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Revenue is up, but traffic is down on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway
Business is down, but revenue is up.
That is the paradox the New Jersey Turnpike Authority finds itself in for the first two months of 2012: Revenue is up, thanks to a 50 percent toll increase that took effect Jan. 1, but traffic volume is down, which officials blame on the economy, high gasoline prices and, yes, the same toll hike.
Confused?
The authority, which runs the Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, took in $4.736 million more than the projected take for total revenue of $236.7 million for the first two months of the year, said Chief Financial Officer Donna Mauelli. A bump in toll revenue was attributed to the mild winter weather, she said. (Higgs, Gannett)
