Toll increases on Burlco bridges?

Tolls on the Tacony-Palmyra and Burlington-Bristol Bridges could double for many motorists as early as next month, under a proposal the Burlington County Bridge Commission is considering to pay for a $110 million capital improvement plan.

The increases would be the first in 15 years.

The rate for automobiles, motorcycles, and light trucks would go from $2 to $4 for cash customers, and from $2 to $3 for E-ZPass customers, according to an announcement on the commission's website. Pickup trucks, buses, and motor homes would be charged $6 cash, up from $4.50. Drivers of six-axle trucks would pay $9 more in cash above the current $27.

The Bridge Commission controls the two toll bridges over the Delaware River and six smaller free spans over creeks, streams, and culverts. The capital improvement plan would increase safety, the commission said.

Hearings on the proposed increases and the improvement projects are scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at the commission's offices, 1300 Route 73 S., Palmyra, and 6 p.m. next Tuesday at the commission's maintenance building, 260 Reed St., Burlington City. If the commission approves the increases and improvements, the new fees would go into effect in September.

The commission said the Tacony-Palmyra, which opened in 1929, and the Burlington-Bristol, which opened two years later, require maintenance and modernization.

The improvements would include replacing the Burlington-Bristol deck at a cost of $45 million, and painting both spans and their toll plazas, also for $45 million.

Mechanical upgrades to the two bridges and the Riverside-Delanco Bridge over the Rancocas Creek are estimated at $9.25 million. Parts used during bridge openings would be repaired or replaced.

New warning gates and traffic signals would be installed at the Tacony-Palmyra and Burlington-Bristol, a project pegged at $1.2 million.

At the Tacony-Palmyra, electrical wires would be replaced for an estimated $7.1 million, and a $2.5 million system that allows inspections and maintenance to be performed on a platform beneath the span would be installed.

The last toll increase was in 2000, when the price doubled from $1 to pay for improvements to the spans.

Tolls are $5 on nearby bridges controlled by the Delaware River Port Authority: the Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, Walt Whitman, and Commodore Barry Bridges.

On all six toll bridges, tolls are only paid when crossing into Pennsylvania. Crossing into New Jersey is free.