Bridge Tolls From New Jersey to PA Could Go Up 20%

When you think of how expensive everything else has gotten, it's somewhat amazing that the four bridges drivers use to cross from New Jersey to Pennsylvania haven't increased in price in 13 years.

That may be about to change.

DRPA Considers a 20% Toll Hike on Bridges Crossing the Delaware

The Delaware River Port Authority is discussing possibly raising the toll price by 20% to $6.75 on the four major bridges crossing the Delaware River: the Betsy Ross, Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, and Commodore Barry bridges.

The hike would be their first increase since 2011.

Bridge officials say inflation has affected construction costs on the major projects they must undertake to keep these bridges safe. 136,000 vehicles use the bridges every day.

"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," Jim Schultz, the Chairman of DRPA told Fox 29.

In a statement, Schultz said it was the DRPA's job to ensure that the bridges remained in good shape.

"As stewards of these vital assets, we must make fiscally responsible decisions to make certain that bridges are safe from disasters like the one that happened in Baltimore...and that the bridges are structurally sound for generations to come."

A Smaller Toll Increase is Possible

A vote on a proposed toll increase would face a vote by the DRPA Board, which hasn't yet been scheduled but could come in August, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Several members of the board are on record as saying they would support a smaller toll increase, more likely $1 a trip westbound.

The bridges don't charge a toll heading eastbound.

One way or another, it would seem that the 13-year run of paying $5 to travel to Philadelphia is about to change.