page_title: Garden State Parkway
section_title: Tolls
hierarchical_section_title: Garden State Parkway / Tolls
context_page_description: The Garden State Parkway is a limited-access highway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. A toll road, its name refers to New Jersey's nickname, the "Garden State". The parkway's official, but unsigned, designation is Route 444. At its north end, the road becomes the Garden State Parkway Connector, a component of the New York State Thruway system that connects to the Thruway mainline in Ramapo. The parkway is the longest highway in the state at approximately 172 miles, and, according to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, was the busiest toll road in the United States in 2006. The highway has a posted speed limit of 65 miles per hour for most of its length, and is primarily for passenger vehicle use; trucks weighing over 10,000 pounds are prohibited north of exit 105.
  The parkway was constructed between 1946 and 1957 to connect suburban northern New Jersey with resort areas along the Atlantic coast and to alleviate traffic on traditional north–south routes running through each town center, such as U.S. Route 1, US 9, and Route 35.
context_section_description: The Garden State Parkway uses an open system of tolling where tolls are collected at somewhat regular intervals along its length and at certain entrances and exits. This contrasts with the New Jersey Turnpike, which uses a closed system where a motorist receives a ticket with the toll rates at the highway's entrance, and turns in the ticket along with the toll upon exiting at toll gates. 
  As of 2012, the standard car toll is $0.75 on the main road at two-way toll plazas and $1.50 at one-way toll plazas. Some entrances and exits require a toll of either $0.50, $0.75, $1.00, or $1.50. It costs $8.25 to travel the entire length of the parkway in a car.
  There are three different lane types at the toll plazas. However, not all plazas have every type of lane at all times.
  The first type is full-service lanes. These lanes are staffed and toll collectors can provide change and receipts to drivers. 
  The second type is exact-change lanes. In these lanes, motorists deposit coins in a toll basket and each coin is mechanically counted. Payment of tolls is enforced by photo, a system that went into effect on October 17, 2011. The Union Toll Plaza was the first to use an automated toll-collection machine; a plaque commemorating this event includes the first quarter collected at its toll booths. Historically, these lanes also accepted tokens, and were common on main roadway toll plazas. However, between September and October 2018, exact-change lanes were discontinued on mainline toll plazas; they continue to be used for exit and entrance ramp toll plazas.
  The third type of lane is for the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system. Dedicated lanes only accept vehicles with E-ZPass tags. The speed limit in these lanes is 15 mph (24 km/h), or 55–65 mph (89–105 km/h) in Express E-ZPass lanes. Full-service lanes also accept E-ZPass tags. 
  Tokens, available for purchase at full-service toll plaza lanes, were introduced in 1981 at a price of $10 for a roll of 40 tokens; as the toll was 25 cents at the time, most drivers continued to use quarters. However, when the toll was increased to 35 cents in 1989, rolls were priced at 30 tokens for $10; between the slight discount and the convenience of using a single coin, tokens gained in popularity. There were also larger bus tokens, primarily for use by Atlantic City-bound buses. As E-ZPass became more widespread, tokens were phased out. Token sales were discontinued on January 1, 2002, and they were no longer accepted effective January 1, 2009.
  E-ZPass was first installed at the Pascack Valley Toll Plaza in December 1999, and the system was completed in August 2000. Beginning on November 19, 2001, E-ZPass customers were charged the approximate token rate of 33 cents during peak hours, or 30 cents during off-peak hours instead of 35 cents, the cash toll rate at the time. Due to tremendous cost overruns in implementing the E-ZPass system on New Jersey's toll highways, the discount was eliminated the next year. NJHA E-ZPass customers were charged a $1-per-month account fee, causing many customers to turn in their NJHA E-ZPass transponders in favor of a transponder from an out-of-state authority which did not charge a monthly fee. E-ZPass discounts continue to be available for off-peak travel, senior citizens, drivers of green vehicles, and trailers.
  To reduce congestion, 10 of the 11 toll plazas on the roadway were converted into one-way plazas between September 2004 and February 2010, dubbed "one-way tolling". Under this program, the toll is doubled in one direction, and the other direction is toll-free. The Cape May (in Upper Township), Great Egg (in Somers Point), New Gretna (in Bass River Township), Barnegat (in Barnegat Township),  Asbury Park (in Tinton Falls), Raritan (in Sayreville), Union (in Hillside), Essex (in Bloomfield), Bergen (in Saddle Brook), and Pascack Valley (in Washington Township) toll plazas had been converted to one-way toll plazas. The Toms River Toll Plaza (in Toms River) is the only location on the parkway mainline where a toll is collected in both directions.
  Literature fro
caption: Historical picture of a Garden State Parkway toll plaza
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