Toll hikes approved for two Burlco bridges

Tolls on the Tacony-Palmyra and Burlington-Bristol Bridges will double for many motorists in mid-September after action Wednesday evening by the Burlington County Bridge Commission, which said it needs the additional revenue to pay for $110 million in capital improvements.

The increase - the first in 15 years - would raise the rate for automobiles, motorcycles, and light trucks from $2 to $4 for cash customers, and from $2 to $3 for E-ZPass customers.

Pickup trucks, buses, and motor homes would be charged $6 cash, up from $4.50. Drivers of six-axle trucks would pay $9 more in cash above the current $27, officials said.

The new fares are expected to take effect Sept. 15.

"We have many large and expensive projects that cannot be funded from the current revenue stream," said Christine Nociti, chief financial officer for the commission.

The commission controls the two toll bridges over the Delaware River and six smaller free spans over creeks, streams, and culverts. The capital improvement plan would increase safety, officials said.

The agency's move - a unanimous 3-0 vote - was opposed by some motorists at Wednesday's public meeting as well as at hearings on Monday and Tuesday.

"The trucks are ruining the bridges, not everyday people," said Rick Yates, 64, of Cinnaminson, during comments to the commissioners. "I think you need to respect the people who use the bridge."

Don Lovelace, 49, of Edgewater Park, suggested a smaller toll would be more reasonable for "the average people who have to travel that bridge everyday. I think [the proposed increase] is too high."

The hikes also have been criticized by AAA Clubs of New Jersey, which called for phased increases for the Tacony-Palmyra and Burlington-Bristol "to ease the significant and unexpected burden that a lump sum toll increase would place on many New Jersey working families."

The two million-member organization said the hike based on the $4 toll would raise commuting costs from $520 to $1,040 annually.

In a statement Wednesday, AAA Clubs of New Jersey also expressed concern over the brief period between the commission's announcement of the proposed toll increase, the dates of the public comment period, and the vote.

"The AAA Clubs of New Jersey have consistently advocated for transparency in matters of transportation funding," said Tracy Noble, a representative for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "Tolling authorities should provide ample time for public comment prior to a vote and allow for toll payers to have a voice in the process.

"AAA does not believe toll payers were given ample time to voice their concerns and for those concerns to be given proper consideration," Noble said.

Palmyra Borough Administrator John Gural told the commissioners he supported the toll increase as a necessary measure required to fund much-needed "short-term and long-term improvements."

The commission - made up of Chairman John Comegno, Vice Chairman James Fattorini, and Democratic Assemblyman Troy Singleton - held its vote at the bridge agency commission's offices in Palmyra.

"No one wants to raise tolls, including us, especially us," Comegno said before voting. "In the darkest days of the recession, our tolls remained flat."

But, he said, "nothing is more important than safety. . . . I think it would be irresponsible to forgo these projects. I wish there was another way."

Added Fattorini: "It's all about safety."

"Safety and security is where the buck stops for us," Singleton said.

The commission said the Tacony-Palmyra, which opened in 1929, and the Burlington-Bristol, which opened two years later, require maintenance and modernization.

The improvements would include replacing the Burlington-Bristol deck at a cost of $45 million and painting both spans and their toll plazas, also for $45 million.

Mechanical upgrades to the bridges and the Riverside-Delanco Bridge over the Rancocas Creek are estimated at $9.25 million. Parts used during bridge openings would be repaired or replaced.

New warning gates and traffic signals would be installed at the Tacony-Palmyra and Burlington-Bristol, a project pegged at $1.2 million.

At the Tacony-Palmyra, electrical wires would be replaced for an estimated $7.1 million, and a $2.5 million system that allows inspections and maintenance to be performed on a platform beneath the span would be installed.

The last toll increase was in 2000, when the price doubled from $1 to pay for improvements to the spans.

Tolls are $5 on bridges controlled by the Delaware River Port Authority: the Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, Walt Whitman, and Commodore Barry Bridges.

On all six toll bridges, tolls are paid only when crossing into Pennsylvania. Crossing into New Jersey is free.