Toll roads

[ThomasandMaliaV]

Hello, we are first time RV'ers doing a long distance trip to the coast of Maine from Wisconsin. We have been out locally in our 38ft. class A RV but never cross country. Our question concerns the Tollways we will encounter. What is the average cost of a toll and do they count the axles on a dingy? Is there a way to find out the cost of each toll? Thank you for your assist! Tom and Malia Virant in "The Spruce Goose".

[Fuzzy_Bear]

With the discount of the NY EZPass I would say that might be the best. I-90 all the way across the state will be a pretty big toll with the overheight and towed vehicle. Crossing NY from west to east you can avoid the I-90 tolls and take HWY 20. Takes a little longer but the route is way more enjoyable. Massachusetts has all electronic tolling now. EZPass is the best way. New Hampshire charges a bit more for out of state EZPass users. Enjoy the trip!

Doug

[paulj]

Lynnmor wrote:
....
Just think, I80 crosses PA in the east-west direction and no tolls are needed. They did try to make it a toll road to prevent the competition but it failed to pass. I spent some time in the Pittsburgh area last summer and learned that the toll cancer has spread in all directions from there.

https://www.paturnpike.com/business/act44.aspx

Apparently a 2007 Legislative act (44) is a big reason for the toll increases. It mandates payments by the Tollway to PennDOT to statewide transportation needs, including upgrades on I80.

At $50 for the full 360 miles the toll rate per mile is 13-14c/mile.

But according to the Wiki history section, initial tolls were 1 c/mile:

The toll rate was about 1 cent per mile (0.62 ¢/km)—17 ¢/mi (11 ¢/km) in 2016[159]—when the turnpike opened. The ticket system was used to pay for tolls.[26] This toll rate remained the same for the turnpike's first 25 years; other toll roads (such as the New York State Thruway and the Ohio, Connecticut and Massachusetts Turnpikes) had a higher rate

[Lynnmor]

Ralph Cramden wrote:
Stay away from the PA turnpike. Super expensive. Going to go up 10% per year every year until 2026 at least. Will cost you $39.56 with EZ pass Ohio line to Delaware bridge, pay cash and it's $55, that's for a car. 356 miles of robbery, nepotism, and corruption.

They are spending billions though on 30' high concrete screen walls to hide it from houses. Houses that were built long after the pike was, and adding other sections heading north and south that you don't see any traffic on.

Just think, I80 crosses PA in the east-west direction and no tolls are needed. They did try to make it a toll road to prevent the competition but it failed to pass. I spent some time in the Pittsburgh area last summer and learned that the toll cancer has spread in all directions from there.

[AJR]

First apply for an Ipass here
https://www.getipass.com/

Mine is set to $40 max. When it gets down to a certain dollar amount they bring it back up to $40 automatically. It is good wherever Ezpass is accepted.

Register your car(s) and MH to your account. Over the years I have had; a car, truck & TT, a class A & toad and now a class C & toad registered. The transponder is in the window of the lead vehicle.

My camper plus toad are charged $4.55 total at the Rockford, IL toll as I drive right by the cash pay booths. I normally get off at I39 (no tolls) when heading south.

I did your trip a number of years ago. East coast tolls are pricey. I would suggest taking 151 to Madison. Then I39 all the way south to I80 (no tolls, maybe one). Then east on I80. That would bypass Milwaukee and Chicago. It does add some extra miles though.

If you take I43 south to I94. You want to make sure you get on I294 to bypass the heart of Chicago. A nunber of tolls with this route.

I took I80 all the way to Cleveland and then followed I90 east. I stayed at Sampson State Park In the Finger Lakes area. Nice park but your pet had to have written proof of rabies vaccination when I was there.

Have a great trip.

[Ralph_Cramden]

Stay away from the PA turnpike. Super expensive. Going to go up 10% per year every year until 2026 at least. Will cost you $39.56 with EZ pass Ohio line to Delaware bridge, pay cash and it's $55, that's for a car. 356 miles of robbery, nepotism, and corruption.

They are spending billions though on 30' high concrete screen walls to hide it from houses. Houses that were built long after the pike was, and adding other sections heading north and south that you don't see any traffic on.

[HadEnough]

One thing not to worry about would be the tolls in Maine. While there are some on 95 (Maine Turnpike) they are nothing like 90(mass pike) or NY tolls. Those wiill be the ones to avoid.

A buck or two here and there will get you all the way to Canada in Maine. Same with New Hampshire.

Source:. Born and raised there. Go back often to visit family. A nice place for a cruise actually

[ohhell10339]

paulj wrote:


Bridges require maintenance.

Are there documented cases where bridge or road tolls in excess of operating costs are diverted to general revenue? Especially cases where that is contrary to the toll entities charter?

As do roads, overpasses, viaducts, etc. etc. etc. Supposedly, such things are paid for by gas taxes.

The situation you describe has been in place for decades in California--with the various SF Bay bridges. In the 70s, money from excessive Golden Gate Bridge tolls (excessive, as in far more than were needed to cover operating costs) was used to create the Golden Gate Transit district, which was basically a bunch of buses to transport commuters from Marin to the City. Then, since they charged fares for those buses that covered operating costs, the next big project--also paid for with Golden Gate Bridge tolls--was to build a fleet of luxury ferryboats and a terminal in Larkspur to dock them.

