Toll Increase Delayed On Delaware River Port Authority Bridges

A scheduled toll increase on the Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry, and Betsy Ross bridges has been delayed for at least a year, the Delaware River Port Authority announced on Wednesday.

With its unanimous approval of a resolution delaying the toll increase until at least 2023, the Delaware River Port Authority Board of Commissioners ensured an 11th consecutive year without a toll hike on its bridges, the authority announced.

It also passed a $306.8 million operating budget, which marks an increase of 0.53 percent from last year, according to the authority.

The current toll schedule, implemented in July 2011, included automatic biennial increases in tolls based upon increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Philadelphia region. Wednesday’s vote marks the sixth time the Board postponed these planned toll increases.

In 2022, the DRPA expects to collect approximately $356.1 million in revenue generated primarily from bridge tolls. The projection is based on expectations that the coronavirus pandemic will continue to impact travel between New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The 2022 capital budget expenditures will be $143.2 million. Projects for the upcoming year will include the:

• $216.9M Ben Franklin Bridge Suspension Span Rehabilitation;
• $84.4M De-Leading and Repainting the Commodore Barry Bridge;
• $35.1M Walt Whitman Bridge Cable Investigation & Dehumidification;
• $74.0M Walt Whitman Bridge Corridor Rehabilitation; and
• $29.3M PATCO Franklin Square Station Reopening.

“I am incredibly proud of this organization’s ability to maintain our high standards of stewardship and service in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs beyond our control,” DRPA CEO and PATCO President John Hanson said. “The 2022 budget process was a collaborative effort across DRPA and PATCO to prioritize projects and expenses of utmost importance.”

“The Board and DRPA leadership team have worked together over the past several years to ensure that the organization runs efficiently and effectively,” DRPA Chairwoman Cherelle L. Parker said. “This hard work is acknowledged by a budget that freezes tolls for our customers and ensures we have the necessary resources to maintain and enhance the public transportation assets entrusted to the DRPA.”

“The DRPA continues to maintain its strong focus on fiscal stewardship,” DRPA Vice Chairman Jeffrey L. Nash said. “The fact that we are able to fund the operating budget, invest in our public assets and infrastructure and do so without a toll increase, is a testimonial to the work of DRPA’s Board and leadership.”