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New Jersey Tops Another “First” List — (Automated Toll Collecting)
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New Jersey is said to be the leading producer of blueberries, home of the first intercollegiate football game (Rutgers vs Princeton), first to develop Saltwater Taffy (accidentally, but first none the less), home of the first baseball game (1846, Hoboken), home of the first miss America pageant (1921), the first state to sign Bill of Rights, be the first to have organized cheerleading (1877, Princeton), home of the first Indian reservation (1758, Shamong) but not what this is about.
This is about one more New Jersey first...first to put into service an automatic toll machine. Yes, that’s right—New Jersey is where some genius was able to come up with a method to collect tolls without the need for a human. I recall my parents saying that the tolls were supposed to be ended once the Garden State Parkway (GSP) was completed, however, we all know how that has turned out.
Construction began in 1947 in Union County, however, only 11 miles were completed by 1950 due to lack of funds. As you travel this section, you can identify these 11 miles by the stone faced overpasses. Perhaps, you even recall the first picnic area, in Cranford, just north of exit 137.
The first section of the Garden State Parkway, (also known as State Route 444 and the Route 4 Park Way) opened to traffic in 1954, and was originally intended to be a toll-free highway having ten picnic areas (only one remains open today—the Townsend Shoemaker Holly picnic area in Upper, NJ). The premise behind the median, lack of billboards, and picnic areas was that people were provided with a scenic, park-like environment as they made their way through the State.
According to early literature the plan was that the Parkway would become toll-free once bonds used for its construction were paid off. However, additional construction projects, plus the expectation that the parkway will pay for its own maintenance and policing (and the massive E-ZPass project) make it unlikely it will become toll-free in the foreseeable future.
Passing through 50 municipalities in 10 counties, it is the longest highway in the State (approximately 172 miles), and became the first toll road to utilize the automatic toll machine (Union Toll Plaza). Perhaps you too recall dropping 25 cents (pennies not accepted) in the basket, seeing the light change to green, and then going on your way.
The Parkway is even said to have a plaque commemorating this event, complete with the first quarter ever collected by an automated toll machine. Though even phone calls to the NJ State Highway Authority offices failed to unearth any information on where this might be.
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Garden State Parkway Video
Made in 1952 by the New Jersey Highway Authority.
Made in 1952 by the New Jersey Highway Authority.
