COLUMBIA, N.J. -- New Jersey is raising the price of gas just like Pennsylvania did a few years ago after seeing a desperate need for money to repair roads and bridges.
Come next month, the price you pay over the state line may be very close to what you pay here in Pennsylvania.
Filling up at the travel center in Columbia, New Jersey is usually a good bargain if you're from Pennsylvania.
Gas is roughly 25 cents cheaper than at gas stations in Monroe County. It has been that way for a long while.
“It’s cheap, better than paying $2.39,” said Samuel Stewart East Stroudsburg.
“A lot of people come over here to get gas. I have a lot of friends who come over here,” said Rachel Tice of New Jersey.
You can usually see a lot of Pennsylvania license plates at gas stations just over the state line in New Jersey. That’s because it’s been so cheap for so long. But now, gas in the Garden State is going up 23 cents a gallon starting November 1.
John Meyer of Brodheadsville makes a point to drive from his home in Monroe County to New Jersey to save at the pumps. He may not be doing that for long.
“Probably if it goes up 23 cents, I’ll be stuck in Pennsylvania getting gas. It’s $2.39 down where I am,” Meyer said.
“I’d rather pay less for gas. That means I have more money for cigarettes,” said Stephanie Shell Dickson City.
While the extra tax dollars New Jersey gets at the pump will help pay for much-needed improvements to roads and bridges in the state, some can't help but think who's shouldering that increase.
“People travel back and forth from New York, people living on a fixed budget, retirees,” Meyer said.