Toll prices from New Jersey into Pennsylvania increasing? Everything you should know
Are tolls from New Jersey into Pennsylvania increasing?
The Delaware River Port Authority is discussing possibly raising the toll price 20% on the four major bridges crossing the Delaware River, the Betsy Ross, Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman and Commodore Barry bridges. FOX 29's Gregory Payne has the details.
PHILADELPHIA - Many people in the region have had to cross the Delaware River from New Jersey into Pennsylvania and know the toll cost all too well. However, an increase in the price may be necessary for the greater good of the bridges' infrastructure.
"I would probably say about at least three to four times a week," said Wesley Carr, of Browns Mills, NJ.
Carr says many of those times are due to driving Uber.
"I’m not crossing over now, but in the winter and the fall, I cross over every day," said Laura Williams, of Cherry Hill, NJ.
That’s when Laura Williams of Cherry Hill makes the trek to teach at a local school in Philly.
As early as the Fall, that drive into the Keystone State may be more than the current $5.
"Just feel like that’s a shame, just like the gas prices going up, doesn’t make any sense. If anything, they should help us out, bring it down to four dollars a day," said Justin Young, of West Oak Lane.
The Delaware River Port Authority is discussing the possibility of raising the toll price 20% to $6.75 on the four major bridges crossing the Delaware River, the Betsy Ross, Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman and Commodore Barry bridges.
Which would potentially be their first increase since 2011.
"Inflation does impact all of this, it impacts our construction costs on the major projects that we have to undertake in order to keep these bridges safe," said Jim Schultz, the Chairman of DRPA.
Officials say, safe from tragedies like what occurred on the Key Bridge in Baltimore earlier this year, when a cargo ship collided into the bridges support system causing it to collapse, killing six people who were working on the bridge.
"We’ve gotten to a point where it’s going to be very difficult to complete the major capital projects that we have to undertake to maintain the structural integrity of these bridges for years to come," said Schultz.
Which the increase still has to be voted on by the DRPA Board in an upcoming meeting and there’s even a push by board members to only increase the tolls to $6.
"I mean safety concerns. If they have to raise it then so be it, I mean I don’t have much of a choice and you got to do what you got to do," said Carr.
"I mean, if that’s for maintenance of the bridges, I guess that’s good. I still think 20% is ridiculously high," said Williams.
DRPA officials say once again this will have to be voted on during their meeting. They have a meeting Thursday, but FOX 29 has been told it won’t happen then.