Delaware River Port Authority


The Delaware River Port Authority, 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 governments of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The authority is principally charged to maintain and develop transportation links between the two states with four bridges, a ferry, and a mass transit rail line across the Delaware River. Though the DRPA has "port" in its name, the nearby Port of Philadelphia and Port of Camden are independent.

History

In 1919, 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 commissioners from both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 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 the next day to dedicate the bridge. However, there was thought that there should be a regional governing body for a port authority, and also the construction of another bridge and a high-speed rail line. And so, on July 17, 1951 United States President Harry S. Truman signed a bill, which 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 which would open in 1957. By 1966, two more bridges were approved; the Commodore Barry Bridge and the Betsy Ross Bridge. In 1974 and 1990, the Ben Franklin Bridge and the Walt Whitman Bridge carried their one-billionth vehicle, respectively.
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.

Board of Commissioners

The Delaware River Port Authority is governed by 16 commissioners; eight commissioners each 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