Milford-Montague Toll Bridge will stop accepting cash payments June 17

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission recently announced the Milford-Montague (Route 206) Toll Bridge will stop accepting cash for payment of tolls on June 17.

June 16 will be the last day that toll collectors will be available to handle cash transaction at the bridge’s toll plazas, with cash service scheduled to end at the bridge at 11 p.m. June 17 will then be the first full day that motorists will have only two toll-payment options – E-ZPass and Toll by Plate.

Toll by Plate involves the capturing of a vehicle’s license plate information so the registered owner can be mailed a bill for payment. Toll by Plate rates are up to twice as much as E-ZPass due to the higher costs of billing and processing payments, accordig to the commission. Toll by Plate car toll is $3. In comparison, the E-ZPass car toll is $1.50.

Motorists who currently use cash to pay their tolls will encounter some changes on June 17.

First, they’ll find that toll booths will no longer have attendants and toll booth doors and windows will be closed.

Second, only a limited number of toll lanes may be open. Any open lane will be able to handle both E-ZPass and Toll by Plate transactions. There will not be separate lanes for E-ZPass and Toll by Plate customers.

Third, toll booths will have signage directing motorists to keep moving.

With cashless tolling in place, the commission’s electronic tolling equipment will assess the toll charges for E-ZPass-equipped motorists and for motorists who do not have E-ZPass. The payment process for E-ZPass users will remain unchanged. However, a non-E-ZPass-equipped motorist will have their vehicle license plate image captured by overhead camera. The registered vehicle owner will then be sent an invoice after 30 days or once the recorded tolled trips on that vehicle exceeds $50, whichever comes first.

Toll by Plate payments can be mailed, or the billed individual can go online to pay with a credit card through the New Jersey E-ZPass website. Individuals wishing to pay their toll bill by cash currently can either travel to the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center’s walk-in centers in Newark, Camden, and New Castle, Del. Those addresses are available at ezpassnj.com/en/about/csc.shtml.

If payment is not received by the bill’s prescribed deadline (usually 30 days of issuance), a second bill gets generated with an additional $5 toll bill late fee.

Failure to pay this second billing on time results in the Toll by Plate bill being escalated to a toll violation. The $5 toll bill late fee gets reversed, and a $30 administration fee is assessed for each overdue toll transaction. A violation notice is then mailed to the vehicle owner. If the new escalated amount owed remains unpaid by the violation notice’s payment deadline, a second violation notice gets generated. If that remains unpaid, the violation is advanced to a collection agency.

E-ZPass is the most convenient, efficient, and cheapest option for paying tolls, according to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. Their 2024 toll rates for E-ZPass transactions are up to 50% less than the rates for cash and Toll by Plate transactions.

To establish an E-ZPass account, visit ezpassnj.com. If an individual has questions or needs assistance, the commission’s customer service number is 800-363-0049.

For more information, visit drjtbc.org.