How You Can Help

Sign Our Petition

Ask the gov. to take our pledge for Toll Road Monetization.

 

Overview

Whether you’re from Haddonfield, Patterson, just off exit 7a, or just about anywhere else in New Jersey, the Turnpike is probably a big part of your life. Most of us take for granted that the Turnpike and Parkway will be operated in the best interest of the public, and that the tolls we pay go to maintaining these critical roadways. But plans are afoot that could sell the Turnpike and Parkway to powerful investors, who would operate this public asset as a for-profit venture.

Managing the Turnpike and Parkway for private profit presents many dangers for New Jersey. Private operators make a profit by cutting costs and maximizing revenue with the least possible investment. They hike tolls repeatedly, and they don’t use state-of-the-art safety and maintenance standards. And they don’t care about the impacts on nearby local roads of all the cars and trucks trying to avoid the newly high tolls.

The governor has been advocating “monetizing” assets like our Turnpike because the state faces another serious budget shortfall. Short-sighted budget gimmicks in the past have pushed financial problems onto the future. New Jerseyans must prevent yet another deal that fixes today’s problems by sacrificing tomorrow.

Solution
We need to ensure that New Jersey citizens retain control of our Turnpike and Parkway for all future planning, management and development. We need to make sure that if a deal occurs, New Jerseyans get fair value for our roads instead of our budget crisis leading New Jersey to sell at a discount. The process of making a deal must be transparent and accountable. And above all, the people of New Jersey should have the final say in the Turnpike’s future safety standards. If a monetization deal can’t meet these conditions, embodied in our six principles, a deal must not be done.