Delaware River Port Authority

(Redirected from Delaware River Port Authority Police Department) Pennsylvania and New Jersey bi-state transport agency Not to be confused with Delaware River and Bay Authority, Delaware River Basin Commission, or Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.

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Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey

Abbreviation	DRPA
Formation	July 17, 1951
Type	Bi-state authority Congressionally-approved interstate compact entity
Headquarters	One Port Center Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
Region served	Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including Philadelphia, Camden, and its surrounding regions
Chairman	Jim Schultz
Chief executive officer	John T. Hanson
Website	drpa.org

The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), officially the Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is a bi-state agency instrumentality created by a congressionally approved interstate compact between the state governments of Pennsylvania and New 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 the Delaware River. Though the DRPA has "port" in its name, it does not own or operate any ports.

History

In 1919, the Pennsylvania and New Jersey legislatures approved the creation of the Delaware River Bridge Joint Commission. The first meeting was held on December 12, 1919, with Pennsylvania and New Jersey commissioners. On July 1, 1926, the first bridge opened before a crowd of over 25,000 people. It was named the "Delaware River Bridge", and following the ceremony, over 100,000 people participated in the inaugural walk. United States President Calvin Coolidge came to dedicate the bridge the next day. At this time, political support existed for a regional governing body for a port authority and the construction of another bridge and a high-speed rail line. On July 17, 1951, United States President Harry S. Truman signed a bill that created the Delaware River Port Authority. In 1953, construction started on a new bridge to connect South Philadelphia and Gloucester City. In 1955, the existing bridge was renamed Benjamin Franklin Bridge, while the name Walt Whitman Bridge was approved for the new bridge that would open in 1957. By 1966, two more bridges were approved: the Commodore Barry Bridge (opened February 1, 1974) and the Betsy Ross Bridge (opened April 30, 1976). In 1974 and 1990, the Ben Franklin Bridge and the Walt Whitman Bridge carried their one-billionth vehicles.

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

In 2022, the DRPA installed more than 20 MW of solar panels at its facilities built by TotalEnergies. 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 large solar 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-year PPA contract.

Board of Commissioners

Sixteen commissioners govern the Delaware River Port Authority, eight of whom represent New Jersey and Pennsylvania. All eight New Jersey commissioners are appointed by the governor of New Jersey, and six Pennsylvania commissioners are appointed by the governor of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania treasurer and the Pennsylvania auditor general serve as ex officio commissioners. These two officers are elected officials.

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

Facilities

Bridges

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 $5 westbound toll. From southwest to northeast, they are:

Commodore Barry Bridge – Completed in 1974, the longest of the four bridges. It connects Chester, Pennsylvania with Bridgeport, New Jersey. It carries U.S. Route 322 and New 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 the Delaware Memorial Bridge between New Jersey and Delaware.
Walt Whitman Bridge – The most heavily traveled of the four bridges, the Walt Whitman Bridge connects South Philadelphia to Gloucester City, New Jersey. It carries Interstate 76, also known as the Schuylkill Expressway. For passengers going to Pennsylvania from New Jersey, it sees its heaviest volume traffic during sports contests, as the South 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 from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day, as the Walt Whitman provides access via I-76 and New Jersey Route 42 to the Atlantic City Expressway, and thus to shore 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) carries U.S. Route 30 and Interstate 676, as well as the PATCO Speedline. The bridge connects Camden, New Jersey with Center City, Philadelphia. It held the position of the World's longest suspension bridge from 1926 to 1929 until being surpassed by the Ambassador Bridge.
Betsy Ross Bridge – The youngest of the four bridges (opened 1976), it connects the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia to Pennsauken. It carries New Jersey Route 90. Arriving in Pennsylvania, it directly intersects with I-95.

Public transportation

PATCO Speedline (rapid transit line)

Real estate

One Port Center, Camden, New Jersey

Former

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

Police Department

The DRPA Police Department provides police services on all DRPA properties to include all Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) locations and trains.

References

"Former Senior Associate Counsel Named New Chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority" Jensen Toussaint; Philadelphia Today; March 2, 2024; accessed March 20, 2024.
"DRPA History Timeline". Delaware River Port Authority. Archived from the original on March 26, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
Barna, John (January 6, 2011). "Delaware River Port Authority Ends Cruise Terminal Operation". NJ.com. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
Adomaitis, Greg (January 22, 2015). "DRPA Sells RiverLink Ferry to Bi-State Partnership for $300K". NJ.com. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
DRPA/PATCO and TotalEnergies Partner on USA's First Solar-Powered High-Speed Rail, retrieved February 17, 2023
Ludt, Billy (October 27, 2022). "Multi-array solar project directly powers interstate commuter train". Solar Power World. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
Comegno, Carol. "50,000 solar panels to save DRPA money, provide shade for PATCO speedline parking". Courier-Post. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
"Projects: Solar Energy Generation". DRPA. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
"Philadelphia, N.J. Tram Still a Dream". USA Today. Associated Press. July 21, 2004. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008.

External links

v t e Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA)
Bridges	Commodore Barry Walt Whitman Benjamin Franklin Betsy Ross	Camden, New Jersey
Rail	PATCO Speedline
Former/cancelled	AmeriPort Intermodal Philadelphia Cruise Terminal RiverLink Ferry (no longer a DRPA service) SkyLink Aerial Tram
Administration	One Port Center Police Department John J. Matheussen
Affiliations	Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) Pier 1 at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard

v t e Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO)
Lines	PATCO Speedline
Stations	15-16 & Locust 12-13 & Locust 9-10 & Locust 8th & Market Franklin Square City Hall Broadway Ferry Avenue Collingswood Westmont Haddonfield Woodcrest Ashland Lindenwold
Infrastructure	Benjamin Franklin Bridge Locust Street Subway
Rolling Stock	PATCO I PATCO II
Fares	Freedom Card
Related	Delaware River Port Authority

Delaware River and Delaware Bay

Geography

Regions	Delaware Delaware Valley Delaware River Region Lenapehoking Minisink Skylands Region
Parks	Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge Cape Henlopen State Park Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Delaware Canal State Park Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Fort Delaware State Park Fort Delaware Fort DuPont Fort Mott Fox Point State Park Glen Foerd Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic River Neshaminy State Park Penn Treaty Park Pennsbury Manor Pennypack Park Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge Spruce Street Harbor Park Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River Washington's Crossing Washington Crossing Historic Park Washington Crossing State Park Zane Grey Museum
Canals	Cape May Canal Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Delaware Canal Delaware and Hudson Canal Delaware and Raritan Canal Intracoastal Waterway Lehigh Canal Leiper Canal Lewes and Rehoboth Canal Morris Canal
Islands	Artificial Island Bull's Island Burlington Island Carpenter's Island Hendrick Island Little Tinicum Island Petty Island Pea Patch Island Reedy Island Shawnee Island Treasure Island
Landmarks	Camden Waterfront Cape Henlopen Cape May Delaware Water Gap Finns Point Foul Rift Hawk's Nest Penn's Landing Port of Camden Port of Paulsboro Port of Philadelphia Port of Salem Port of Wilmington SS United States Tri-States Monument
Road and rail	Belvidere and Delaware River Railway Columbus Boulevard Delaware River Scenic Byway New York State Route 97 Old Mine Road Pennsylvania Route 32 River Line

History and culture

Organizations

39°56′38″N 75°07′48″W / 39.94397°N 75.13000°W / 39.94397; -75.13000

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