LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. (Hunterdon County) — Open-road cashless tolling is scheduled to begin at the New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202) Toll Bridge on Monday, June 22, marking a major milestone in an ongoing bridge modernization project.
The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission said the new all-electronic tolling gantry is expected to begin processing toll transactions at highway speeds sometime between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., though the timing could change due to weather, emergencies or other factors.
The new system replaces the bridge’s former canopy-covered cash collection lane, which dated to the bridge’s opening in 1971.
Motorists traveling on Route 202 should expect several traffic pattern changes once the overhead tolling system becomes operational.
Initially, the gantry will handle one lane of southbound traffic, with a second southbound lane expected to open in July. Southbound traffic will shift to a standard 12-foot-wide travel lane on the upstream side of the bridge, eliminating the current 10-foot-wide width restriction.
Northbound traffic will shift slightly to the downstream side near the tolling area. The existing 11-foot-wide northbound restriction will remain in place during construction.
Speed restrictions in both directions also will continue while crews work in the center section of the bridge and Pennsylvania approach roadway.
The cashless tolling conversion is part of a roughly 22-month project that includes demolition of the former toll plaza, repairs to the bridge’s Pennsylvania abutment and reconstruction of portions of Route 202 approaching the bridge.
Following the launch of the electronic tolling system, crews will begin removing the remaining toll plaza structures and installing a permanent concrete center median through the toll area. That phase is expected to be completed by mid-August.
Additional work will include reconstruction and realignment of the northbound travel lanes and continued improvements to the Pennsylvania side of the bridge.
The bridge has operated with a single lane in each direction since last summer to accommodate construction. The commission expects the entire project to be completed during the first half of 2027, when the bridge and its approaches will return to two travel lanes in each direction.
The New Hope-Lambertville Bridge is the first former cash-collection toll facility operated by the commission to be fully converted to open-road all-electronic tolling.
