Overview

To safeguard motorists and employees, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission established a temporary COVID-19 cashless tolling process that was in effect from 10 p.m. March 24 to 11 p.m. May 13.  During this temporary “toll-by-mail” period,  tolls at the Commission’s seven cash/E-ZPass tolling points were assessed electronically via E-ZPass or through toll notices sent to registered vehicle owners via U.S. Mail.

This measure was instituted as a precaution against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Cashless tolling eliminates contacts and exchanges of currency and change that could spread the virus among customers and Commission personnel.

Invoices for the temporary “toll-by-mail” period began being mailed May 5.  A system backlog is expected to be eliminated on or about May 21.

Quick Links

How It Works (at the toll plaza)

E-ZPass customers

No changes. Please proceed through lanes marked for E-ZPass users. The equipment in the toll lanes will read your transponder and deduct the toll from your account as usual.

Customers who previously paid cash

Please keep to the right when approaching a toll plaza and use the far-right lane. The overhead sign for this lane will say “Cash,” but the toll booth will be unattended. Please slowly proceed (5 mph) through the lane without stopping; the in-lane equipment will capture an image of the vehicle’s license plate. Following a check of motor vehicle records, an invoice will be mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner for the cash toll amount. No additional fees will be applied unless payment is not received by the respective due date.

Applicable Toll Bridges

The new toll-assessment process applies to the following seven Commission toll bridges:

  • Trenton-Morrisville (Route 1)
  • New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202)
  • I-78
  • Easton-Phillipsburg (Route 22)
  • Portland-Columbia (Routes 611, 46 & 94)
  • Delaware Water Gap (I-80)
  • Milford-Montague (Route 206)

Toll-By-Mail Invoices (COVID-19)

Starting no earlier than May 5, registered owners of non-E-ZPass-equipped vehicles that passed through Commission toll plazas after 10 p.m. March 24 will receive a TOLL BY MAIL INVOICE in the mail. An invoice will be generated for each respective toll transaction. Invoice processing is handled by the Commission’s toll processor – the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center. The bill will have a photograph of the subject vehicle and its accompanying license plate. It also will include the date and time of the transaction, the location where it occurred, and an Invoice number.

Each invoice is expected to be accompanied by explanatory “Important Notice” insert stating:

As a result of COVID-19, the enclosed invoice(s) are for TOLL charges only.

  • Each page included in this mailing is a separate invoice with multiple transactions. Please pay the Total Amount Due on each invoice page.
  • Please pay immediately. You are being billed only for the toll charge. To avoid administrative fees, pay your toll immediately.
  • Conveniently pay your invoice(s) online at www.ezpassnj.com, by mail, or  calling 1-888-AUTO-TOLL (288-8655).
  • E-ZPass customers should follow directions on the invoice to have the toll transactions charged to an active E-ZPass account.
  • Cash customers who do not want to receive a Toll By Mail invoice can open an E-ZPass account by visiting www.ezpassnj.com.
sample-invoice
Actual mailed invoices might vary from this sample image.

Payments

The registered vehicle owner is required to pay the toll invoice amount within 30 days of its issuance date. Payment can be made by mail using the notice’s payment coupon and sending an accompanying check or money order (DO NOT SEND CASH) payable to NJ E-ZPass and writing the Invoice number on the payment. (A $25 fee applies for each returned check.) Credit card payments (AMEX, MasterCard, Discover, Visa) can be made by clicking on the “Invoice Link” at www.ezpassnj.com or by calling 973-368-1425. (Note: expect long wait times if calling by phone.) Full instructions are on each invoice.

Disputes

Dispute instructions are printed on the back of each TOLL BY MAIL INVOICE. Fill out the applicable sections on the back of the invoice. Be sure to print out your name, provide your signature and date the response on the back of the invoice before mailing to NJ E-ZPass, PO Box 4971, Trenton, NJ 08650. Disputes also can be made online through the NJ E-ZPass website at www.expassnj.com or by calling 973-368-1425 (Note: extended wait times are likely if calling by phone.)

Frequently Asked Questions

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission temporarily suspended cash collections at its seven barrier toll plazas as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19. 10 p.m. March 24.  All tolls are being collected electronically until further notice.

If you are an E-ZPass customer, your toll will be deducted from your account as usual. If you are not an E-ZPass customer, an invoice for the cost of the toll will be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle you are driving.

Here are answers to frequently asked questions about the Toll-By-Mail process.

What is Toll-By-Mail?

