The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) has unveiled a proposed Scudder Falls Replacement Bridge (I-95) toll schedule projected to take effect in 2019, when the first span of the new bridge is expected to open.
If approved in late September by the Commission’s board of directors after a slate of public hearings, tolls would be $1.25 for passenger vehicles with E-ZPass; $2.60 for Toll-by-Plate passenger vehicles without E-ZPass; and 75 cents for commuters who make at least 16 tolled trips per month using a Commission-affiliated E-ZPass tag. Tolls will be charged in the southbound direction via an all-electronic toll (AET) collection system of E-ZPass tag readers and high-resolution cameras.
“The Commission directed staff to tamp down the toll rates for this new bridge as much as possible,” said Joseph J. Resta, the Commission’s executive director. “The $1.25 base E-ZPass toll and 75-cent E-ZPass commuter-discount toll are in keeping with this goal, especially given the scope and complexity of the upcoming bridge replacement project.”
The Commission also announced two narrowly defined changes in its current toll structure for the agency’s seven existing toll bridges. One of these adjustments would affect E-ZPass and cash tolls paid by drivers of two-axle vehicles that are less than eight feet high with more than four wheels; the preponderance of these vehicles would be pickup trucks with dual-wheel rear axles, often referred to as “dualies.” The other proposed change clarifies what the cash toll rate should be for recreational vehicles with a trailer or vehicle in tow.
All other rates and vehicle classifications in the Commission’s current toll schedule (effective 11 p.m. June 30, 2011) are unaffected.
The Commission’s 2013 Toll Adjustment Public Hearing and Comment Policy provides for six public hearings, two in each of the Commission’s three geographic operating districts (one in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey). The Commission will also host open houses regarding the Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project immediately before the two toll hearings in closest proximity to that facility. Here is the list of dates, locations, and event times for Bucks County residents:
- July 19, 2016 – West Trenton Volunteer Fire House, 40 Upper Ferry Rd., West Trenton, NJ. Informational project open house 4:30 p.m.; toll hearing 6 p.m.
- July 21, 2016 – William Penn Middle School, 1524 Derbyshire Rd., Yardley, PA. Informational project open house 4:30 p.m.; toll hearing 6 p.m.
Under Commission policy, the public also may provide comment on the proposed toll changes by any of the following, additional methods:
- Email – send to communityaffairs@drjtbc.org
- Commission website – go to the “contact us” portal at www.drjtbc.org (direct URL is www.drjtbc.org/comment.
- US Mail – address to Director of Community Affairs, Jodee Inscho, DRJTBC Executive Offices, 2492 River Rd., New Hope, PA. 18938.
Individuals seeking to provide comment should do so no later than August 29, 2016.
