By this time next year, westbound cars may be able to cross the bridge without slowing down, unless, of course, you are caught in the frequent heavy traffic, especially around weekends, or construction work

DELAWARE WATER GAP - The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission approved an engineering contract to provide final design and post-design services for the implementation of open road tolling (ORT) at the Delaware Water Gap (I-80) Toll Bridge.

"Under normal conditions, open road tolling allows motorists equipped with E-ZPass transponders to pay their tolls while traveling at highway speeds," said Frank McCartney, Executive Director of the Commission. "No queuing. No slowing. No stopping. No hassles. Motorists will really benefit from the convenience of this new technology."

Open road tolling allows E-ZPass users to pay their toll while traveling at normal highway speeds by passing through an electronic array. Because express E-ZPass transponder readers configured for open road tolling can process 2,200 cars an hour as compared to 400 cars an hour by manual toll collection, the technology helps to reduce traffic and congestion at conventional toll plazas.

Monday’s action by the Commission puts the project on a track for possible completion by Memorial Day 2010. The Commission expects to put the actual construction work out to bid later this year.

A separate plan to install ORT at the I-78 toll plaza also is moving forward under a different contract previously authorized by the Commission. Like the I-80 facility, the I-78 ORT project schedule would allow for completion by Memorial Day 2010.

A concept plan for installing open road tolling at the Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge was completed earlier this year and calls for the removal of the three left toll plaza booths and replacing them with a single open road tolling lane, which can process up to 2,200 vehicles an hour. This high processing rate we will enable the Commission to process more vehicles than it could from the three traditional E-ZPass lanes that are designated for removal. This technological solution will help mitigate some of the periodic traffic congestion that occurs at this busy river crossing.

Implementation of open road tolling at the Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge, which has been fast-tracked by the Commission, constitutes the first phase of the rehabilitation of the bridge. The second phase, which includes the rehabilitation of the bridge and the addition of a lane in the westbound direction, is scheduled for 2015. The long lead time is needed because the geography of the bridge will make the task of properly designing the lane addition and obtaining environmental approvals a lengthy process.