest toll roads and fix bridges rather than wait for an alternative to pay debt and meet statewide transportation needs. Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine currently is offering a proposal to create a new agency that would borrow money and significantly increase tolls for decades to pay state debt and fund transportation. The turnpike authority retains power to boost tolls on the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike. Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri has said a 45 percent toll increase is needed to repair toll roads and bridges on them. Sweeney said the public and legislators don't support using toll money to pay state debt, but would accept increasing tolls to widen the Turnpike and Parkway and fix bridges on them. Plans call for widening the Turnpike from Exits 6 to 8A and the Parkway from Exits 30 to 80. Toll road bridges also need billions in repairs. The parkway is the nation's busiest toll road and the turnpike the fifth, according to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association. Parkway tolls have increased once and turnpike tolls five times in the last 51 years.
Posted by Matthew Phair on May 7, 2008 | Comments (0)
