{"id":1507,"date":"2016-07-14T07:57:52","date_gmt":"2016-07-14T11:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/?p=1507"},"modified":"2016-07-14T07:57:52","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T11:57:52","slug":"scudders-falls-bridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/14\/scudders-falls-bridge\/","title":{"rendered":"Scudders Falls Bridge"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The new Scudders Falls Bridge will soon be finished, in three years, and the Delaware Toll Joint Bridge Commission has announced how much it will cost to cross it. Well I find that kind of funny for I know for a fact that in the 1950s the private toll crossings were taken over by state(s) and the tolls were rescinded. So it seems kind of stupid to me that this new bridge should have a toll placed upon it and that no one seems to care that they will have to pay to cross the Delaware River when it was free on the old bridge.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Why do our politicians think that it is right to impose a toll when a new bridge is constructed? And if you think that it is to pay for the cost of building the bridge; then you would be assuming that the toll would be discontinued when the toll revenues reach the point at which the bridge is paid for. Or maybe you assume that by having a toll that the bridge\u2019s upkeep will be first rate.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In reality what will happen is that the excess monies that will be collected by tolling you to cross the Delaware River will go into the coffers of the commission and will be to pay for the cost(s) of other projects plus pay for the cost of having the commission. So I really think that we the people should have already make our displeasure known that a toll is going to be imposed upon a crossing when it was previously free!<\/span><\/p>\n

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The proposed tolls are as follows- A passenger vehicle using E-ZPass will be cost $1.25 and without E-ZPass you will get a bill for $2.60 in the mail under toll-by-plate system. And for those who make at least 16 trips over the bridge per month you will be only paying $0.75 per trip.\u00a0 Per NJ.com<\/a> Joseph J. Resta, the commission’s executive director, said, “The commission directed staff to tamp down the toll rates for this new bridge as much as possible<\/em>.” He also stated that “The $1.25 base E-ZPass toll and 75-cent E-ZPass commuter-discount toll are in keeping with this goal, especially given the scope and complexity of the upcoming bridge replacement project.<\/em>\u201d These tolls will be charged for traffic that travels from Mercer County NJ to Bucks County PA only.<\/span><\/p>\n

There will be public meetings this summer and then in September the commission’s board of directors will meet to approve the proposed toll. So I urge those who will be using this new bridge to attend these meetings and tell the commission how you feel about them placing a toll on the new bridge. If you don\u2019t, then you have no one else to blame when they are imposed.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike<\/span><\/p>\n

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