NJ Gov Corzine acknowledges lack of support for his big toll hikes plan

Governor Corzine has acknowledged he isn't getting political support for his big tollroads monetization plan that he put out early this year. And his supporters are saying only a much scaled down version of the plan is possible together with abandonment of the elaborate set of political cutouts Corzine proposed to limit backsliding - what some have characterized as a Rube Goldberg legal contraption.

A close ally of the Governor in the legislature Senator Ray Lesniak says there will probably be support for the 45 percent increase in tolls dedicated to improvements to the tollroads, but that there is little support for the aggressive monetization the Governor proposed to be used to halve state debt.

Lesniak says 20 percent phased toll increases might be acceptable rather than the 50% increases in toll caps the Governor proposed for 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022. Four 20% increases would raise toll rates 2.07 times compared to a 5.06 fold increase.

An association of industrial and office properties has suggested that rather than placing all the toll increases on existing tollroads that the burden be spread around and tolls be collected on presently free I-78, I-80, I-295, and I-287.  They said that the Governor's plan could cause a flight of warehousing and industry to untolled roads and over the Delaware River to Pennsylvania.

Some state legislators are saying they want to hike the gasoline tax rather than raise tolls drastically.

TOLLROADSnews 2008-03-05