Tolling Overview
The Scudder Falls Toll bridge’s first completed span opened to traffic late July 9, 2019. The new bridge’s all-electronic toll (AET) system went into service early July 14, 2019. Tolls are assessed solely in the Pennsylvania-bound direction as vehicles pass at highway speeds beneath an overhead gantry outfitted with E-ZPass transponder readers and high-resolution cameras for TOLL BY PLATE billing of motorists without E-ZPass..
Tolling ensures that the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge users pay for the significant transportation infrastructure improvements resulting from the current construction project. The 4-1/2-year-long project is replacing the nearly 60-year-old “functionally obsolete” Scudder Falls Bridge while addressing safety issues, geometry deficiencies, and recurring traffic congestion problems at river crossing and its adjoining I-295 approach segments and interchanges in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Tolling Information
With All-Electronic Tolling (AET), motorists benefit from the convenience of non-stop travel. Tolls are assessed electronically as vehicles travel at highway speeds beneath a gantry outfitted with E-ZPass tag readers and high-resolution video cameras. There is no stopping or queuing to pay a toll, as there are no toll booths.
Motor vehicles with corectly mounted and operational E-ZPass transponders (tags) have their tolls collected in the same manner as at other E-ZPass facilities. The E-ZPass transponder is read and the toll is charged automatically to that individual’s or company’s account. E-ZPass-equipped motorists pay lower toll rates. Learn More
Vehicles without a valid E-ZPass tags have their license plate images recorded by the toll gantry’s overhead cameras and the vehicles’ registered owners is later sent periodic TOLL BY PLATE invoices in the mail. A video about the TOLL BY PLATE billing process may be watched by clicking here. TOLL BY PLATE customers are charged higher toll rates to cover the additional costs of identifying motor vehicle owners and mailing bills. Learn More
E-ZPass® is the nation’s largest electronic toll collection system, serving transportation agencies in 17 states with more than 35 million transponders (tags) now in circulation. The system enables motorists to pay their tolls electronically through pre-established accounts that are prepaid and replenished with a credit card or check. If you have an E-ZPass account, your tolls at the new Scudder Falls Bridge will be collected in the same manner as at other E-ZPass facilities.
The cost-saving benefits of E-ZPass® use at the new Scudder Falls Toll Bridge include the following:
- E-ZPass customers are eligible for lower toll rates.
- Passenger vehicle owners who have an E-ZPass account with the service center that processes the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s toll transactions (New Jersey E-ZPass Group) may qualify for additional frequent-travel-based savings under the Commission’s Commuter Discount program.
- Commercial vehicles equipped with any commercial E-ZPass transponder may qualify for off-peak travel discounts.
TOLL BY PLATE is the toll-collection method for non-E-ZPass customers traveling in the New Jersey-to-Pennsylvania direction on the new Scudder Falls Toll Bridge. Cameras mounted on the facility’s overhead toll gantry photograph the vehicles’ license plates as they travel below at highway speeds. Invoices are later prepared and mailed to the registered owners of non-E-ZPass-equipped vehicles for all tolls recorded within an applicable period. The system generates an initial invoice when the unbilled tolls on a respective vehicles reach $50 or 30 days from the first unpaid video transaction, whichever comes first. TOLL BY PLATE toll rates are significantly higher than E-ZPass toll rates due to the additional administrative costs involved in identifying vehicle owners, producing invoices, and mailing.
Payment Options: TOLL BY PLATE invoices may be paid online, by phone or through the mail using check, money order or credit card. The Scudder Falls Toll Bridge’s toll transaction processor is the regional New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center (a.k.a. the New Jersey E-ZPass Group). This regional toll processor, which is not a New Jersey state government agency, services seven transportation agencies operating in the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Billing Process, Fees, and Penalties: The system will generate an initial invoice when a non-E-ZPass-equipped vehicle reaches $50 in unbilled tolls or 30 days counted from the first unpaid video transaction, whichever come first.
- Initial Invoice – The vehicle owner is responsible for paying only the respective accumulated tolls. The customer has 30 days to pay the toll(s) due from the date the toll bill was issued. (Note: This notice will advise the recipient to remit payment within 15 days, but the payment deadline is 30 days. If not received by this due date, additional fees can be applied.)
- Second Invoice – A second invoice is generated if payment is not received after 30 days. A $5 late fee is added to this second invoice to cover additional processing costs. The vehicle owner has 30 days from the date of the second invoice’s issuance to pay the applicable tolls and the added late fee.
- First Violation Notice – If the respective tolls and late fee are not paid by the prescribed deadline, the TOLL BY PLATE bill is escalated to a VIOLATION. A First Violation Notice is issued, including a $30 violation fee for EACH overdue toll transaction that is now in violation. The vehicle owner has 30 days from the notice’s issuance to pay the violation toll(s) and accrued fees.
