New Jersey drivers are about to pay a little more every time they hit the Turnpike or the Parkway.
Starting Jan. 1, tolls on both roads are going up again.
The increase is about 3%, which comes out to an average of roughly 16 cents more for drivers on the New Jersey Turnpike. The change was approved months ago and kicks in automatically when the new year begins (along with other changes in New Jersey laws for 2026).
There’s no action required. It just shows up.
On the Garden State Parkway, the numbers are slightly different. Toll barrier plazas will increase by 8 cents. Most tolled entrances and exits will go up by 3 cents.
Every type of vehicle is affected.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority says the added money is needed to keep up with rising costs. That includes employee salaries, utilities, insurance, and the growing cost of State Police services. Tolls are expected to cover about $2.3 billion of the Authority’s $2.8 billion budget for 2026.
A large share of that money also goes toward long-term work. Bridges. Road repairs. Systemwide upgrades across the Turnpike and Parkway network, which stretches for hundreds of miles. Big-ticket projects, including bridge replacements, are part of that list.
This is not a one-time increase.
Since 2020, tolls have been adjusted every year under an inflation-based system known as indexing. The idea was to avoid massive hikes all at once. Before that, tolls went up less often but in much bigger jumps, including a 50% increase approved in 2012.
Under the newer system, tolls rose in 2022 and again in 2024. An effort to pause the increase in 2023 failed. The 2026 increase follows the same pattern.
Not everyone is on board. Some critics are urging Gov. Phil Murphy to block the increase before he leaves office. Others want Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill to reconsider toll policy once she takes over.
For now, though, the change is locked in.
Drivers will see the new tolls at plazas and through E-ZPass starting at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1. Get your E-ZPass ready.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.