New Jersey Turnpike Authority

New Jersey Turnpike Authority
Agency overview
Formed April 14, 1949 (1949-04-14)
Type Toll road
Jurisdiction Government of New Jersey
Headquarters Woodbridge, New Jersey
Agency executives
  • Richard T. Hammer, Chairman
  • Joseph W. Mzorek, Executive Director
  • John F. O'Hern, Chief Operating Officer
Parent agency New Jersey Department of Transportation
Website www.state.nj.us/turnpike

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) is a state agency responsible for maintaining the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway. The agency is headquartered in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority oversees maintenance on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, which are two important roads for moving traffic across New Jersey.[1]

Board of Commissioners

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority is governed by an eight-person Board of Commissioners. The members of the commission, along with the chairman, are appointed by the Governor of New Jersey. As of 2016, the commissioners are:[1]

History

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority was created by special legislation on April 14, 1949 to regulate the New Jersey Turnpike, which opened to traffic on November 30, 1951. It issued revenue bonds to finance the road based solely on future tolls, without using tax money.[2]

Another agency, known as the New Jersey Highway Authority, was established in 1952 and responsible for maintaining the Garden State Parkway, which opened to traffic in 1954.[3]

In July 2003, the New Jersey Legislature approved and Governor James McGreevey signed into law a bill consolidating the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the New Jersey Highway Authority. The main headquarters of the Turnpike Authority before consolidation was in East Brunswick Township, while the main headquarters of the Highway Authority was in Woodbridge Township. A few years later, the headquarters of the consolidated Turnpike Authority was relocated to an eight-story office tower on Main Street in Woodbridge, nearby exit 11 on the NJ Turnpike.

The Woodbridge building that once housed the Highway Authority now houses the Statewide Traffic Management Center, from which Turnpike Authority personnel monitor traffic on the Turnpike and the Parkway, broadcast traffic and weather advisories to patrons over three AM radio channels, and operate more than 200 variable message and speed limit signs. The Authority also has closed-circuit TV cameras that show pictures of current traffic conditions on the Turnpike and the Parkway.

The Turnpike Authority is accountable for the inspection and structural integrity of more than 1,000 bridge structures on the Turnpike and Parkway, to comply with the federally mandated National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS).

On July 22, 2014, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority filed a federal lawsuit against Jersey Boardwalk Pizza, a pizza chain in Florida, for using a logo too similar to the signs for the Garden State Parkway.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "About NJTA: Who We Are". New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  2. ↑ Blackwell, Jon. "1949: Highway of dreams". The Trentonian. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  3. ↑ "The History and Technology of the Edison Bridge & Driscoll Bridge" (PDF). Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  4. ↑ "New Jersey Sues Florida Pizza Shop". Philadelphia, PA: WCAU-TV. Associated Press. July 24, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
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