- Second Violation Notice – The First Violation Notice gets escalated to a second-level violation is not paid within 30 days. Payment now must be received within 30 days from the date of the Second Violation Notice’s issuance.
- Collections – If the vehicle owner does not pay the violation toll(s) and respective fees by the prescribed due date, the violation is then escalated to a collection agency to collect payment for the violation toll(s) and all associated fees.
Toll Rates
Tolls are assessed on motor vehicles entering Pennsylvania on the first completed span of the new Scudder Falls Toll Bridge. E-ZPass customers pay the lowest rates than TOLL BY PLATE customers who don’t have E-ZPass. To save on tolls, get E-ZPass now. A 40-percent, frequency-based Commuter Discount also is available for eligible customers with passenger-vehicle transponders issued by the bridge’s toll processor — the regional New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center, a.k.a. NJ E-ZPass Group (minimum 16 tolled trips across the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge or other DRJTBC toll bridges in a calendar month).
Toll Rates and Discounts for the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge
The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced its decision to toll the new Scudder Falls Bridge on December 21, 2009. The decision was based on the absence of state and federal funding sources to finance the Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project’s size and scope. The decision to toll has been reaffirmed on multiple occasions since that date, including the issuance of an Environmental Assessment Addendum on November 30, 2011 and the Federal Highway Administration’s issuance of a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on June 18, 2012.
Toll collection began on the upstream span of the new Scudder Falls Toll Bridge on July 14, 2019. (Note: The bridge’s toll processor is the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center. a.k.a. the NJ E-ZPass Group.)
No. Tolls will be collected only in the Pennsylvania-bound direction – from motorists approaching the bridge on I-295 NB (old I-95 SB) or entering the highway and proceeding onto the bridge from the on-ramp at the Route 29 interchange in New Jersey.
No. Toll booths would defeat the ultimate purpose of the Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project, which is to move traffic more efficiently and safely along I-295 where it crosses the Delaware River between New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The new bridge will use all-electronic toll (AET) technology to collect tolls from motorists who cross the bridge in the Pennsylvania-bound direction. Throughout the United States – and around the world – turnpikes, bridges, and tunnels are increasingly using all-electronic/cashless systems to assess and collect tolls from vehicles moving at highway speeds. There is no queuing or stopping, as there are no toll booths or attendants.
The all-electronic tolling (AET) system at the new Scudder Falls Toll Bridge will consist of an overhead gantry outfitted with toll-tag (transponder) readers, high-resolution cameras, and LED lights.
Motor vehicles with valid E-ZPass transponders (tags) will have their tolls collected in the same manner as at other E-ZPass facilities. A motorist’s E-ZPass transponder will be read and the toll will be charged to that individual’s private or corporate account. E-ZPass-equipped motorists will pay lower toll rates. LEARN MORE (Note: The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission offers a frequency-based E-ZPass commuter discount to passenger vehicle operators who have an E-ZPass transponder issued and administered by the regional New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center, aka NJ E-ZPass Group, the entity that processes toll transactions at the agency’s toll bridges. This discount program will be extended to eligible motorists at the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge when it opens.) LEARN MORE
The license plates of vehicles without valid E-ZPass transponders will be recorded by the toll gantry’s overhead cameras and the vehicles’ registered owners will be sent TOLL BY PLATE invoices in the mail. TOLL BY PLATE motorists will pay higher tolls to cover the additional costs of identifying motor vehicle owners, mailing invoices, and processing. LEARN MORE
The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission unanimously approved the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge’s toll rates on September 26, 2016. The vote followed a prescribed open-hearing process involving advertisements, six toll hearings and the compilation of a report on public comments received on the bridge’s proposed toll schedule and other toll rate changes/clarifications elsewhere in the Commission’s bridge system.
The Class 1 rate for a passenger vehicle with an operating E-ZPass transponder will be $1.25. The Class 1 rate for a passenger vehicle without an E-ZPass transponder (TOLL BY PLATE rate) will be $2.60.
Vehicles without an operating E-ZPass transponder will be charged higher toll rates to cover the additional costs of identifying motor vehicle owners and mailing bills to them. This is consistent with the pricing policies of other tolling agencies around the country that have all-electronic tolling and bill-by-mail toll collection.
The full toll rates schedule for the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge is available for viewing here.
Yes. Mirroring the long-established policy at the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s seven other toll bridges, two types of E-ZPass discounts are available for eligible E-ZPass customers at the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge.
