NJ Turnpike Authority Moves Forward With Toll Hike Public Hearings Despite COVID-19 Pandemic

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority is still going forward with public hearings about a proposed toll increase. The Sierra Club has asked them to postpone hearings and extend the public comment period because of Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 103. The EO declares a State of Emergency in New Jersey due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Public hearings are scheduled today at 1:00pm and 6:00pm. The hearing scheduled for March 19th at 7:00pm has been canceled. The public comment period has been extended until April 3 at 5:00pm.

“What the Turnpike Authority is doing today is irresponsible and undemocratic. They are deliberately doing this during a coronavirus health emergency so the public won’t be able to show up. This way they can push these toll increases to move forward with highway widening projects that will cut through environmentally sensitive farm fields, promote sprawl, increase traffic, and destroy neighborhoods. This goes completely against Governor Murphy’s call for reducing GHG’s because these highway projects will increase pollution exponentially from cars idling in traffic. Most counties in New Jersey have already received an ‘F’ for ground-level ozone levels from the American Lung Association. If Murphy allows this to go forward, all of his talk on reducing GHG will be just hot air,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The parkway widening through exit 141 to 154 will cut through Hillside, Irvington, and East Orange. It will impact traffic and cause more air pollution in these EJ Communities. This is a throwback to the 1950s and the ghost of Robert Moses when highways were designed to destroy neighborhoods, especially in environmentally sensitive areas and in EJ communities. The Turnpike Authority is a rogue agency that is out of control spending billions of dollars that could be better spent on mass transit. The Governor needs to step in and stop this agency from ruining our environment.”

“Expensive toll hikes to expand NJ’s highways will increase the amount of cars on our roads, worsening already poor air quality and increasing the dangerous greenhouse gas emissions fueling the climate crisis” said Matt Smith, NJ State Director for Food & Water Action.  “This proposal runs contrary to Governor Murphy’s Executive Orders to reduce carbon pollution and protect public health in overburdened communities.  Instead of making transportation pollution even worse, Governor Murphy should be investing these funds into electrifying and expanding our public transit system.  Without reliable and affordable public transportation powered by clean renewable energy, we’ll never achieve the Governors’ goals of fighting climate change and protecting public health from fossil fuel pollution.”

“Holding a hearing when people are being advised to stay at home except for essential travel is contrary to what Governor Murphy is advising in his executive order. All levels of government are asking for an abundance of caution to be exercised and for people to think of not only themselves but our most vulnerable residents. This is especially important because Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli announced that health officials believe the virus is “community-spread” in New Jersey. Apparently the Turnpike Authority values their desire to raise tolls and meet bureaucratic needs than the health and safety of New Jerseyans. This hearing should be cancelled and not considered a valid public hearing because most people wouldn’t dream of thumbing their nose at the sensible precautions that can prevent this virus from ballooning out of control,” said Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director, Delaware Riverkeeper Network.

“NJDOT hearing process is as blind to the Covid-19 emergency as their proposed road project priorities is to the transportation needs of the future – more electric vehicle infrastructure and mass transit”, states Amy Goldsmith, NJ State Director. “It is unconscionable that the NJDOT would also blatantly ignore the Governor’s Energy Master Plan, corresponding Executive Orders and legislative mandate to reduce greenhouse gases by 80% by 2050 per the Global Warming Response Act. The NJDOT proposes to build and operate in the rear view mirror, rather than looking ahead to the future in transportation. Governor Murphy needs to order NJDOT to turn around!”

“The Turnpike’s plan and the process for considering its ill advised plan is shameful,” said John Reichman, chairperson of BlueWaveNj’s Environmental Committee.  Obviously, the Authority is risking the public’s health and attempting to limit public input by proceeding  with the hearing today. As for the plan itself, dedicating billions of dollars to expanding highways flies in the face of the State’s clean energy goals, Executive Order 100 and the scientific consensus that we must dramatically reduce greenhouse gases immediately.  The Authority’s plan does just the opposite. Not only that, the plan will not even reduce traffic. Study after study has shown that widening roads only leads to more cars, not less travel times. The way to reduce traffic is to fund mass transit, which is what the tolls should be used for.

“There is no justifiable reason to hold a public hearing amidst a global pandemic — it is indefensible. As bad, the Turnpike Authority’s capital plan is ripped from the Robert Moses playbook. This is a plan of billions of dollars to build highways to the sky,” said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. “The Turnpike Authority’s proposal directly contradicts the Energy Master Plan’s goal of drastically reducing carbon emissions from our transportation sector. These expansions, if built, will lead to induced demand, more cars on the road and more carbon emissions. This plan also has no direct allocations for NJ Transit and no plan for the need for expansive electrification needs on our highways. At the same moment that NJ Transit’s infrastructure is crumbling and its fares are in a freefall, the Turnpike Authority is moving forward to ram through a highway builder’s wish list. These are the wrong investments for our state’s transportation future, especially in this moment of crisis.”