DELAWARE TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania ‒ Cash tolls for the historic Dingmans Ferry Bridge will double to $2 each way for passenger vehicles and motorcycles starting Friday.
Dingmans Choice and Delaware Bridge Company, which owns and operates the last privately owned toll bridge on the Delaware River, said "after delaying as long as possible, we have found it necessary to increase tolls," in a message on its website. The last time there was a toll increase was 14 years ago.
The bridge connects Pennsylvania Route 739 with Sussex County Route 560 in Sandyston and crosses the river within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Also going up is the price for a book of 40 paper tickets, which gives commuters a break on the cash price. The book price, which last went up in 2015, will go from $30 to $40. The larger vehicles will require more than one ticket to pass. The bridge does not accept E-ZPass.
There are less than two dozen privately-owned toll bridges remaining in the United States, the largest being the Ambassador Bridge which crosses the Detroit River between Michigan and Ontario, Canada.
About 5,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day and create a unique "clatter" noise from the wooden bridge deck. Those timbers are 10 inches wide, 18 feet long and 3 inches thick. They come from specially cut yellow pine. The planks usually last about seven years. and are held in place by bolts. Because the wood expands and contracts, they are loose on the steel structure which creates the noise as tires move over them.
The nearest river crossings to Dingmans are at Milford, about 8 miles to the north, and at the Delaware Water Gap, about 25 miles to the south. Those two bridges are also toll crossings and are owned and operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, with New Jersey and Pennsylvania appointing members of the commission.
The bridge closes for a week in June for inspection and again after Labor Day to replace decking and make other repairs needed, according to the engineering reports. In addition to the company’s engineers, the state Department of Transportation also inspects the bridge on a regular basis.
Since the bridge does not accept electronic payments, a toll collector stands in the middle of the bridge approach on the Pennsylvania side of the river. The collectors are mostly retired people working part-time with at least two on duty. There is also voice and video surveillance at the toll station.
When New Jersey and Pennsylvania issued “stay-at-home” orders in early March 2020, the company allowed for "free" passage across the Delaware River. The bridge was toll-free for a couple of months which also included a shut-down to make annual repairs.
The first crossing, which links Dingmans Township with Sandyston Township, was a ferry established in 1735. River floods ruined the ferry infrastructure several times.
In the 1830s, the first of four bridges was built. However, flooding, and poor workmanship in one case, brought down the first three bridges over the first 70 years. The current bridge, with its steel superstructure and wooden deck, went up in 1900.
Because of the narrowness of the bridge, no trucks over 11 feet, or weighing more than 4 tons, are permitted and face a $100 fine if they attempt to cross. The company also prohibits pedestrians, but does allow bicyclists to cross for free.
Motorcycles are charged the passenger car rate. Passenger vehicles with a trailer will be charged $3 or two tickets per crossing along with larger vehicles such as mini-buses, dual-wheel vehicles and Sprinter vans. If those vehicles have a trailer in tow, the toll is $4 or 3 tickets.
A wrecker with a vehicle in tow will be charged $5 or 5 tickets to cross.
In a flyer given out to drivers, the company said it "relies on tolls as its only significant source of revenue," which pays for maintenance and upkeep and employee wages.
"Finally, in contrast to public bridges that are subsidized by taxes," the company wrote that it "pays substantial property and business taxes to both Pennsylvania and New Jersey."