Atlantic City Expressway Drivers Can Face $50 Fees for Unpaid Tolls. A New Bill Would Change That

ATLANTIC CITY — A missed toll on the Atlantic City Expressway can eventually become much more expensive than the toll itself.

Now a New Jersey lawmaker wants to change the rules.

Assemblyman Paul Kanitra, R-Ocean, is sponsoring legislation that would restrict when the South Jersey Transportation Authority and New Jersey Turnpike Authority can impose administrative fees for unpaid tolls, targeting a system he says can disproportionately punish motorists for occasional mistakes.

The issue has particular relevance in South Jersey following the Atlantic City Expressway's conversion to all-electronic tolling this year.

Drivers without a valid E-ZPass no longer stop to pay cash. Instead, cameras capture their license plates and the registered vehicle owner receives a Toll-by-Plate bill.

If that bill isn't paid by its deadline, however, the cost can escalate.

The SJTA says an initial $5 late fee is added to an unpaid Toll-by-Plate bill. Continued nonpayment can eventually result in a $50 fee being added to each individual overdue toll transaction.

Kanitra says that system needs reform.

Speaking Friday on Talking with Anne on WOND, Kanitra specifically mentioned the Expressway while discussing toll fees and his unsuccessful effort so far to move legislation through Trenton.

“You got the Expressway and you got things down here,” Kanitra said.

He used the example of a relatively small toll ultimately generating a much larger charge.

“It's a 75-cent issue. You get a $50 fee,” Kanitra said.

‘End the Toll Trap Act’

Kanitra introduced A4872, the “End the Toll Trap Act,” on May 4.

Under the legislation, the SJTA and New Jersey Turnpike Authority generally could assess an administrative fee only when a motorist commits three or more toll violations within the last 60 days of a 90-day period.

The amount of the administrative fee would also have to be based on the authority's actual costs of processing and collecting toll violations rather than simply imposing a predetermined penalty.

The legislation specifically names the South Jersey Transportation Authority, meaning the changes would apply to the agency that operates the Atlantic City Expressway.

Kanitra's legislation cites some striking statewide numbers.

According to findings included in the bill, New Jersey motorists accumulated more than 7 million toll violations between July 2020 and July 2025. But the median motorist receiving violations had only two notices, while the average was fewer than four.

The legislation argues that those numbers indicate many violations involve occasional rather than chronic toll offenders.

The bill would continue allowing fees against repeat violators while attempting to reduce penalties for motorists who make occasional mistakes or encounter problems such as a transponder failing to register.

How It Works on the Expressway Now

Under the Atlantic City Expressway's current system, motorists shouldn't assume that driving through without E-ZPass automatically generates a $50 violation.

For motorists without a valid E-ZPass, the SJTA says a Toll-by-Plate bill is mailed to the vehicle's registered owner after 30 days or once $50 in tolls have accumulated, whichever occurs first.

Generally, motorists then have about 30 days from issuance to pay.

Only after the bill goes unpaid does the penalty process begin: first the $5 late fee and, with continued nonpayment, the $50 per-transaction fee.

That distinction is important because the new cashless Expressway is specifically designed to allow motorists without E-ZPass to use the road and pay afterward.

E-ZPass customers also can receive Toll-by-Plate bills under certain circumstances, including insufficient account funds, an expired payment card, an improperly mounted transponder or a license plate that hasn't been added to the account.

Kanitra Says Bill Has Been Stalled

A4872 was referred to the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee when it was introduced and has not advanced beyond the committee stage.

Kanitra told Baker and Brian Fitzherbert that he believes politics is responsible.

“I had a bill. Everybody agreed was great,” Kanitra said. “I had a Democrat co-sponsor on it.”

Kanitra alleged that support disappeared after he criticized the governor.

“They won't move my bill out of political spite,” he said.

South Jersey NewsBeat could not independently establish that political retaliation is the reason the legislation has not advanced.

Kanitra's proposal is part of a broader effort involving lawmakers in New York and New Jersey. The bill would also establish a New York and New Jersey Toll and Fee Reduction Task Force to examine toll-payment systems and recommend ways to reduce tolls and administrative fees.

For Atlantic City Expressway drivers, however, the most immediate proposed change is much simpler: an occasional missed toll would be far less likely to turn into a $50 administrative fee.