The toll bridge authority that went an amazing 13 years without increasing tolls until 2024, will not raise the rates in 2026, making it one of the few authorities that isn’t imposing a toll hike next year.
The Delaware River Port Authority’s (DRPA) Board of Commissioners approved the 2026 operating budget of $291 million on Dec. 10. The budget represents a $33.8 million or 10.5% decrease from the 2025 $324.8 million operating budget.
The authority operates the Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry, and Betsy Ross bridges and the PATCO rail line between New Jersey and Philadelphia. Tolls increased by 20% in September 2024 after the authority went without a toll increase since 2011.
Its sister agencies, including the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission approved 2026 toll increases. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is scheduled to vote on a toll increase on Dec. 18.
Several financial factors contributed to the decision not to raise tolls in 2026.
They include higher toll revenues in 2025, spending that has been held below what was budgeted and refinancing debt to pay off old debt and reduce interest payments, according to agency documents.
“This (10.5% budget) reduction reflects the results of many years of disciplined financial management,” John Hanson, DRPA’s CEO, said in a statement.
Toll revenues collected through September show a $46.85 million increase in revenue compared to the same time in 2024, according to the latest DRPA financial report. That is higher than the projected $283.2 million the authority predicted in its 2025 budget that it would collect by that date.
The agency, which runs the PATCO high speed rail line between New Jersey and Philadelphia, said ridership increased by 4.9% over 2024 and it spent $47 million less than budgeted in 2025.
The agency’s CFO reported the agency has also spent $89.2 million less than what was budgeted for operating the authority and that 122 positions remain open. Payroll, overtime and benefits accounts for $95.24 million of the operating budget.
The authority also paid off $243.9 million in 2013 bonds by refinancing new bonds that resulted in a $24.9 million reduction in the total outstanding debt balance. That will also deliver a $39.6 million savings in debt payments between 2025 to 2039, according to the CFO’s report.
“We have steadily reduced debt, maintained year-over-year expense growth below inflation, and fully implemented a pay-as-you-go model for capital investment,” Hanson said.
The DRPA approved a $189.1 million capital budget in November, which funds major projects at the four bridges and on the PATCO rail line. The authority has applied for two Federal Transit Administration grants totaling $21.94 million in November for 13 PATCO improvement projects.
