For the second year in a row, motorists who use the five toll bridges connecting the Cape May County shore communities will not get hit with a 50-cent fare increase.
Kevin Lare, executive director of the Cape May County Bridge Commission, said there are no plans to raise tolls in 2025.
“As of today, the Commission does not have plans to increase the tolls. Of course that could change but probably not in 2025,” Lare said in an email Monday.
The commission operates the Ocean City-Longport Bridge, the Townsends Inlet Bridge, the Corsons Inlet Bridge, the Middle Thorofare Bridge and the Grassy Sound Bridge along the scenic Ocean Drive coastal route from Ocean City to Cape May.
The bridges remain a popular summer route for shore-bound tourists. However, the amount of bridge traffic decreased overall in 2023 by 5.7 percent to 2,061,888 vehicles. Traffic was down across-the-board on all five bridges in 2023 compared to 2022’s numbers.
In 2022, the commission approved a three-stage toll increase to generate more revenue to maintain its network of aging bridges. All of the bridges except for the modern Ocean City-Longport Bridge date to the 1930s or 1940s.
The Townsends Inlet Bridge connects Sea Isle City and Avalon.Tolls increased by 50 cents in 2022, 50 cents in 2023 and were supposed to go up another 50 cents in 2024. But the commission held off implementing the 2024 toll hike to save motorists some money and help promote tourism at the shore.
Lare said given the current state of the economy and the continuing goal to promote tourism, the commission “felt it is not the correct time” to implement a toll hike in 2025, either. So, for the time being, the toll will remain at $2.50.
Also, the commission’s plan to transition to a cashless toll system for all five of its bridges is expected to result in financial savings that will alleviate the need for a toll increase in 2025, Lare explained.
“Additionally, there will be savings with the bridges transitioning to All Electronic Tolling and the Commission wanted to wait to have a clearer picture of our expenses and revenues. That being said, bridge construction/repair/maintenance is extremely expensive and the needs are extensive,” he said in the email.
The commission is planning to implement an all-electronic toll system starting April 1, 2025, which means cash and coins will no longer be accepted as payment then.
A car passes over Ocean City-Longport Bridge.Currently, about 90 percent of the motorists using the five bridges pay their tolls using the automated E-ZPass system. Drivers who already have E-ZPass will see no change to cross the bridges when the cashless system is ready.
For drivers who don’t, a photo will be taken of their license plate by the E-ZPass cameras and an invoice for the toll will be sent to the registered owner.
Motorists also have the option of paying their tolls using discount tickets. The bridge commission stopped selling the discount tickets in 2018, but there is no expiration date on them and they are still valid if any drivers still have them.
When the tickets were still sold, they cost $1.20, compared to the current toll of $2.50, making them popular with local commuters.
Lare said the commission will develop a plan to buy back any remaining discount tickets as part of the switch to all-electronic tolls. He doesn’t know how many are still out there, but estimated it is only a small number.
A motorist stops to pay the toll on the Townsends Inlet Bridge.
