LOWER MAKEFIELD, NJ – A revised educational video is now available for motorists who want a quick explanation of the all-electronic tolling system that will be used to collect tolls in the Pennsylvania-bound direction at the soon-to-open Scudder Falls Toll Bridge.
The three-and-a-half-minute-long video is a thoroughly updated version of a prior AET video that was produced for the bridge’s toll hearing process back in 2016.
A link to the tolling video is posted on the Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project’s website homepage at www.scudderfallsbridge.com.
It also may be accessed directly on two different online video platforms:
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYyL2ZJq5Bo&feature=youtu.be
- Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/336831265
Using video footage, animation, graphics and narration, the video explains how the new bridge’s AET system will work and outlines the benefits of cashless toll collection. It further explains how E-ZPass customers will pay lower rates compared to TOLL BY PLATE customers who cross the bridge without valid E-ZPass transponders in their cars.
The video also briefly explains the Commission’s frequency-based commuter discount program and how that cost reduction can be achieved through the use of passenger-vehicle E-ZPass transponders issued/administered by the bridge’s toll processor – the regional New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center, which is run by Conduent Inc.
The video was a collaborative effort involving Commission staff; McCormick Taylor, the bridge project’s public involvement consultant; Michael Baker International, the project’s design consultant; and Stokes Creative Group, a sub-consultant to Baker and McCormick Taylor.
Toll Schedule
The base toll for an E-ZPass-equipped Class 1 passenger vehicle crossing the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge is $1.25. This rate applies to passenger-vehicle E-ZPass transponders issued by any participating toll//transportation agency in the United States.
Frequent commuters who record 16 or more tolled crossings in a respective month qualify for a 40-percent discount on the toll – 75 cents per trip instead of $1.25 – if the trips are recorded on an E-ZPass transponder issued by the bridge’s toll processor – the regional New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center (a.k.a. NJ E-ZPass Group).
(Note: The New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center is the entity that provides toll processing, E-ZPass account customer service, and toll violations processing for the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s seven existing tolled crossings. This service network will expand to an eighth crossing when the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge opens next month – current target date is on or about July 10. Other affiliated agencies in the New Jersey E-ZPass Group system include the New Jersey Turnpike Authority [NJTA], the Delaware River Port Authority [DRPA], the Delaware River & Bay Authority [DRBA], the South Jersey Transportation Authority [SJTA], the Burlington County Bridge Commission [BCBC] and the Cape May County Bridge Commission [CMCBC].)
Passenger vehicles without E-ZPass will have images of their license plates captured by one of the high-speed cameras mounted to the AET tolling gantry that has been erected immediately west of the bridge’s Pennsylvania abutment. The registered owner of non-E-ZPass-equipped vehicles will receive TOLL BY PLATE invoices in the mail. The Class 1/passenger vehicle TOLL BY PLATE rate is $2.60. The higher toll is warranted to cover the additional costs of processing non-E-ZPass transactions.
There are two different base rates for trucks, buses and other commercial vehicles – two axles or more and eight feet and above in height .
The base E-ZPass rate for Class 2/light trucks – two-axle vehicles eight feet or above in height – is $3.50 per axle. For larger vehicles (Class 3 and above) – vehicles with three or more axles – the base E-ZPass rate is $4.25 per axle. As is the case at the Commission’s seven existing toll bridges, a 10-percent discount will be applied for non-Class1 vehicles paying tolls with a commercial E-ZPass tag during off-peak hours (9:01 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.).
The TOLL BY PLATE rate for Class 2 vehicles (two axles and eight feet or above in height) is $8.35. The TOLL BY PLATE rate for larger/heavier vehicles Class 3 and above (three or more axles and eight feet or above in height) is $4.75 per axle.
The Scudder Falls Toll Bridge’s full toll schedule may be accessed at http://www.scudderfallsbridge.com/tolling/#rates. As is the case at all Commission toll bridges, rates are determined by a vehicle’s profile (height) and number of axles.
(Note: The Commission approved the toll schedule for the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge in September 2016 after conducting six hearings and a public comment period. The Commission previously announced that it would toll the crossing in December 2009. The decision has been upheld on three separate occasions by the Federal Highway Administration.)
More information on the Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project is available at www.scudderfallsbridge.com.
