DRJTBC Approves New Toll Rate Structure To Take Effect Jan 1st

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) today approved a new toll rate structure for 2026 to finance transportation-infrastructure projects and improvements, offset rising construction-industry costs, and maintain favorable borrowing rates in the municipal bond market.

The new 2026 toll rate schedule is expected to take effect on or about January 1. A firm start date will be announced in December. The rate changes affect all vehicle categories and will be applied to all eight of the Commission’s toll bridges.

The E-ZPass rate for Class 1 passenger vehicles (two axles and below eight-feet high) will rise 50 cents to a $2 toll. The corresponding TOLL BY PLATE rate for the same vehicle without E-ZPass will increase $2 to a $5 toll. E-ZPass is used in nearly 87 percent of personal-vehicle transactions.

The Commission’s E-ZPass rate for passenger vehicles still remains lower than the rates of other toll bridges along the river and in the region (Click here for rates)

Meanwhile, the per-axle E-ZPass rate for vehicles eight-feet or above in height (classes 2 to 7) rises $2 to a $6.50-per-axle toll rate. The corresponding TOLL BY PLATE rate for similar vehicles rises $3 to an $8-per-axle toll rate. E-ZPass is used in slightly more than 88 percent of Class 2 to Class 7 transactions (trucks, buses, large vehicles, and vehicle combinations).

The Commission’s E-ZPass rates for non-passenger vehicles are lower than or competitive with the applicable rates of other are toll agencies. (See charts by clicking here)

The Commission announced its proposed toll adjustments on July 28 and later conducted a 37-day long public comment period that allowed motorists and residents to provide input via three virtual hearings with online or teleconferencing access, an online comment form portal, email, and U.S. Mail. The proposed rates were published on the Commission website at: https://www.drjtbc.org/proposednewtolls and additional information was published at: https://www.drjtbc.org/tollcomments.

Commission’s jurisdiction

The Commission operates eight toll bridges and 12 non-revenue-generating “toll-supported” bridges that connect Pennsylvania and New Jersey along the fresh-water portion of the Delaware River. The agency has 79 lane miles of roadway surface, 39 short-distance approach bridges (overpasses or viaducts) and various other maintenance and operational facilities. Its service jurisdiction extends from the Philadelphia-Bucks County, PA. boundary north to the New Jersey/New York state line.

The eight toll bridges are:

• Trenton-Morrisville (Route 1)
• Scudder Falls (I-295)
• New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202)
• I-78
• Easton-Phillipsburg (Route 22)
• Portland-Columbia (Routes 611, 46, and 94)
• Delaware Water Gap (I-80)
• Milford-Montague (Route 206).

Cashless toll collection system

All Commission tolling points handle only cashless all-electronic toll transactions involving E-ZPass and TOLL BY PLATE (license plate billing). Tolls are collected only in the Pennsylvania-bound direction. The Commission charges higher rates to TOLL BY PLATE customers because that payment method involves increased costs for identifying vehicle owners and mailing toll bills. E-ZPass is the Commission’s most frequently used toll payment method.

The Commission ceased cash collections at its three low-traffic-volume toll bridges (New Hope-Lambertville, Portland-Columbia, and Milford-Montague) in June 2024. Cash collections at its four remaining high-volume toll bridges (Trenton-Morrisville, I-78, Easton-Phillipsburg, and Delaware Water Gap) ended in January 2025. An eighth toll bridge – Scudder Falls – never had cash toll collectors; it opened with an all-electronic toll collection system in July 2019.

Financial structure

The Commission is funded strictly by the tolls it collects at its eight toll bridges.  It does not receive state or federal subsidies to run its transportation system and services.

The Commission is unique among other toll agencies in the region because it is legally obligated – under identical statutes enacted by both states and ratified by Congress under the Compact Clause of the U.S. Constitution — to use a share of its tolls to operate and maintain 10 older low-capacity non-highway vehicular bridges and two pedestrian-only crossings along the river.  The Commission refers to these 12 spans as “toll-supported bridges.”

DRJTBC Executive Director Joseph J. Resta explained the toll changes were considered in the wake of financial-metric-projections that show the Commission risks falling short in key areas – General Fund Reserve Balance and Debt Service Coverage Ratio – in future years. Bond-rating firms regularly use these indices to determine the stability and credit worthiness of public agencies.

During the 2020 COVID pandemic, the Commission approved a Financial Resilience Policy in which it committed to maintaining a healthy reserve fund balance and strong debt-service coverage ratio.

Despite being in a mature economic/traffic market, the agency has maintained A-grade bond ratings. The favorable borrowing rates have enabled the Commission to pursue and complete capital projects big and small. But construction-industry inflationary trends have risen to levels that could burden the Commission with rating downgrades and higher borrowing costs.

Citing the fact that the substructures of some Commission bridges date to the early 19^th century and some of the agency’s superstructures date to late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, Resta said the toll increases were imperative to ensure the structural integrity of the agency’s bridges, improve safety and conveyance of traffic, and funding 24/7 maintenance and operating needs like winter-storm plowing and salting.

A video of the presentation Resta provided at online toll hearings is accessible on the Commission website at https://www.drjtbc.org/proposednewtolls  and the Commission’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLefIgEVLVM.