The number of Garden State toll authorities still accepting cash is dwindling with the announcement that the agency that runs the Delaware Memorial Bridge will switch to all-electronic toll collection in four years.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority, which runs the twin bridges between New Jersey and Delaware, announced Tuesday that cashless tolling is part of the agency’s $161.76 million dollar 2026 Capital Improvement Program and Five-Year Strategic Plan for the agency’s airports and crossing facilities.
The DRBA would become the latest toll authority to go cashless after the Atlantic City Expressway eliminated cash tolls in January.
The decision follows what is becoming a standard practice by toll agencies in neighboring states, including New York and Pennsylvania, and authorities in New Jersey: transitioning toward cashless tolling, DRBA officials said.
The cashless tolling system is estimated to cost $34 million and take four years to design and install, officials said.
The capital plan budgets $2 million this year to start work on a cashless tolling system. That allocation increases to $10 million next year, by an additional $12.5 million in 2028 and finishes the project in 2030 for another $3.5 million.
Another reason for going all electronic is that the current toll collection equipment is at the end of its service life and needs replacement.
This project includes the construction of new high-speed overhead gantries that houses toll tag readers and cameras, reconfiguring lanes, installing software and hardware equipment, and demolishing the existing toll plaza.
The authority would join other authorities that have either implemented or are in the process of doing away with cash toll collection, including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission and the Atlantic City Expressway.
The New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway have planned to use the AC Expressway design to implement all electronic toll collection on those toll roads. However, a date has not been set for those roads to begin the transition.
For drivers using E-ZPass, nothing changes except they can go through toll gantries faster. Current cash customers will see the biggest change. Instead of paying at a toll booth, the registered owner of the vehicle will receive a bill in the mail for the toll. That process is called toll by license plate.
Typically, other toll agencies that went cashless have charged toll by plate customer a higher toll rate to cover costs and prompt them to switch to E-ZPass which has a discounted rate.