There will be a 40-percent frequency-based commuter discount for Class 1 passenger vehicles outfitted with an operational toll transponder issued and administered by the entity that processes toll transactions at the Commission’s toll bridges. That entity is the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center – a.k.a. NJ E-ZPass Group — a regional toll processor serving seven transportation agencies operating in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The service center is operated by Conduent Incorporated.
There also will be an off-peak discount for trucks and other vehicles eight-feet-tall or higher (Class 2 through Class 7) equipped with a valid E-ZPass tag issued by any E-ZPass-issuing agency. The off-peak discount is 10 percent and is applied to applicable E-ZPass transactions recorded between 9:01 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. seven days a week.
The commuter discount can only be applied to motorists with a valid, operational E-ZPass transponder issued and administered by the Commission’s toll processor — the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center, a.k.a. NJ E-ZPass Group. The motorist must record 16 toll-direction trips (cumulative) across the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge and/or any of the Commission’s seven other toll bridges in a respective calendar month. The discount is transponder-specific not account-specific, meaning each tolled trip must be recorded on the same transponder (a.k.a. toll tag) to qualify for the discount. Once the 16-trip threshold is met, the discount is automatically applied to a customer’s monthly billing statement for the eligible tolled trips recorded on the applicable NJ E-ZPass Group-issued transponder.
The commuter discount is 40 percent. At the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge, the discount would reduce the Class 1 passenger vehicle E-ZPass toll to 75 cents instead of $1.25 cents. At the Commission’s seven other toll bridges, the discount would reduce the $1 Class 1 passenger vehicle E-ZPass toll to 60 cents. The savings on E-ZPass car transactions can add up to $8 or more in a single month at the new Scudder Falls Toll Bridge. Over the course of a full year, the total savings could approach or exceed $100.
The New Jersey E-ZPass Group/New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center is the toll transaction processor for the toll bridges owned and operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. The NJ E-ZPass Customer Center is a regional operation. It services seven toll/transportation agencies operating in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Other affiliated toll/transportation agencies in this E-ZPass service network include the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), the Delaware River & Bay Authority (DRBA), the Burlington County Bridge Commission (BCBC), the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) and the Cape May County Bridge Commission. This regional E-ZPass customer service/toll processing/violation enforcement back-office operation is run by Conduent Incorporated under a contract with the affiliated toll agencies comprising the NJ E-ZPass Group.
No. The transponder must be issued/administered by the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center (a.k.a. the NJ E-ZPass Group), the back-office entity that provides E-ZPass customer service/toll processing/violation processing for the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge and the other toll bridges owned and operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. Since the commuter discount is frequency based, the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center (a.k.a. NJ E-ZPass Group) can only track, tabulate and apply the discount to the E-ZPass transponders that are in its account system. The discount cannot be applied to E-ZPass transponders administered by toll agencies that are unaffiliated with and independent of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s toll processor.
The reason the Commission’s commuter discount can be applied only to an E-ZPass transponder issued and administered by the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center (a.k.a. NJ E-ZPass Group) is because that is the entity that processes the Commission’s toll transactions. The discount can thereby be tracked, tabulated and automatically applied to the respective eligible motorist’s DRJTBC-affiliated E-ZPass account. E-ZPass accounts/transponders administered or issued by the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the New York Thruway, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or any other E-ZPass-issuing agency are not eligible for the discount because their respective toll-processing systems are independent of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s toll processor.
First of all, there is no such thing as a Pennsylvania E-ZPass. Neither the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania nor the State of New Jersey issue E-ZPass transponders. In Pennsylvania, the primary issuer of E-ZPass transponders is the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, which contracts with TransCore Inc. to process the turnpike’s toll transactions and administer its customer E-ZPass accounts. In New Jersey, the only entity that processes toll transactions and administers E-ZPass accounts/transponders is the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center (a.k.a. the NJ E-ZPass Group), a regional toll processor that services toll agencies operating/domiciled in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. This regional toll processing operation is run by Conduent Incorporated under a contract signed by the NJ E-ZPass Group’s seven member toll agencies.
No. In fact, the E-ZPass Interagency Group – the policy-setting organization of the various toll-collecting agencies in 17 states with E-ZPass service – has long urged a motorist to acquire an E-ZPass account affiliated with the toll agency whose facilities he or she will most frequently use. If a Pennsylvania resident — or for that matter, a New Jersey resident — were to most frequently use the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge or any other toll bridge in the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s system, it probably would be in his/her best interest to have an E-ZPass account and transponder administered/issued by the Bridge Commission’s toll processor – the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center (a.k.a. NJ E-ZPass Group).
No. Discounts are extended only to eligible E-ZPass customers and, in the case of the frequency-based commuter discount – only vehicles equipped with a transponder issued/administered by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s toll processor – the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center, a.k.a. the NJ E-ZPass Group.
