Truckers to pay more on tolled Delaware River bridges

On Monday, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission approved a major toll hike for both passenger and commercial vehicle drivers.

By an 8-1 vote on Monday morning, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission approved a toll increase on eight toll bridges connecting New Jersey and Pennsylvania over the Delaware River.

Effective April 11, tolls will increase on the following bridges:

• Trenton-Morrisville (Route 1)
• Scudder Falls (I-295)
• New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202)
• I-78
• Easton-Phillipsburg (Route 22)
• Portland-Columbia
• Delaware Water Gap (I-80)
• Milford-Montague (Route 206)

This marks the first toll increase for the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission since 2011.

For most passenger vehicles, the toll rate will increase from $1 to $3.

The current toll rate for a seven axle truck is $28, with an E-ZPass rate of $25.20. After the toll increase, the toll rate for a seven axle truck will increase to $35, with an E-ZPass rate of $31.50. Prior to the toll increase, E-ZPass users were eligible for a 10% toll rate discount during off-peaks times, but this will expire on April 3.

“The per-axle rates for trucks, buses, and other vehicles 8 feet or more in height would be $4.50 per axle for E-ZPass and $5 per axle for cash/TOLL BY PLATE on or after April 3, 2021.  (Note: The Scudder Falls Toll Bridge currently is the only DRJTBC crossing with all-electronic tolling (AET) and TOLL BY PLATE service.)  The off-peak E-ZPass discount for trucks, buses and commercial vehicles 8-feet and above in height would expire on or after April 3, 2021” the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission said.

The commission pointed to a decrease in commuter traffic triggered by the pandemic as a reason for the toll increase. The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission says that they lost $14.5 million in revenue last year.