A set of $3 tolls will be coming to the Atlantic City Expressway at Route 50 in Hamilton Township.
The board of the South Jersey Transportation Authority approved a resolution Tuesday that allows such a toll at the new Interchange 17, which is expected to open in early June.
The cost, however, has been criticized by some lawmakers and drivers who see it as being too steep in an already difficult economy.
SJTA officials contend it is a necessary fee that will match the nearby Egg Harbor Toll Plaza, which also charges cars $3. If the agency did not incorporate $3 tolls at Interchange 17, drivers could use the exit as a way to bypass the Egg Harbor plaza, officials say, thereby causing the agency to miss potential revenue.
The toll would only affect drivers who are leaving Route 50 to go eastbound on the expressway toward Atlantic City or exiting the expressway westbound to get onto Route 50.
No driver immediately coming from or going toward the Egg Harbor Toll Plaza would be charged the $3 toll twice, the SJTA said.
