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Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey

Abbreviation	DRPA
Formation	July 17, 1952
Type	Bi-state authorityCongressionally-approvedinterstate compact entity
Headquarters	One Port Center Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
Region served	Pennsylvania andNew Jersey, includingPhiladelphia,Camden, and its surrounding regions
Chairman	Jim Schultz[1]
Chief executive officer	John T. Hanson
Website	drpa.org

TheDelaware River Port Authority (DRPA), officially theDelaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is a bi-state agency instrumentality created by a congressionally approvedinterstate compact between the state governments ofPennsylvania andNew Jersey. The authority is principally charged to maintain and develop transportation links between the two states with four bridges and a mass transit rail line across theDelaware River. Though the DRPA has "port" in its name, it does not own or operate anyports.

In 1919, thePennsylvania andNew Jersey legislatures approved the creation of theDelaware River Joint Commission to oversee the construction of a road bridge over theDelaware River betweenPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania andCamden, New Jersey.^[2][3] TheDelaware River Bridge (now the Benjamin Franklin Bridge) opened on July 1, 1926.^[4] On June 7, 1936, theBridge Line rapid transit line began operation, using the lower deck of the Delaware River Bridge. ThePhiladelphia Rapid Transit Company operated the line on behalf of the Joint Commission.^[5]

On July 17, 1952, United States PresidentHarry S. Truman signed a bill that created the Delaware River Port Authority, replacing the Joint Commission.^[6] In 1953, construction started on a new bridge to connectSouth Philadelphia andGloucester City. In 1955, the existing bridge was renamedBenjamin Franklin Bridge, while the nameWalt Whitman Bridge was approved for the new bridge that would open in 1957. By 1966, two more bridges were approved: theCommodore Barry Bridge (opened February 1, 1974) and theBetsy Ross Bridge (opened April 30, 1976). In 1974 and 1990, the Ben Franklin Bridge and the Walt Whitman Bridge carried their one-billionth vehicle.^[7]

In 2011, DRPA ceased operating the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal.^[8] In 2015, DRPA sold the RiverLink Ferry to the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation and the Cooper's Ferry Partnership.^[9]

In 2022, the DRPA installed more than 20 MW of solar panels at its facilities built byTotalEnergies. The Lindenwold, Ashland, Woodcrest, and Ferry Avenue PATCO stations, as well as the Betsy Ross Bridge, Commodore Barry Bridge, and DRPA's headquarters in Camden, have largesolar canopies covering their parking lots. These will provide more than half of the DRPA's electricity usage and save it $12 million over a 20-yearPPA contract.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Sixteen commissioners govern the Delaware River Port Authority, eight representing New Jersey and Pennsylvania. All eight New Jersey commissioners are appointed by thegovernor of New Jersey, and six Pennsylvania commissioners are appointed by thegovernor of Pennsylvania. ThePennsylvania treasurer and thePennsylvania auditor general serve asex officio commissioners. These two officers are elected officials.^[14]

The 16 commissioners also serve as the board of directors for thePort Authority Transit Corporation or PATCO, a DRPA subsidiary.

Commodore Barry Bridge

Walt Whitman Bridge

Benjamin Franklin Bridge

Betsy Ross Bridge

The DRPA operates and maintains four bridges that cross the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. All four bridges charge a $6 westbound toll. From southwest to northeast, they are:

• Commodore Barry Bridge – Completed in 1974, the longest of the four bridges. It connectsChester, Pennsylvania withBridgeport, New Jersey. It carriesU.S. Route 322 andNew Jersey County Route 536. It is the last crossing of the Delaware River between New Jersey and Pennsylvania; the next crossing, to the south, is theDelaware Memorial Bridge between New Jersey and Delaware.
• Walt Whitman Bridge – The most heavily traveled of the four bridges, the Walt Whitman Bridge connectsSouth Philadelphia toGloucester City, New Jersey, and carriesInterstate 76. For passengers going to Pennsylvania from New Jersey, it sees its heaviest volume traffic during sports contests, as theSouth Philadelphia Sports Complex is at the foot of the bridge. For passengers going into New Jersey from Pennsylvania, it sees its heaviest volume of traffic fromMemorial Day Weekend throughLabor Day, as the Walt Whitman provides access via I-76 andNew Jersey Route 42 to theAtlantic City Expressway, and thus toshore points in South Jersey, where many Philadelphia-area residents have shore houses or go for a day trip.
• Benjamin Franklin Bridge – The first completed bridge out of the four (opened in 1926) carriesU.S. Route 30 andInterstate 676, as well as thePATCO Speedline. The bridge connectsCamden, New Jersey withCenter City, Philadelphia. It held the position of theWorld's longest suspension bridge from 1926 to 1929 until being surpassed by theAmbassador Bridge.
• Betsy Ross Bridge – The youngest of the four bridges (opened 1976), it connects theBridesburg section ofPhiladelphia toPennsauken. It carriesNew Jersey Route 90. Arriving in Pennsylvania, it directly intersects withI-95.

• PATCO Speedline (rapid transit line)

• One Port Center,Camden, New Jersey

• AmeriPort Intermodal (Closed rail yard)
• RiverLink Ferry (now operated by Delaware River Waterfront Corporation)
• Skylink (aerial tramway, partially built and then abandoned)^[15]

The DRPA Police Department provides police services on all DRPA properties, including all Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) locations and trains.^[16]

• Interstate compact
• List of crossings of the Delaware River
• Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (another bi-state agency of New Jersey and Pennsylvania that operates bridges further north on the Delaware River)
• Delaware River and Bay Authority (a bi-state agency ofDelaware and New Jersey that operates bridges further south on the Delaware River)
• Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (a bi-state agency ofNew York and New Jersey that also operates a rapid transit line,PATH)

• Vigrass, J. William (1990).The Lindenwold Hi-Speed Line: The First Twenty Years of the Port Authority Transit Corporation. Palmyra, New Jersey: West Jersey Chapter, National Railway Historical Society.OCLC 22980222.

• DRPA official website
• PATCO official website
• Delaware River Port Authority Police Department page

39°56′38″N75°07′48″W / 39.94397°N 75.13000°W /39.94397; -75.13000

• Delaware River Port Authority
• Delaware River
• United States interstate agencies
• New Jersey law
• Pennsylvania law
• Port authorities in the United States
• Ports and harbors of New Jersey
• River ports of the United States
• 1952 establishments in New Jersey
• 1952 establishments in Pennsylvania
• Government agencies established in 1952
• Organizations based in Camden, New Jersey
• Intermodal transportation authorities in New Jersey
• Bridges in New Jersey
• Bridges in Pennsylvania
• Toll road authorities of the United States

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