The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) is a bistate, public agency that maintains and operates river crossings connecting the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The agency's jurisdiction stretches roughly 140 miles (230 km) along the Delaware River from Philadelphia and Bucks County in southeast Pennsylvania and then north through the Lehigh Valley and to Pennsylvania-New York state border.[1]
DRJTBC operates eight toll bridges and 12 toll-supported (free) bridges, two of which are pedestrian-only crossings, and 34 approach structures throughout its jurisdiction. Revenues from the eight toll bridges subsidize the other bridges. Since 1987, the commission has not received any state or federal tax revenues and relies solely on toll collections for its financing.[2]
In 2019, more than 138 million cars and trucks used the DRJTBC's network of Delaware River bridge crossings.[3]
The DRJTBC was established under legislation enacted in the two states on December 18, 1934. The federal compact for what was then called the "Pennsylvania-New Jersey Joint Bridge Commission" was first approved by Congress in 1935. The compact has been modified several times (on July 8, 1947, July 17, 1951, July 16, 1953, and March 19, 1986). In 1984 and 1985, the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey entered into the current version of the interstate compact, known as the "1984 agreement."
This change meant that DRJTBC no longer would receive tax dollars to maintain the commissions toll-supported bridges, known as tax-supported bridges until the 1984 agreement. The commission assumed full financial responsibility for their toll-free bridges. Later revisions also made it so that the DRJTBC could build the Interstate 78 Bridge over the Delaware River and operate it as a tolled crossing.[4]
A board of 10 unpaid commissioners govern the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, with five coming from each state. In New Jersey, members are nominated by the New Jersey governor and confirmed by the New Jersey Senate for three-year terms. In Pennsylvania, five members are appointed by the Pennsylvania governor and serve at his pleasure.[5] They meet monthly to review reports, provide oversight and set policies carried out by the executive director and professional staff.[1]
The commission charges a $3.00 cash auto toll ($1.50 for E-ZPass users) on its eight toll bridges, as of January 24, 2024. Discounts were available for frequent commuters equipped with E-ZPass, however this program ended on January 1, 2024.[6] Until 2021, the DRJTBC charged the same rate for cash and E-ZPass users.[7] Truck tolls range from $9 to $35, depending on axle type, time of travel and whether E-ZPass is used. Tolls are collected only from traffic crossing into Pennsylvania. As of June 2021, an all-electronic toll is charged on some of the bridges. The commission is a member of the Interagency Group, a regional collaborative of toll-collection agencies that offer E-ZPasselectronic toll collection services.
In November 2013, the commission voted to merge E-ZPass operations with the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center as a cost-cutting measure.[8] The commission was the last agency in the Delaware Valley to implement a monthly service fee.
The Riverton–Belvidere Bridge is a bridge crossing the Delaware River, connecting Belvidere, New Jersey in the east with Riverton, Pennsylvania in the west. There is no toll for crossing on either side; tolls were abolished by the Joint Commission for the Elimination of Toll Bridges in 1929. The bridge is 653 feet (199 m) long, holding a load of 8 short tons (16,000 lb) of traffic from County Route 620 Spur (Water Street) in Belvidere to former Pennsylvania Route 709 on the Riverton side.
The Northampton Street Bridge is a bridge that crosses the Delaware River, connecting Easton, Pennsylvania, and Phillipsburg, New Jersey, United States. It is known locally as the "Free Bridge" thus distinguishing it from the Easton–Phillipsburg Toll Bridge just upstream to the north. The crossing was first a ferry crossing run by David Martin, beginning in 1739.
The New Hope–Lambertville Bridge, officially called the New Hope–Lambertville Toll Supported Bridge, is a six-span, 1,053-foot (321 m)-long bridge spanning the Delaware River that connects the city of Lambertville in Hunterdon County, New Jersey with the borough of New Hope in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The current steel truss bridge was constructed in 1904 at a cost of $63,818.81.
The Lower Trenton Toll Supported Bridge, commonly called the Lower Free Bridge, Warren Street Bridge or Trenton Makes Bridge, is a two-lane Pennsylvania (Petit)through truss bridge over the Delaware River between Trenton, New Jersey and Morrisville, Pennsylvania. It is known as the Trenton Makes Bridge because of large lettering on the south side reading "TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES", installed in 1935. In addition to being an important bridge from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, it is a major landmark in the city of Trenton. It is signed as US 1 Business, though does not officially carry that route.
