Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
River-crossing commuters are ringing in the New Year with a toll hike as the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission increased prices Jan. 1.
The new E-ZPass rate for Class 1 passenger vehicles (two axles and under eight feet high) increased by 50 cents to $2. The Toll-By-Plate rate for the same vehicle without E-ZPass rose by $2 to $5.
For vehicles eight feet or above in height, the per-axle E-ZPass rate increased by $2 to $6.50. The corresponding Toll-By-Plate rate for these vehicles went up by $3 to $8 per axle.
The commission operates eight toll bridges, including the Trenton-Morrisville (Route 1), Scudder Falls (I-295), and New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202) bridges in Bucks County, as well as the I-78, Easton-Phillipsburg, Portland-Columbia, Delaware Water Gap, and Milford-Montague bridges outside the county.
Tolls are collected by the commission on in the Pennsylvania-bound direction.
Officials said E-ZPass remains the most frequently used payment method, and higher rates are charged for Toll-By-Plate customers due to the increased costs associated with identifying vehicle owners and mailing billings.
The commission phased out cash collection at its high-traffic toll bridges in January and at its low-traffic bridges in June 2024.
Officials said the toll increases are designed to offset rising construction costs, fund new improvements, and maintain a strong credit rating.
The commission is funded entirely by tolls and is unique among regional toll agencies as it is legally obligated to use a portion of its tolls to operate and maintain 10 older low-capacity non-highway vehicular bridges and two pedestrian-only crossings, referred to as “toll-supported bridges.”
