Downbeach Express toll increases soon

(Image: Google Maps)
It will soon cost a bit more to enter Margate via the bustling Downbeach Express.
Beginning April 18, motorists passing through the toll with an Express Pass will pay $1.30, an 10 cent increase, while all others will face a 25 cent spike, or $1.75.
The Downbeach Express, formerly known as the Margate Bridge and Causeway, is an important bypass for motorists seeking to enter Ventnor City, Margate City, and Longport from Northfield.
It’s the first Express Pass fee increase in four years and cash adjustment in more than seven years, said David Goddard, president of Ole Hansen and Sons, in a release. Ole Hansen and Sons is the managing partner of the Margate Bridge Company, which owns and operates the Downbeach Express.
“The fare increase is made necessary by the high cost of maintaining the four bridges and the more than two miles of roadway that comprise the Downbeach Express,” he said.
Spanning the Intercoastal Waterway, it is one of the only three privately owned toll bridges in the state, according to the Margate Bridge Company.
“These bridges are 85 years old and require continuing upkeep. We have spent and continue to spend millions of dollars in capital repair and maintenance costs to keep the bridges and roadway safe and well-conditioned. The only way to fund this work is through periodic toll adjustments,” Goddard said.
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.