ASBURY PARK PRESS :: MONMOUTH EDITION

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High school wrestling season gets underway. PAGE 1C

12.20.15

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NEW JERSEY TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND

WHERE YOUR GAS

TAX REALLY GOES
Most isnt spent on the roadways. The 14.5-cent tax funds
nearly one-third of all the New Jersey transportation
projects, from traffic lights to airports.
MIKE DAVIS @BYMIKEDAVIS

As New Jersey drivers sit at the pump, every gallon of gasoline they buy comes with a 14.5-cent
reminder: Its not Monopoly money that paves roads, fills potholes and builds bridges. All those
nickels and dimes add up: The state gasoline tax brings in a staggering $540 million in revenue
annually. And yet all those millions arent going to be nearly enough. Motorists are bracing for an
increase in the state gasoline tax nothings been decided but different proposals would easily
add hundreds of dollars to the typical commuters annual tab. What commuters
shouldnt necessarily expect, certainly not in the short-term, is a smoother
commute. There is stiff competition for each and every gasoline-tax
dollar, with some expenses having nothing to do with driving. Indeed, nearly half of the gasoline tax proceeds pay for something other than roads. See GAS, Page 14A

$541 million paid in New

Jersey gas tax (2014)
New Jerseys 14.5-cent gas tax is the second lowest
in the nation. It makes up 44 percent of the Transportation Trust Fund, which is used to pay for more
than 30 percent of the NJ DOTs annual capital plan.

$196M

$123M

$69M

Appropriated
resources for
mass transit

Regional planning, county

and local aid

Research, planning, design

and legal costs

$67M

$44M

$14M

Road upgrades,
including pothole repairs and
resurfacing

Bridge maintenance, rehabilitation and

replacement

Resources for
office buildings
and highway
rest areas

$13M $11M

$2M

$1M

Congestion
relief,
including
road widening

Amount
for airport
improvement
program

Bicycle,
pedestrian,
ferry and
freight
programs

Total resources for

safety
improvements

ROBERT COHN/ASBURY PARK

DESIGN STUDIO ILLUSTRATION

The Christmas elves of Asbury Park

STEPH SOLIS @STEPHMSOLIS
AND JEAN MIKLE @JEANMIKLE

DOUG HOOD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Laylanni Caldeira, 8, of Asbury Park greets Santa at the Asbury

Park Toy Drive giveaway Saturday in the city.

How to help with the Asbury Park Toy Drive

l Send donations to: Asbury
Park Toy Drive, PO Box 1469,
Asbury Park NJ 07712.

Spotlight focuses on data breach

as Democrats geared up for
presidential debate. STORY, 1B

l For more information, visit

the organization's website
asburyparktoydrive.com.

@ISSUE
BUSINESS
CLASSIFIED
LOCAL
LOTTERIES

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ASBURY PARK - Toys crammed the shelves lining

the walls of the shuttered storefront downtown. Stacks
of Barbie dolls, trendy headsets, musical instruments
and board games grew several feet high by the second
week of December.
This vacant space was headquarters for the Asbury
Park Toy Drive Toy Central, as the organizers call
it.Were the female elves, said Mickey Carter, as she
and Beth Foderaro sifted through bags of donations
that Connie Breech collected the night before at Johnny
Macs. The three of them, as well as Barbara Lesinsky
and Corey Lowell, lead the effort.
Fast forward one week: Shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday, a line of people stood outside Toy Central, which
was located this year in a space on Bangs Avenue donated to the toy drive by developer Carter Sackman.
Shivering in a cold wind, the families, many with
young children in tow, waited their turn to enter the
building and receive bundles of toys, along with warm
clothing like coats, mittens and hats.
After receiving toys and clothing, the families
stepped outside to an area at the rear of the building

OBITUARIES
OPINION
SPORTS
SUNDAY BEST
WEATHER

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where volunteers allowed each child to pick out one extra donated toy, along with a book. Free hot dogs and hot
chocolate also were available, courtesy of The Windmill. Santa Claus, aka Barry Bowling, handed candy
canes to children and invited them to pose for pictures.
Asbury Park residents Nicole Andrews, 45, and her
boyfriend, Malachi Gary, 37, held a black garbage bag
filled with toys that they planned to give to children
See TOYS, Page 8A