Delaware toll plazas and the Delaware Memorial Bridge will resume cash collections beginning Thursday at noon, in time for the Memorial Day weekend.
Persons without E-ZPass transponders had been mailed bills. The bridge ended cash tolls in late March, with the Delaware Department of Transportation halting collections in mid-March.
In addition, to the toll cash lanes reopening, all Delaware Toll Plazas will reopen for walk-in services.
More than 70 percent of vehicles passing through Delaware’s toll plazas utilize E-ZPass..
Steps have been taken to reduce the risk of exposure for toll-takers.
Delaware Memorial Bridge manager, Delaware River and Bay Authority and the Delaware Department of Transportation have reported sharp declines in traffic and toll revenue.
In April 2020, Delaware Memorial Bridge traffic totals continued to plummet, falling more than 64 percent compared to last year’s numbers. Year to date, the bridge has registered about 4.6 million vehicles, a decline of nearly 25 percent compared to 2019 statistics.
Transportation officials and services that monitor traffic via mobile phone traffic data have reported increases as restrictions ease and temperatures increase.
While traffic will increase over Memorial Day weekend, AAA has reported that figures will be at record lows.
Last year, AAA Mid-Atlantic forecast more than 118,000 Delaware residents would travel 50 miles or more for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
For the first time in 20 years, AAA will not issue a Memorial Day travel forecast, as the accuracy of the economic data used to create the forecast has been undermined by COVID-19.