The regional toll processor/E-ZPass customer service center affiliated with the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission and its new Scudder Falls Toll Bridge may be accessed online at www.ezpassnj.com or by phone at 1-888-AUTO-TOLL (1-888-288-6865).
No. The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission does not engage in age-discriminate toll setting. Toll rates at the agency’s toll bridges are determined by vehicle profile (height) and the number of axles. The applicable portion of the Commission’s trust indenture states that tolls shall be applied “regardless of the status or character of any Person participating the traffic.”
No. The toll rates for the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge are based on the long-established Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission policy of classifying vehicles by profile (height) and number of axles. The applicable portion of the Commission’s trust indenture states that tolls shall be applied “regardless of the status or character of any Person participating the traffic.”
No. A motorist only needs one E-ZPass transponder to use the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge. Motorists actually run the risk of being double billed if they cross beneath the new bridge’s All-Electronic Tolling gantry with active transponders issued by two different toll agencies. HOWEVER, only E-ZPass transponders issued by the DRJTBC’s toll processor — the regional New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center — can be used for purposes of tracking and determining toll trips for applying the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s 40-percent frequent-commuter discount at the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge. (Discount gets applied as a credit on a future E-ZPass statement after 16 or more tolled trips are recorded on any combination of Commission bridges in a respective calendar month.) If a motorist is going to regularly commute across the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge, its probably in their best interest to establish a new account with the Commission’s affiliated toll processor — the regional New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center — and cancel their E-ZPass account with their previous issuer once the Commission-affiliated transponder is delivered.
STEP 1 – Establish an individual account with the regional New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center. An individual account can have up to 6 transponders (tags). These transponders would be operable for two-axle vehicles (cars, vans, pickup trucks, motorcycles and RVs) registered or leased to private individuals. You’ll also need to provide vehicle information (license plate, make, model, year, etc.). The easiest and most frequently used form of payment for an E-ZPass account is a credit card because use of a valid credit card results in a waivers of any per-tag deposits ($10 per tag).
To apply online, go to www.ezpassnj.com. Scroll to the “Sign Up for E-ZPass” text block and click on the “Click Here to Sign Up” button and fill out the respective fields on each page.
OR
Other enrollment methods:
- Phone Call toll-free 1-888-AUTO-TOLL (888-288-6865) and speak with an attendant (Note: there can be delays reaching a customer service representative.)
- Download and print an application from the ezpassnj.com website for applying with cash, check, or debit from bank checking accounts. (Note: DO NOT MAIL CASH. Cash is only accepted at limited walk-in centers operated by the NJ E-ZPass Customer Service Center.)
STEP 2 – Upon receipt of your NJ E-ZPass Customer Service Center transponder, install it in your vehicle according to the instructions and immediately remove your Pennsylvania Turnpike E-ZPass Customer Service Center transponder from the vehicle. (Note: Do not drive with two active transponders as you risk being double charged at the tolling points.)
STEP 3 – To close your account with the Pennsylvania Turnpike E-ZPass Customer Service Center, return your old transponder along with a letter indicating you would like to close your account to:
PTC E-ZPass Customer Service Center
300 East Park Drive
Harrisburg, PA 17111
It is highly recommended that when returning your E-ZPass transponder you use a method that can provide proof of delivery. To prevent your transponder from being read during delivery, the PA Turnpike recommends that you enclose the transponder in the original silver packaging that was provided with your transponder, or wrap the transponder in aluminum foil. To avoid any collection activity, please include payment if you have a negative account balance. If you have an available account balance, remaining funds will be returned to the original method of payment within 30 days.
E-ZPass® is a toll-collection system that enables motorists to pay their tolls electronically through pre-established accounts that are prepaid and replenished with a credit card or check. If you have an E-ZPass account, your toll will be collected in the same manner as at other E-ZPass facilities.
Cost Saving Benefits Of Using E-ZPass® include the following:
- E-ZPass customers pay the lower tolls.
- The new bridge’s toll transactions will be processed by the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center, which services seven transportation agencies operating in the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Passenger vehicle drivers with E-ZPass transponders issued and administered by the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center (aka NJ E-ZPass Group) may qualify for additional savings under the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s frequency-based E-ZPass Non-Commercial Commuter Discount program.
- Commercial vehicles equipped with any commercial E-ZPass transponder may qualify for an off-peak discount (10-percent toll reduction 9:01 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. (next day).
*Map of E-ZPass Interagency Group member agencies spread among 17 states. A subset of these agencies are affiliated with the smaller, regional New Jersey Customer Service Center (a.k.a. NJ E-ZPass Group.)