Beginning 10 p.m. March 24 as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19, toll-collectors were removed from DRJTBC toll booths and cash toll collection, including coin collection, ceased at the agency’s seven barrier toll plazas. Non-E-ZPass Customers subsequently are receiving Toll-By-Mail invoices requesting payment in full for their respective crossings of Commission toll bridges.

When will I receive my first invoices?

Invoice mailings began during the week of May 3.

How often will I receive invoices after the first one?

As often as once a week, depending on your travel patterns.

Does that mean I will receive a weekly invoice?

The invoices will be bundled and sent out weekly. If you frequently use our toll bridges, you are likely to receive multiple invoices in the same envelope. You need to pay the total amount due on each separate invoice.

Can’t you just send me a weekly or monthly statement?

This is an extraordinary measure being taken to help slow the spread of Covid-19. The existing processes have been modified to allow cash customers to continue using the toll bridges in the absence of toll collectors during this trying time. The system is not designed to generate weekly/monthly statements for non-E-ZPass customers.

Is there another option for paying tolls?

As always, E-ZPass is the most convenient way to pay. You can sign up for an account with the Bridge Commission’s E-ZPass service provider by calling 888-AUTO-TOLL (888-288-6865) or by visiting www.ezpassnj.com.

Will a fee be added to my toll charge if I’m not an E-ZPass customer?

If you pay all tolls across all of the invoices you receive by the date specified on your invoices, you will not be charged a fee. You will be charged the cash toll rate — the same amount you would have been charged if you had handed cash to a toll collector.

What happens if I don’t pay by the due date?

You will receive a second notice, and it will include a $30 administrative fee per transaction.

How will NJ E-ZPass know where to send my Toll-By-Mail Invoice?

Invoices will be mailed to the address of the registered vehicle owner.

But what if the address associated with my license plate number is not my current residence?

You may call NJ E-ZPass at 888- AUTO-TOLL (888-288-6865) two weeks after your travel date to provide your license plate number and they will assist you with processing payment for your toll transactions.

I was in a rental vehicle. Where will my invoice be mailed?

The invoice will be mailed to the rental agency. Customers should check with the rental agency about their policy with regards to travel on toll facilities.

How do I pay my Toll-By-Mail Invoice?

Customers who receive a Toll-By-Mail invoice can pay online, by mail, or by telephone. Payment can be made by credit or debit card, check or money order. Do not send cash. To pay online, visit www.ezpassnj.com. To pay by phone, call 973-368-1425. To pay by mail, send your check or money order along with the payment coupon or coupons to NJ E-ZPass, P.O. Box 4971, Trenton, NJ 08650.

E-ZPass – A Better, Safer Alternative

Former cash customers who are receiving notices for multiple transactions or who don’t like being billed, can open an E-ZPass account. Advantages include enhanced safety, convenience, and possible time and cost savings.

The entity that processes DRJTBC toll transactions is the regional NJ E-ZPass Customer Service Center. Besides the DRJTBC, this toll processor serves six other toll agencies located or domiciled in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.  These include the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA); Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA); Burlington County Bridge Commission (BCBC); Delaware River and Bay Commission (DRBA); South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA); and Cape May County Bridge Commission (CMCBC).  Accounts may be established with this E-ZPass service provider by going to www.ezpassnj.com or I-888-AUTO-TOLL (1-88-288-6865). This regional toll processor – which is not a New Jersey state government agency – has served the DRJTBC for more than five years.

E-ZPass benefits include:

  • Mitigates handling of potential germ-tainted cash.
  • Reduces paperwork and hassle by consolidating toll charges to periodic bills instead of multiple toll transaction notices.
  • Increasing open-road tolling facilities allow tolls to be assessed at prevailing highway speeds – including the Commission’s Scudder Falls (I-295), Delaware Water Gap (I-80), and I-78 toll bridges.
  • Helps reduce congestion and delays at toll-collection points.
  • Frequent-commuter discount – The DRJTBC provides a 40-percent commuter discount to Class 1/passenger vehicle motorists who use a Commission-affiliated E-ZPass to pay for 16 or more toll-direction trips across one or more Commission toll bridges in a respective calendar month.
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Update on coronavirus-related toll-by-mail billings

Toll-invoice mailings began May 5 for non-E-ZPass customers who passed through former “cash” toll lanes since 10 p.m. March 24. Customers have 30 days from an invoice’s issuance date to pay the toll amount. Failure to pay by the due date will result in additional fees.  It will take approximately two weeks to mail the backlog of toll invoices that acrued since this temporary coronavirus-related toll-collection measure went into effect.