Cash tolls on NJ Turnpike, Parkway one step closer to oblivion

Cash tolls will join tokens as a relic of the past on the Garden State Parkway as the Turnpike Authority takes a major step towards cashless tolls.

The Board of Trustees approved a $914 million contract Tuesday for TransCore of Nashville to design, install and operate a cashless system for 8 years on the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike.

The company won a contract Thursday from the South Jersey Transportation Authority to make the Atlantic City Expressway cashless by 2025, which helped TransCore get the Turnpike Authority's approval.

"There's some benefit to having the same technology on both roads," Turnpike Authority spokesman Thomas Feeney said.

The Parkway will be the first highway to go cash-free. The road's toll plazas already have gantries that allow drivers to maintain high speed as their E-ZPass reader is scanned.

Feeney said about 90% of both Turnpike and Parkway already pay electronically.

The Authority has yet to decide if the Turnpike will also use a gantry system or upgrade the existing lanes and continue to accept cash.

There's no timetable for when cash collections would be completely eliminated from the Parkway but nothing is expected until at least 2025 or 2026.

"We've got 49 tolling locations on the Parkway. It's a huge undertaking and there's a lot of planning and design and construction that would have to happen before you get around to installing the equipment that was bought under that contract," Feeney said.

TransCore will install the cameras, servers, sensors and other equipment for whichever option is decided for the Turnpike.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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An amazing NJ restaurant in a historic building

If you've never been to Lambertville, you're really missing out on a true gem of a town in New Jersey.

And if you've never been to Lambertville Station you're missing out on a really great restaurant in a truly historic building.

It's housed in the building that acted as the Lambertville train station dating back to 1867.

The building and the town went through its tough times, but for the last 40 years, Lambertville Station has been serving diners in a casual upscale atmosphere with excellent food.

Last year a prominent restaurant group called Genesis Hospitality took over the historic dining spot and they've continued the excellence that has made this place a must-go-to spot anytime you're in town.

The menu consists of varied contemporary American favorites with plenty of options.

The food and the service are excellent and are a good fit for couples, families, and special occasions.

There is a first-class Inn on the property on the river across the parking lot if you want to stay over.

Gallery Credit: Dennis Malloy

These NJ towns have the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases

Looking at data compiled by the Department of Health in 2019, the most recent year for which reports are available, we determined the rate of STDs for 1,000 people in every municipality. The data combines reports of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. For a different look, you can check out this article for a list of New Jersey towns that saw the highest increase in STD/STI cases in recent years.

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LOOK: Baby names that are illegal around the world

Stacker scoured hundreds of baby name databases and news releases to curate a list of baby names that are illegal somewhere in the world, along with explanations for why they’re banned.

Gallery Credit: Annalise Mantz

Categories: Commuter News