Free Republic

New Jersey Turnpike Authority officials approved a $10 million agreement to rebuild two Garden State Parkway service areas, including one that has been criticized by Bloomfield officials for including a Chick-fil-A restaurant. The agreement, approved by a unanimous vote by the board of commissioners Tuesday, would reimburse Applegreen Ltd. and Sunoco for $10 million the companies would spend to build new facilities at the Vauxhall service area on the Parkway north in Union and at the Brookdale Service area on the Parkway south in Bloomfield. The Turnpike authority runs the Garden State Parkway. A Shake Shack, Popeyes, Dunkin’, and a...

It’s a done deal. Tolls on the states three major toll highways are going up in September, after Gov. Phil Murphy gave a final approval of the increases and the multi-billion dollar construction plans they fund. Murphy signed the meeting minutes on May 27 and sent confirmation letters to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and South Jersey Transportation Authority, said Jerrel Harvey, a spokesman for the governor. The approvals came on the same day boards of both agencies met, held lengthy public hearings and approved the toll increases. Governors have the option to approve authority board minutes, or not to...

Local officials in New Jersey are criticizing the state’s turnpike authority for allegedly taking down American flags that were hung along overpasses in the wake of the attacks on Sept. 11 to honor veterans and those who died defending the country, according to authorities and reports. Michael Slininger, president of the police union representing Robbinsville Township, near Trenton, said the group had just paid to replace the more than 12 flags that had been either “missing or tattered” from the overpasses along the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate 195 – which they had done “to continue the tradition of honoring...

Delaware River Turnpike Bridge to Reopen Late Tonight Crossing was closed for seven weeks as fractured truss member was repaired. Officials from the PA Turnpike Commission (PTC) and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) today announced that they expect to reopen the jointly owned Delaware River Bridge sometime late tonight. The 1.25-mile-long bridge, which carries traffic between the two states, first closed Jan. 20 when a complete fracture was discovered in the superstructure beneath the westbound lanes on the Pennsylvania side in Bristol Township, Bucks County. “Many people were greatly inconvenienced by this closure over the last seven weeks, and...

State Senator Ray Lesniak thinks allowing the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to sell off a portion of the state's toll roads would produce a huge windfall and annual savings for years to some. He doesn't, however think any potential cash from the sale should be used to stave off Governor Jon Corzine's one-cent state sales tax proposal. A bill Lesniak is set to introduce a bill that would, "allow the sale of 49% of the Turnpike Authority retaining control for the State of New Jersey." The Senator claims financial experts have told him that by doing so the state will...