There comes a point when you say enough is enough. This probably qualifies as one of those times. For the third consecutive year your E-ZPass account will be depleted faster and your pocket change will dwindle quicker.
That’s right motorists. Tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway are going up AGAIN!!!! Three years in a row.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which runs both highways, announced it has adopted a $2.5 billion 2023 budget. The spending plan calls for a 3% toll increase starting on January 1. I can’t contain my excitement!!! In a budget that increased by 7.4% over 2022, you and I are the targets. Let’s all just dump our vehicles and STAY HOME FOREVER!!!!
So why are the tolls going up? Well, officials blamed the increase on “pressures on discretionary travel and costs due to an inflation rate of 8.3%, a level not seen in 40 years.” Hey, look at the bright side. Hey, if we all stay home we won’t have to pay for the high cost of gasoline.
According to Turnpike Authority spokesman Tom Feeney, based on the 2022 increase, “Parkway tolls would increase from the current $1.96 for E-ZPass customers to $2.02 and from $2 to $2.10 for cash at toll plazas with one-way toll collection.”
The Turnpike Authority Commissioners unanimously approved the increases during Monday’s Board meeting. Yippee.
