SENATE, No. 98

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Senators HAINES and CARDINALE

An Act concerning the New Jersey Highway Authority and supplementing Chapter 12B of Title 27 of the Revised Statutes.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. The New Jersey Highway Authority is directed to develop a plan for the reduction of the number of operating toll booths on the Garden State Parkway. This plan, shall, at a minimum, require the authority to cease collecting tolls on toll booths located on the Parkway proper in the following fashion: at each toll plaza in operation on the effective date of this act tolls shall only be charged to north bound or south bound traffic so that the users of the roadway shall only be required to pay tolls at every second toll plaza. All tolls shall be removed from toll booths located on entry or exit ramps to the Parkway, except when the booth is located within two miles of a toll plaza. The plan shall be developed and implemented by the authority within 180 days of the effective date of this act.

    2. The authority is directed to consider not increasing tolls at any toll booth or plaza to an amount greater than $0.60 for the passage of a passenger automobile.

    3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill requires the New Jersey Highway Authority to develop a plan for the reduction of the number of operating toll booths on the Garden State Parkway so that motorists would only be charged tolls at every other toll plaza. Currently, all toll plazas charge both north and south bound traffic. After this plan is implemented, each toll plaza on the Parkway proper would only charge north bound or south bound traffic but not both. As far as the "ramp" toll booths rather than the barrier toll booths are concerned, tolls on all such booths would be eliminated except where the booth is located within two miles of a barrier toll plaza. The authority is also directed to consider not increasing tolls for passenger automobiles to an amount greater than $0.60 at any location.

Requires Highway Authority to eliminate toll collections on alternative toll plazas on Garden State Parkway.