Democrats are urging Gov. Phil Murphy to block a planned toll hike for the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike. The state Turnpike Authority this week approved a 3% increase in tolls, which would take effect Jan. 1. The planned increase is part of a more than $2.6 billion budget set by Turnpike Authority commissioners for next year. A key reason cited for the toll hike is the controversial turnpike widening project, along with inflation and global supply chain pressures.
With elections upcoming, Democratic leaders in the State House are asking Murphy to block the toll increase by vetoing the minutes from Tuesday’s Turnpike Authority meeting.
“Investing in New Jersey’s vital transportation infrastructure is critical to our economic growth. But as New Jersey families have been struggling with the effects of inflation, we have focused tirelessly on easing their burdens and ensuring affordability,” Senate President Nick Scutari (D-Union) and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) said in a joint statement.
