PHILLIPSBURG, NJ – The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) today announced that personnel will be available to answer questions about two proposed limited changes to the agency’s current toll schedule one hour before the start of upcoming public hearings in Easton and Phillipsburg.
The Commission is seeking public comment on two limited changes in its current toll structure for the agency’s seven existing toll bridges, including the Easton-Phillipsburg (Route 22) and I-78 toll bridges.
One of these proposed 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 tolls for these vehicles would be reset at $3.25 per-axle, making for a $6.50 toll. (Standard four-wheel pickup trucks would be unaffected by the change.)
The other proposed change clarifies what the cash toll rates should be for recreational vehicles with a trailer or vehicle in tow. (See below for more info.)
All other rates and vehicle classifications in the Commission’s current toll schedule (which took effect 11 p.m. June 30, 2011) are unaffected by the proposed toll adjustments.
The two changes in the current toll structure are expected to begin on or before March 1, 2017, after the Commission completes the installation, testing, calibration and activation of a next-generation collections system for manual and electronic toll transactions at the Commission’s seven current toll bridges.
The next two dates and locations for public hearings on the toll proposals are:
– Aug. 2, 2016, Holiday Inn Express, 90 Kunkle Dr., Easton, PA. Toll hearing 6 p.m. Informal availability of Commission personnel to answer questions at 5 p.m.
– Aug. 4, 2016, Early Childhood Learning Center, 459 Center St., Phillipsburg, NJ. Toll hearing 6 p.m. Informal availability of Commission personnel to answer questions at 5 p.m.
At the two events, the Commission also will accept testimony on a proposed toll schedule for its Scudder Falls (I-95) Replacement Bridge. The current bridge at that location between Mercer County, NJ and Bucks County, PA is functionally obsolete and needs to be replaced. Construction on the project is expected to get underway in the first half of 2017 and end sometime in 2021, if not earlier. Tolling at the replacement bridge is expected to begin in 2019.
All of the toll proposals and the Public Notice are posted on the Commission website. www.drjtbc.org.
The proposed adjustments for recreational vehicles with cars or trailers in tow and for two-axle vehicles less than eight-feet high with more than four wheels may be accessed at www.drjtbc.org/2016adjustments.
The proposed toll schedule for the Scudder Falls Replacement Bridge may be accessed directly at www.drjtbc.org/scuddertolls.
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, DRJTBC Executive Offices, 2492 River Rd., New Hope, PA. 18938.
Individuals seeking to provide comment should do so no later than August 29, 2016.
Further Explanation of Proposed Changes to Existing Toll Structure
The proposed adjustments to the Commission’s existing toll structure would apply to the agency’s seven existing toll bridges: Trenton-Morrisville (Route 1), New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202), I-78, Easton-Phillipsburg (Route 22), Portland-Columbia, Delaware Water Gap (I-80), and Milford-Montague (Route 206).
The proposed changes would affect only the following toll transactions:
- Cash and E-ZPass toll rates for two-axle vehicles below eight feet high that have more than four wheels (“dualies”); and
- Cash transactions involving a recreational vehicle (RV) with a trailer or vehicle in tow. (Note: the cash and E-ZPass rates for an RV without a trailer or vehicle in tow remain unchanged).
Under the proposal, two-axle vehicles below eight-feet high that have more than four wheels will now be classified as a light truck. This adjustment in vehicle classification and accompanying toll rate is being proposed because the overwhelming majority of affected vehicles weigh 7,000 pounds or more. This proposed change also conforms to prevailing tolling industry classification and rating practices, including the PA and NJ turnpikes, the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), the Delaware River & Bay Authority (DRBA), and the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA), among others.
| Vehicle Type Affected | Classification Change | Per-Axle Rate | Toll |
| Two-axle vehicles
under eight feet in height with more than four wheels |
Class 2 (Light Truck) | $3.25 | $6.50 |
The proposed tolling change for RVs with a trailer or vehicle in tow is a clarification of what the cash rate should be for this type of toll transaction. The Commission’s toll structure is based primarily on rolling axles and vehicle size. This has resulted in disparate rates between cash and E-ZPass transactions for instances when an RV has either a trailer or vehicle in tow.
The toll rate schedule and accompanying notation on the next page is to be applied regardless of whether payment is made electronically through E-ZPass or manually in cash through a toll attendant at one of the Commission seven exiting toll bridges.
| Example | Classification | Per-Axle Rate | Toll |
| Two-Axle RV with single rolling axle trailer or vehicle in tow with one axle down | Class 3 (3 rolling axles) | $4.00 | $12 |
| Two-Axle RV with dual rolling axle trailer or vehicle in tow with two axles down | Class 4 (4 rolling axles) | $4.00 | $16 |
| Three-Axle RV with single rolling axle trailer or vehicle in tow with one axle down | Class 4 (4 rolling axles) | $4.00 | $16 |
| Three-Axle RV with dual rolling axle trailer or vehicle in tow with two axles down | Class 5 (5 rolling axles) | $4.00 | $20 |
Note: In any subsequent larger configurations of RVs and trailers/vehicles in tow, a toll rate of $4 per axle is to be charged.
This transaction clarification also conforms with prevailing tolling industry practices and brings the Commission’s vehicle classifications for tolling purposes in step with the region’s other toll systems – the PA and NJ Turnpikes, DRPA, and SJTA, among others.
