SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has vetoed the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s 2024 budget, which would have increased tolls by 3% on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway.
In a post on social media, Murphy said he is “not satisfied with the justification provided for the toll increases reflected in” the agency’s $2.6 billion budget, and he needs “more information for why the board is taking this step.”
The Turnpike Authority approved the budget last week and called for an additional $100 million over its 2023 budget. Because the Turnpike Authority uses an indexing process to determine the budget, it is not subject to public hearings to increase tolls, which has drawn criticism from lawmakers, mainly Republicans.
Tom Feeney, an authority spokesperson, said the agency “respects” Murphy’s decision. “We’ll roll up our sleeves and get to work gathering the information he needs,” Feeney said.
Murphy’s decision to block the toll increase comes as voting in the legislative midterm election is already underway and Democrats are hoping to hold on to their majorities. It also comes just two days after the Democratic leaders of the Assembly and Senate publicly called on Murphy to veto the authority’s decision because “New Jersey families have been struggling with the effects of inflation.”
During his call-in television show Thursday, Murphy said his veto decision was not politically motivated. Calling the veto a time-out, the Democratic governor said he would analyze the data, and make an informed decision.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.