Tolls are going up on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway in September following a decision by Gov. Phil Murphy to not oppose a decision by the Turnpike Authority.
The toll hike will fund a $24 billion expansion of the highways. That's upset environmentalists in New Jersey, who had called for a delay until actual public hearings could be held. But building trade unions in New Jersey lobbied in favor of the project.
"They were never going to take no for an answer," said Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics. "They view this as long term job security for their members."
Environmentalists have argued that the decision to widen the Turnpike should have waited until after the pandemic and not be made through meetings held via online tele-conferencing.