by KYW's John McDevitt

The Delaware River Port Authority is one step closer to approving toll hikes on its bridges and fare hikes for the Patco hi-speed line.

The DRPA finance committee on Friday morning approved a resolution that will be presented to the full DRPA board on August 20th.

Subject to board approval, the bridge toll increase will be $1.00, starting on September 14th, and the Patco train fare hike average about 10 percent (see related story).

DRPA vice chairman Jeffrey Nash addressed criticism that the DRPA had been diverting some of its funds to community improvement projects such as soccer stadiums and waterfront development (see related story):

"The money will be  used to secure the bridges and to make changes and benefits (for) Patco. All the money will be utilized for the safety, security, and serviceability of the bridges and the rail system."

Nash says the increases will raise approximately $1 billion over the next five years.

The DRPA operates the Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Betsy Ross, and Commodore Barry bridges.