NJ Commute and Tolls Rising
A new year often brings changes. For New Jersey, that means increased toll prices on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway.
On January 1st, with unanimous approval from the New Jersey Turnpike Authority board, tolls rose by 3%, the same rate as last year.
In May 2020, Turnpike Authority voted to launch an indexing system in 2022, allowing annual toll increases that do not exceed 3%. They agreed to cap the increase at 3% to avoid double-digit differences in price over time. Inflation is used as the index to determine what the increase should be.
Although Tom Feeney, a Turnpike spokesman, stated that the toll increase is less than half that of the inflation rate, the number of traveling vehicles on both the Turnpike and the Parkway has increased by 1.3%, nearly guaranteeing a larger profit than last year, which was 6% over what was projected. The revenues collected by the Authority are then meant to go into the operation and maintenance of the highways.
According to Census Reporter, about 67% of New Jersey’s working population drives to work, and the average travel time to get there is approximately 30 minutes. As reported by Patch, over one million commuters take the Turnpike or the Parkway to get to work.
Here are some changes to expect during your commute:
For E-ZPass holders, a toll that was once $1.96 now costs $2.02 on the Parkway. If you pay cash, the price goes from $2 to $2.10.
During peak hours, E-ZPass holders now pay $5.79 instead of $5.62 on the Turnpike; $4.35 instead of $4.22 if it’s off-peak hours. Commuters paying with cash now have to pay $5.10 instead of $4.95.
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