You’ll be better off keeping your cash in your wallet because the Garden State Parkway is going all E-ZPass. However, paying cash might still be an option on the New Jersey Turnpike.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority, per NJ Advance Media, reports that the “Turnpike board voted unanimously Tuesday to award a $914 million contract to bring all-electronic, cashless toll collection to the toll roads.”
TransCore, LP of Nashville has been commissioned to design install, maintain and run an all-electronic toll collection system for eight years.
The Atlantic City Expressway, operated by the South Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, approved a similar $159 million contract with TransCore to design and build an all-electronic toll collection system for highways. The South Jersey expressway is expected to begin service by Memorial Day 2025, officials said per the outlet.
Garden State Parkway drivers will likely see the transition first and Turnpike drivers who use cash may still be able to do for the time being, depending on which option the authority chooses.
“The Parkway will be first of the two NJTA roads to go to all-electronic tolling. There is no firm rollout date. It’s probably three or four years away,” said Tom Feeney, an authority spokesperson.
The options to be considered for the Turnpike are to “install all new electronic toll collection equipment and infrastructure or a retrofit of existing toll plazas.”
“Either toll booths will come down and gantries will be installed to hold the new equipment in an AET system,” Feeney said. “Or the booths will stay up and TransCore will provide technology to run a system that provides both for E-ZPass and cash transactions.”
The proposal TransCore sent covers both options. The contract approved is for the technology – cameras, readers, servers, antennae, scanners, sensors and other equipment, Feeney said.
“There is a lot of planning, design, and construction to be done at the toll plazas before the equipment can be installed,” he added.
Drivers should not feel too much of a difference when this change is enforced. According to the outlet, in August, 91.3% of Turnpike drivers and 89.5% on the Parkway used E-ZPass, per authority statistics.
As of now, you can go about your daily commute as you would otherwise. E-ZPass customers continue to drive as you were through E-ZPass tag readers and cameras on overhead gantries. Drivers without an E-ZPass will have their license plate photographed and a bill for the toll sent to the registered owner of the vehicle if they choose to drive through an E-ZPass overhead gantry.
9 Lifesaving Travel Items TikTok Convinced Me I Needed And I Really Did
1) Packing Cubes
It’s not to say that I was a messy packer. It’s just that with these packing cubes things are so much more organized in my suitcase. I’m definitely an anxious traveler and packing makes it a little bit worse. These cubes have helped me on two of my trips now and so far it’s been the best decision. Plus, they’re only $25 and honestly that’s a great price for some more organization. These are also incredibly helpful for packing for long extended trips. I’ve seen tons of people who are going on European vacations that love having these on hand. This set comes with 8 different cubes all for different uses and yes, I use almost every single one of them when I travel.
2) iWalk Portable Charger Bank
If you are one of the lucky few who gets to your gate before most of the rest of your flight then this probably isn’t an issue for you (what’s it like being God’s favorite?) But for the rest of us folks who have long travel days and a phone or some other Apple device that will surely need to be charged this iWalk portable charger is the way to go. Of course, just don’t forget to charge it the night before. I personally love the white color, but they also have a black, purple, and pink option for anyone feeling fancy.
3) AirFly Portable Bluetooth Connector
Yes, I know that some flights are giving out headphones nowadays, but I love my AirPods. And if you have those fancy noise-canceling ones why settle for some cheap pair the airline is giving you when you can just connect your AirPods to the screen in front of you? For those of you who don’t know, this solves the issue of having your wireless headphones on a plane and wanting to watch a movie on the screen in front of you. The AirFly plugs into the headphone jack and you can connect your headphones right to it. Simple as that!
4) Portable Travel Sized First Aid Kit
I highly recommend taking a first aid kit wherever you go with you. Especially for traveling you never know what’s going to happen. The number of times I’ve gotten blisters and had no bandaids is obscene at this point. Spare yourself the panic of having to try to find a nearby drugstore and just bring a first aid kit. This one comes with assorted bandages, gauze pads, an antiseptic wipe, burn gel, triple antibiotic ointment, and an alcohol wipe. As a single human who travels alone this is the ideal size for me, they do have other sizes with more items if you are looking for that.
5) FlexFlap Cellphone or Tablet Stand
If you read item 3 and thought, I don’t need to spend more money on something that I can easy just connect to my own personal device that’s totally fine! I do have a really great option for you though. This FlexFlap is really convenient for holding your cellphone or tablet when you’re in flight. It’s honestly a more stable, travel-friendly version of a PopSocket. I used this recently on my last vacation and I really loved having it.
6) Reusable Zip Ties
This may be my holy grail item! I feel like traveling nowadays requires so many cords. I mean I have my phone charger, my Kindle charger, laptop charger, and if you have a tablet or some other device the charges start to add up. The biggest challenge isn’t the chargers themselves it’s the packing of them. These reusable zip ties are genius. You can easily wad your cords up in these and stick them into your carryon that much easier.
7) TSA Approved Toiletry Containers
Yes, we all know we need them. But this set has been my favorite I’ve ever used. I have so many different products I need to bring with me. The hair and skincare bottles alone would be taken up if I wasn’t careful. This set not only comes with the clear bag, but it also comes with the jars I very much like!
8) Mini Perfume/Cologne Travel Bottles
This is another incredibly lifesaving travel item! TikTok has such a wealth of knowledge and watching people put their perfume and cologne in these before traveling was one of those “duh!” moments. These are the perfect size and you don’t have to worry about your bottle breaking while you’re flying! That’s a huge perk for me.
9) Travel Cosmetic Barrel
Now if you’re traveling for a longer vacation and are able to fit your toiletries into your checked bag, I really love this cosmetics barrel. It allows you to put most of your full-sized items into it and I even pack my makeup brushes and things like that with ease. Overall, you’ll have to be careful about the sizes, but this works well if you know 3oz of shampoo and conditioner will not cut it for the trip.
Please note that items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time we published this list. Have an idea for a fun theme for a gift idea list you’d like us to create? Drop us a line at shopping@bbgi.com.
