NEW HOPE, PA – The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) is providing the public with an additional week to submit comments on the proposed toll schedule for the future Scudder Falls (I-95) Replacement Bridge as well as two additional changes in the current toll structure for the agency’s even existing toll bridges.
The Commission initiated a public comment process in early July when it rolled out a proposed schedule of tolls to be charged in the southbound direction only (driving from New Jersey to Pennsylvania) at the new Scudder Falls bridge when its first span opens to traffic in 2019. The public comment period initially was set to expire Monday, August 29. The new cutoff date for comments is September 6.
Scudder Falls Replacement Bridge Toll Schedule Under the proposed toll schedule, tolls at the new bridge 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. Passenger vehicles include automobiles, four-wheel pick-up trucks, and motorcycles. They comprise slightly more than 90 percent of the vehicles using the current, functionally obsolete Scudder Falls Bridge.
Higher rates are to be charged for trucks and other non-passenger vehicles, which make up slightly less than 10 percent of traffic using the current bridge.
All tolls at the new bridge are to be collected at highway speeds via an all-electronic toll (AET) collection system of E-ZPass tag readers and high-resolution cameras that will be suspended from an overhead gantry across the bridge’s southbound lanes. Such systems are being used increasingly in other countries and other states. They obviate the need for conventional toll booths that cause traffic congestion and air pollution.
The full schedule of tolls proposed for the Scudder Falls Replacement Bridge may be accessed directly at www.drjtbc.org/scuddertolls.
A video explaining the bridge’s all-electronic toll system is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq_8BEokUrw.
Toll Adjustments for Seven Current Toll Bridges The Commission also is currently accepting comment on two narrowly defined changes in its current toll structure for 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).
Under one of the proposed changes, 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 second proposed change applies to what the cash rate should be for toll transactions involving a recreational vehicle (RV) with a trailer or vehicle in tow. This proposal would ensure that the toll rate table below is applied regardless of whether payment is made electronically through E-ZPass or manually in cash through a toll attendant.
| 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. A discount of 10-percent would be applied to the table above when the toll is paid via a commercial truck E-ZPass during off-peak hours, 9:01 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. daily.
As is the case with two-axle trucks below eight-feet high with more than four wheels, the transaction clarification for RVs 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.
Aside from these two adjustments, all other rates and vehicle classifications in the Commission’s current toll schedule (effective 11 p.m. June 30, 2011) are unaffected. For example, the toll on a standard four-wheel pickup truck will remain $1.
The two changes in the current toll structure are expected to take effect by March 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.
More information on 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.
Ways to Submit Comment The Commission already has held six public hearings on its proposed Scudder Falls Replacement Bridge toll schedule and the proposed toll adjustments for the agency’s seven current toll bridges. The public can still provide comment on the proposed toll actions by any of the following methods:
o Email – send to communityaffairs@drjtbc.org
o Commission website – go to the “contact us” portal at www.drjtbc.org (direct URL is www.drjtbc.org/comment.
o US Mail – address to Director of Community Affairs, DRJTBC Executive Offices, 2492 River Rd., New Hope, PA. 18938.
Individuals seeking to provide comment email, web portal or mail should do so no later than the close of business on Tuesday, September 6, 2016.
