The New Jersey Turnpike Authority voted Tuesday to award a contract that would bring cashless tolls to the entire Garden State Parkway.
That move will eventually bring an end to a once common New Jersey ritual - tossing coins or tokens into the toll booth basket.
The exact change baskets were eliminated from the main roadway in 2018 when the Turnpike Authority, which runs the Parkway, moved to E-ZPass and full-service booths only. They have remained at many of the entrance and exit ramps along the roadway.
The new contract would replace all toll booths with E-ZPass or cashless pay-by-mail options. Once the system is put in place - possibly a few years from now - an agency spokesman said that the remaining toll booth baskets will be removed.
On today's "Brian's Positively New Jersey,” Brian puts aside the E-ZPass transponder he's been using for a decade and goes back for one more slam dunk in the exact change lane for a look at a soon-to-disappear New Jersey ritual.