Photo Credit: lee-associates.com Whenever do you see this….a toll discount for some drivers, but not all drivers? Well, that’s exactly what happened this afternoon, as the New Jersey Turnpike Authority has approved an E-Z Pass discount for certain motorists who use Exit 16E and live in certain municipalities. That’s the Secaucus/Route 495 exit toward the Lincoln Tunnel.
Senators Nicholas Sacco and Brian Stack advocated for the new discount. Overall, drivers are expected to save approximately $2.5-million in tolls annually after the NJ Turnpike Authority Board of Commissioners OK’d the measure.
Here’s who qualifies: If you live in and are E-ZPass users in Secaucus, North Bergen, West New York, Guttenberg, Union City, Jersey City, Hoboken and Weehawken in Hudson County and Fairview in Bergen County. Finally, money back into motorists’ wallets.
Why did this come about? Well, last November a construction project to install an open road tolling option for Interchange 18E traffic was completed. As a part of that project, the roadway interchange was reconfigured so that motorists heading to Paterson Plank Road must exit through Interchange 18E rather than 16E. The result was paying a slightly higher toll. Didn’t seem fair to anyone.
Sacco and Stack were not satisfied, nor were motorists. So, enter the “Paterson Plank Road Toll Adjustment.” When the new pricing becomes effective in the spring, these drivers will be charged the lower 16E toll rate.
Remember, the discount only applies to E-Z Pass drivers with accounts from addresses in municipalities mentioned above.