Commuters traveling across the Delaware River from Pennsylvania to New Jersey will not see toll hikes in the new year.
The Delaware River Port Authority Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday to extend a freeze on the $5 round-trip toll fee for the Benjamin Franklin, Walt Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross bridges for the twelfth consecutive year.
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In 2011, the DRPA voted to increase tolls every other year, based on the Consumer Price Index in the region; however, the continued freeze on toll prices was one of several cost-control tactics implemented in response to COVID-19, which decreased daily vehicle travel.
"The Board and DRPA leadership team have an obligation to the public to do everything it can to control costs and expenses before it takes steps to raise bridge tolls," Cherelle Parker, chairwoman for the DRPA and one of Philly's many mayoral candidates, said in a press release. "We hope this move brings needed relief to working families who may be experiencing financial challenges."
The DRPA estimates it will amass $344 million in revenue in 2023 from tolls across its bridges.
The port authority also approved an operating budget of $307.5 million for next year.
"A quarter of a percent increase in our operating budget is remarkable considering the present economic conditions," DRPA Vice Chairman Jeffrey L. Nash said. "The fact that we can properly fund our budgets, invest and improve our infrastructure, and do so without a toll hike speaks volumes of the Port Authority."
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While the DRPA has been consistent in its toll prices for more than a decade, the Pa. Turnpike Commission has raised its tolls for 15 straight years.
Starting on Jan. 8, tolls will increase by 5%. These increases are partly due to the commission's $13.2 billion debt.
Prices will increase from $1.70 to $1.80 for E-Z Pass customers and from $4.10 to $4.40 for customers who pay their tolls by license plate.
The Pa. Turnpike Commission urges drivers to get an E-Z Pass to pay the cheapest toll rates; an E-Z Pass driver pays 13.8 cents per mile, while paying by the plate costs 17.8 cents per mile.
Tolls set by the commission will continue to increase incrementally by 5% until 2026, when the increase will drop to 4%. Price increases will then drop to 3.5% in 2027 before a consistent increase in tolls of 3% from 2028 until 2050.