This story is being republished under a special NJ News Commons content-sharing agreement related to COVID-19 coverage. Link to story: whyy.org/articles/delaware-river-port-authority-postpones-toll-increase/

Motorists who cross the Delaware River between New Jersey and Pennsylvania will have some extra money in their pockets.

The Delaware River Port Authority on Wednesday postponed a scheduled toll increase until at least 2022.

This was the 10th year that tolls have stayed the same on the Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross bridges.

The action marked the fifth time that the agency’s board has postponed automatic biennial increases that are pegged to the Consumer Price Index.

The board also approved a reduction in the 2021 annual operating budget based on lower traffic and PATCO ridership due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Board and DRPA leadership team has worked over the past several years to ensure that the organization runs efficiently and effectively,” said DRPA chairman Ryan Boyer. “This hard work is acknowledged by a budget that freezes tolls for our customers and ensures we have the necessary resources to maintain and enhance the public assets entrusted to the DRPA.”