Downbeach Express, Margate bridge and causeway.
MARGATE -The Downbeach Express, formerly the Margate Bridge and Causeway, has announced a toll increase of 10 cents per crossing for Express Pass customers and an increase of 25 cents per crossing for cash customers. Beginning June 3, Class 1 Express Pass patrons will pay $1.40 per crossing, and Class 1 cash travelers will pay $2 per crossing. The Express Pass fare of $1.40 per crossing represents a 30 percent discount as compared to the cash rate.
The rate increase is the first such increase in three years, according to David Goddard, president of Ole Hansen and Sons, managing partner of the Margate Bridge Company, which owns and operates the Downbeach Express.
The fare increase is made necessary by the high cost of maintaining the four bridges and the more than 2 miles of roadway that comprise the Downbeach Express, Goddard said in a release. These bridges are nearly 90 years old and require continuous and intense upkeep and maintenance."
Goddard said the bridge company has spent and continues to incur millions of dollars in capital repair and maintenance costs to keep the bridges and roadway safe and well-conditioned. The only way to fund this work is through periodic toll adjustments, he said.
The Downbeach Express is an important access-way for thousands of area residents and visitors, Goddard said. It is our responsibility to ensure their safety, and to ensure that the bridges and roadway remain operational. We take that responsibility very seriously, as evidenced by the on-going investment in the upkeep of the entire span, including the extensive repair and maintenance work done recently to the deck and roadway of Dock Thorofare Bridge in 2018, along with the ongoing reconstruction of piers supporting Risley and Whirlpool Channel Bridges since 2017.
Downbeach Express patrons may continue to purchase or replenish Express Pass cards online using a credit card at www.downbeachexpress.com or on Fridays at the Jewish Community Center on Jerome Avenue with cash or credit card. Patrons can also replenish cards at the bridge toll plaza using cash or credit card.
