Tolls Set To Rise On 4 Bridges Connecting South Jersey, Greater Philly

CAMDEN, NJ — Tolls may soon increase for the first time in more than a decade on four bridges connecting South Jersey and Greater Philadelphia.

The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) could increase tolls from $5 to $6 for cars crossing the Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross bridges. New prices would take effect Aug. 1.

The DRPA previously approved plans to hike tolls to $6.50 — in line with the Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation. But the agency's finance committee opted Wednesday morning to bump the price to $6 instead.

The full DRPA board will vote July 17 on the proposal. If it doesn't pass, the new toll price will remain at $6.50, as previously planned.

"The consumer price index pricing will take effect, which means it will cost $6.50 to cross the bridges," DRPA Chair James Schultz told CBS News. "What this resolution will do is take it from that $6.50 increase to $6 so it's essentially a reduction from what the Consumer Price Index is calling for.

Tolls for the bridges, which cross the Delaware River, have remained static since 2011. Drivers only pay tolls when they travel westbound, from New Jersey to Philadelphia.

The board will meet at 9 a.m. July 17 at One Port Center (2 Riverside Dr., Camden), which serves as DRPA headquarters.

Three of the bridges enter Philadelphia — the Ben Franklin from Camden, the Walt Whitman from Gloucester City and the Betsy Ross from Pennsauken. The Commodore Barry Bridge connects Bridgeport and Chester, Pennsylvania.