The Delaware Memorial Bridge continues to break traffic records with September volume hitting a record for that month.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) says the bridge handled 1,506,880 vehicles in September.
“And that’s the first time we’ve eclipsed 1.5-million vehicles for the month of September in the history of the bridge," said Jim Salmon, DRBA public information officer. "We see continued strength in commercial traffic and passenger car volumes. But the daily commuter numbers remain weak.”
Salmon notes the weaker commuter traffic numbers reinforces the impact experts suggest the pandemic has had - virtual work remains prevalent and pent up demand for vacations and travel persists.
“You also have a lot of trucking and commercial traffic on the bridge," Salmon said. "The numbers are pretty strong for this month. Actually they’ve been strong for the past nine months.”
Salmon says the Delaware Memorial Bridge has now set record traffic volume for the months of June (1,627, 547), July (1,836,025) and September this year.
He says despite the rebound in volume over the last four months, traffic numbers are down by an estimated 15-percent compared to 2019.
Salmon says bridge traffic was strong until the coronavirus pandemic hit, then it saw a 28 percent dip in 2020.
But volume is rebounding sharply this year, with three of the past four months setting traffic records.
