Save Our Turnpike In The News

BY LARRY HIGGS
COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU

WALL — Assembly members Sean T. Kean and Jennifer Beck heard concerns and opinions Tuesday night about Gov. Corzine's plan to sell or lease the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike and possible toll increases that would accompany a deal.

About 40 people attended the toll-road town meeting at the municipal building. Kean and Beck were joined by a financial expert, representatives from Parkway and Turnpike employees unions, New Jersey Public Interest Research Group and Citizens Against Tolls.

Residents who came out had some skepticism about possible sale or lease proposals and how that money generated would be spent by the state.

"I came out because my instincts tell me you don't burn your furniture to heat your house. It is such an absurd idea," said Joe Cecere of Wall. "It's very complicated, the devil is in the details."

While recommendations are not expected to be made to Gov. Corzine until early July, Cecere had some advice for state officials about selling the plan to taxpayers.

"They need to speak (to the public) in plain terms that people will understand, like Abraham Lincoln did," he said after the meeting.

The meeting is the first of several that Kean and Beck said they want to hold in western and coastal Monmouth County and in neighboring Ocean County.

Many residents, and Beck and Kean, agreed with a series of points that state officials should address before approving a toll-road deal. They were suggested by Abigail Field, an advocate with NJPIRG.

Field detailed a "score card" by which her group wants any toll-road deal to be evaluated. The criteria include having absolute transparency, so citizens and legislators may examine all details of a potential contract; a lease of 30 years duration or less; maintaining safety and highway standards; and public control of issues from toll-increase policy to development of land along or owned by the highway authority.

"Public control is not simply making it a public corporation. How transparent is it? Who makes policy? A private (toll-road) operator has the ability to change the face of a roadway in a profound way," Field said.

Field said it is up to legislators to make sure all the details are known, and that ultimately the state Assembly and Senate vote on the final contract.

"We're concerned that these issues won't get aired until the last minute," she said.

Both Kean and Beck said they support having the points in the scorecard addressed.

Financial expert Peter Humphreys, who testified before the Assembly Transportation Committee in Trenton, explained some of the pitfalls of highway leases now in place in Indiana and Chicago for 75 and 99 years, respectively.

"Privatization of an asset means you're giving up control," he said.

Humphreys said if the same toll-increase structure used in Indiana were applied here, instead of paying $8 in tolls to drive round trip from Essex County, he would have paid $20.

"If I had a job here, that would be $20 a day and $100 a week to commute," he said.

Instead of privatization, Humphreys proposed a securitization plan to raise revenue: The state would borrow $1.2 billion to be paid off over 15 years and increase Parkway tolls by five cents, to 40 cents, to repay it.

"The operation is the same, and New Jersey controls its roads," Humphreys said. "The state would have a revenue stream on an ongoing basis. The deal I'm talking about would work because the toll increase is small."

Several residents said state spending should be cut first before looking at a toll-road deal or increasing tolls to raise revenues.

Patrick Doherty of Neptune suggested leasing or selling the Turnpike because it is used by trucks and many nonresidents, but holding on to the Parkway. He also said the state should investigate building a monorail on the center median of the Parkway.

"It (the Turnpike) is a good asset, but the price must be right," Doherty said. "I'd ask that the Parkway be taken out of this dialogue."

Representatives of Citizens Against Tolls expressed skepticism about the proposal and what will happen to the money raised.

"People don't trust that the money will be used the way it is supposed to. We don't see any oversight and accountability," said Phylis Elston, Citizens Against Tolls government liaison.

She said the group also has proposals which it has detailed on its Web site and written to Corzine about.

"It (toll roads) are a taxpayer-funded asset," Beck said. "If we're going to sell it, we should all have a say in it."