An Asian-owned company based in Nashville will be permitted to retain the $1.73 billion contract it won last year to run the E-ZPass electronic toll-collection system on the New Jersey Turnpike and other state roads.

The ruling in favor of TransCore, a subsidiary of a Singapore company, was part of a 105-page finding by a New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) official that was released Tuesday evening. TransCore also partners with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to provide electronic tolling on that roadway.

The decision is being denounced by Conduent, TransCore’s primary rival for the 11-year contract, partly for what it termed national security issues. The Newark-based company had held the E-ZPass contract on the turnpike for the last 22 years. It will still be in charge during a transition period that ends in October 2027, when TransCore takes over.

Commenting on the alleged Singapore-China alliance, Marc Pfeiffer, associate director of the Bloustein Local Government Research Center at Rutgers University, said: “It’s important to remember that Singapore is a separate country from China, and is not an adversary of the United States.

“Also, New Jersey law permits foreign ownership of a company in the United States except for the countries of Russia, Belarus, and Iran.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 17, 2025