The New Jersey Turnpike Authority asked Gov. Jon Corzine (D) to approve a series of toll increases on two of the state’s major toll roads to pay for infrastructure improvements, the Associated Press reported.
The proposed increases on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway would begin with a 60-cent hike on the average Turnpike trip in 2009, followed by a 90-cent increase three years later and a 30-cent increase in 2023, AP said.
On the Parkway, where tolls now average 35 cents, the average trip would rise by 15 cents next year, 25 cents more in 2012 and 8 cents on top of that in 2023, AP reported.
Per-axle and truck-specific figures were not immediately available.
"We believe increasing tolls, even minimally, is an action of last resort, not one of first choice," the board said in a letter to Corzine dated Thursday.
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, AP reported.
The Corzine administration issued a statement late Thursday saying the governor is reviewing the board's proposal.
