Driving in New Jersey? Have Your Wallet Handy
Posted September 5, 2008

If you think plans to hike tolls on New Jersey roadways failed for good several months ago, think again. As it turns out – to no surprise – the plans were only taking a hiatus from the spotlight. Now, thanks to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) and the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), they’re back.

Yesterday, the NJTA sent a letter to Governor Corzine requesting approval for what WNBC-4 New York has aptly called “sharp toll increases.” Under the DRPA’s plan, the cost of an average Turnpike ride would increase by 60 cents next year, another 90 cents three years later, and an additional 30 cents in 2023. Meanwhile, drivers on the Parkway would be required to fork out an average extra of 15 cents next year, 25 cents in 2012, and 8 cents in 2023. In simpler terms, as the Star Ledger reports, “Under the proposal, the average driver who now pays $1.20 for a 23-mile trip on the Turnpike would pay $1.80 next year, $2.70 starting in 2012 and $3.00 after 2023.

And where would this extra revenue go? According to Newsday.com, “Revenue generated from the increases would be used to widen the Turnpike and Parkway, invest $1.25 billion in a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River and repair and replace aging bridges.” Specifically, the strip of Turnpike between exits 6 and 9 and the section of the Parkway between mileposts 30 and 80 would be widened.

As the Bergen Record relates, the NJTA believes increases in the tolls are needed “because the authority can neither meet next year’s debt obligations nor pay for safety improvements, including widening parts of both roads and repairing and replacing bridges.” Additionally, the NJTA highlights that toll prices have remained unchanged since 2000 on the Turnpike and 1989 on the Parkway.

Perhaps one additional fan fueling the toll hike fire is the rush to retain federal funding for the new Hudson River Rail tunnel. As Newsday.com notes, if funding is not in place by October 1, the state may lose federal financial assistance for the project. “The federal government expressed a willingness to contribute $3 billion to the $7.5 billion project,” the article states, “with New Jersey and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey paying the rest.” 

In the letter submitted to Governor Corzine, the NJTA’s six board members wrote:

We believe increasing tolls, even minimally, is an action of last resort, not one of first choice…. 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 increase exponentially. … We can no longer afford to defer taking action.

In response, Governor Corzine’s office issued a statement, which in part read, “It appears to be a significantly scaled back proposal that takes into account the state’s need to address safety and congestion issues on New Jersey’s roadways, as well as the financial realities New Jerseyans face as a result of the national recession…. The governor… feels strongly that any toll increase needs to be held to an absolute minimum.”

While the NJTA claims the move is a “last resort,” we’d like to ask – what other options have been explored? Unfortunately, it seems when alternative options involve significantly cutting government spending in other areas, the “last resort” quickly moves to the top of the list.

Meanwhile, as Jerseyans brace for a 2009 hike, South Jersey drivers are just days away from forking out more money for their commute into Pennsylvania – thanks to Governor Corzine’s refusal to veto DRPA fee increases. On September 14, the cost of crossing the Walt Whitman, Benjamin Franklin, Commodore Barry, and Betsy Ross bridges will increase from $3 to $4 while the ticket price for the PATCO Hi-Speedline will rise by approximately 10 percent.

According to a statement released by Governor Corzine, without the hikes, “the DRPA would be unable to make vital investments in its infrastructure, such as redecking the 50-year-old Walt Whitman Bridge, rebuilding aging PATCO train cars, and completing other important safety and repair projects.”

It’s not surprising, though, that commuters are less than appeased by the promise of improvements. After all, as Philly.com reports, over the last decade the DRPA has spent approximately $375 million in toll revenue not for safety and transportation infrastructure improvements, but for “economic development projects,” such as Lincoln Financial Field, the Kimmel Center, the National Constitution Center, the minor-league baseball stadium for the Camden Riversharks, the National Museum of American Jewish History on Independence Mall, and a soccer stadium complex in Chester, PA. 

The DRPA has promised that the new revenue raised will not be directed towards such projects, and Corzine has vowed to veto any attempts to the contrary. Still, $35 million in current funds are already targeted for development projects and will be used for the same. 

Unfortunately, this is just another example of Trenton topping off a record of irresponsible spending with the icing of increased tolls. The messenger may be different this time, but the results will be the same – higher out-of-pocket transportation expenses for New Jersey workers and commuters.

Senator Diane Allen (R-Burlington) has already stated she will introduce a resolution that would repeal the hikes, and we support her efforts in doing so. Allen stated, “Gov. Corzine and Democratic lawmakers need to stop looking at ways to increase revenue and instead focus on ways we can cut spending.”

We couldn’t agree more.

 

 

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