CREST HAVEN – The Cape May County Bridge Commission voted to increase tolls across five bridges to an eventual toll cost of $3 for a standard commuter vehicle during a Jan. 20 meeting.
Maryanne K. Murphy, secretary and treasurer of the commission, said, “We absolutely do not want to raise the bridge tolls, but we don’t have much of a choice.”
She said that the commission has put this decision “off for three years,” and that they cannot rely on federal money to make necessary repairs to the five aging bridges for which the commission is responsible. The bridges affected by the toll hike include:
Middle Thorofare Bridge, between Wildwood Crest and Cape May
Grassy Sound Bridge, between North Wildwood and Stone Harbor
Townsend’s Inlet Bridge, between Avalon and Sea Isle City
Corson’s Inlet Bridge, between Strathmere and Ocean City
Ocean City-Longport Bridge, between Ocean City, Longport and Somers Point
The bridge tolls will increase by 50 cents each year for the next three years until they reach the $3 rate. Karen Coughlin, executive director, said that the first increase should go into effect sometime in March of this year.
After that, the price will increase by 50 cents Feb. 1 each year. Coughlin said that there is no current plan for discounts for locals or for E–ZPass clients.
Members of the commission stressed that although a federal infrastructure bill was passed, there is not yet a plan for how the money will be distributed across the states.
Scott Halliday, vice chairman of the commission, said that they are “working towards providing engineering documentation for new projects” that might qualify for federal money, but that maintenance of the five bridges affected by the toll hike would not qualify for funds.
Members of the commission repeatedly stressed the high costs of bridge maintenance, especially given the age of the bridges. Murphy said that it recently cost the commission $2 million per bridge to paint the railings.
Murphy also said that the Bridge Commission receives very little money from the county, and that the commission is working towards self-sustainability; they hope they can maintain the bridges without help from the state. The toll increase is a necessary step towards this goal.
“We need self-sufficiency. It’s a plan forward,” Halliday said.
The toll hike will increase revenue by about half a million dollars each time the toll price goes up, he added.
To contact Collin Hall, email chall@cmcherald.com.
