The New Jersey Turnpike Authority voted unanimously to increase tolls on two of the state's major highways and approved a $24 billion construction plan that the hike will fund.

The board’s 7-0 vote on Wednesday came despite pleas from many people to delay it. They said the agency should not have gone ahead with the hearing process while residents are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

The construction plan includes $16 billion to widen sections of the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, permanently implement cashless toll payment and replace a bridge between New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Tolls at most of the main toll plazas on the Parkway will increase 40 cents from $1.50 to $1.90.

It will now cost $18.85 to travel from Exit 1 to Exit 18W on the Turnpike. The current price was $13.85.

Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday that the toll hikes are necessary for the longevity of the state’s infrastructure.

“I don’t know when tolls were raised last on any of the roads…it’s been a long time,” Murphy said. “I’m not doing this because it’s necessarily popular and I appreciate enormously the strain that folks are under – that is not a question. We need a state that is standing here a year from now, five years, 10 years from now.”

The toll hikes will go into effect on Sept. 13. The plan will also allow the Turnpike Authority to adjust tolls annually starting in 2022. Those hikes will be capped at 3%.

Drivers are likely to face another gasoline tax hike by the end of the summer.