YARDLEY, PA – The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) issued the following statement on today’s New Jersey Supreme Court ruling regarding the Commission’s use of a project labor agreement in the public bidding process for its Scudder Fall Bridge Replacement Project, which reach final completion in October 2022:
The New Jersey Supreme Court ruling affirms the Commission’s ability to require a project labor agreement (PLA) in a publicly bid construction project.
We commend the Court for its decision. Pennsylvania and New Jersey rely on the Commission to oversee, maintain, and operate 20 toll and toll-supported bridges along the freshwater portion of the Delaware River separating the two states.
The Commission serves a critical public function, and today’s decision appropriately recognizes that the two states entrusted the Commission with the broad discretion necessary to fulfill its bi-state transportation mission.
The important ruling moves this legal matter a significant step closer to resolution after eight years of litigation. The ruling further validates the enduring integrity of the Commission’s Compact and the broad powers the states bestowed to the Commission under this bi-state/federal agreement 90 years ago.