The current toll to cross the Golden Gate Bridge is $6/7 and all profits go to the District to fund various projects. The District is currently averaging a surplus of 45 million dollars over the last ten years. That surplus would be even greater if the funds were only allocated for bridge maintenance--only 28% of tolls are spent for that purpose.

Despite that, the toll on the Golden Gate Bridge will go up to $8 in April. San Francisco is the only city in the country besides New York that charges admission.

[WILDEBILL308]

ThomasandMaliaVirant wrote:
Hello, we are first time RV'ers doing a long distance trip to the coast of Maine from Wisconsin. We have been out locally in our 38ft. class A RV but never cross country. Our question concerns the Tollways we will encounter. What is the average cost of a toll and do they count the axles on a dingy? Is there a way to find out the cost of each toll? Thank you for your assist! Tom and Malia Virant in "The Spruce Goose".

Where are you going on the coast of Maine? I have been all the way to Eastport.
I read all the 2 pages of answers so far. Most of them apparently have never talked to the EZ-Pass people. What route are you planning on Picking up I-90 East?
My story is we are in Maine New England quite often but live in Texas. I was going to get a E-ZPass on line but forgot and didn’t have time to have it mailed to me before I left. On this trip we spent some time in DC before heading North. Well There is one truism in travel in the North East. NEVER cross the George Washington Bridge. The toll (coach and toad) was $76.00 Cash only. Well this got me motivated to go do a walk in in New Hampshire to get a tag. I still don’t know what it would be with a E-ZPass as I refuse to go over it again. Came back down over the Tappan Z and there was no toll going South.
Ok back to your problem. You can get a E-ZPass on line or you can do a walk in at a facility in Illinois when you get there or the first walk in you come to.
I was told when I got the transponder for the toad to keep it in it’s shielded envelope when the toad is hooked to the coach. I get a lower toll rate. I believe it is charged like a trailer. That is about 5o% of the toll if you drove the dinghy separately. https://www.ezpassnh.com/facilities/illinois
I have never looked up what the tolls are but you might start hear. https://www.ezpassmd.com/en/about/facilities.shtml
One good thing when I walked in I got a individual account instead of a commercial account they wanted me to get. I don’t know but think it saved some money.
Any questions just ask.
Bill

[frizzen]

rr2254545 wrote:
Driving here in Texas last week on RT 130 it was worth the toll to drive at 85 in the toad

Get on I-10 in between El Paso and San Antonio and you better be driving 85 or you will get run over and its free. Just be sure to drop down to 75 when you get to the El Paso county line. That's where the state boys like to set up.

[paulj]

ohhell10339 wrote:

A great example would be toll bridges. The original justification for charging tolls was to pay for the cost of constructing them. But decades after tolls repaid that cost, the tolls still exist--and are far higher than when the bridges were built.

Bridges require maintenance. Some bigger steel/suspension ones employ one or more paint crews year around. And increased traffic may require upgrades. A while back I looked at tolls on a Maryland bridge. Current tolls are higher than originally, but compared to the cost of gas lower. In Washington state bridge tolls have been removed when the construction bonds were paid off. In a couple of cases they have been reintroduced to pay for expansions or replacements.

In British Columbia, tolls were removed from the Coquihalla Hwy after about 11 years. And just this past year tolls on a couple of Vancouver area bridges were removed by the new NDP government.


Are there documented cases where bridge or road tolls in excess of operating costs are diverted to general revenue? Especially cases where that is contrary to the toll entities charter?

Gas taxes, especially the federal ones, haven't kept pace with inflation. So increasingly we'll see more 'use' fees to pay for infrastructure.

[rr2254545]

Driving here in Texas last week on RT 130 it was worth the toll to drive at 85 in the toad

[PopBeavers]

DaveG39 wrote:
Bridges around San Francisco are around $20.00 if towing a car but only charged one way.

When I lived in San Jose and would visit my brother in the north bay (Petaluma) I would go north on the Golden Gate Bridge and go south on the Richmond/San Raphael Bridge. I did not have to pay any tolls by driving clockwise around the bay.

I have never been able to figure out the advantage of toll roads (I assume they are owned by private companies) versus public roads (paid for by taxpayers). Or am I missing something?

I started driving in 1969 and have never paid a toll except for the SF/Oakland Bay Bridge (westbound only)

[ohhell10339]

paulj wrote:

Tolls and gas taxes aren't exactly fungible.

That would be true if state and federal governments were responsible, but they're not. The truth is that everything gets dumped in one big pot. Revenues from so-called "use taxes," such as vehicle registration fees and in some contexts, sales tax, are not strictly allocated for any particular purpose.

A great example would be toll bridges. The original justification for charging tolls was to pay for the cost of constructing them. But decades after tolls repaid that cost, the tolls still exist--and are far higher than when the bridges were built.

It's like feeding the bears at the dumpster in the park. They come back, expecting more.

And as far as National Park entrance fees are concerned--yes, they're tolls, but they're also use fees. The two components could be separated out by seeing how much the parks charge for entry on foot or bicycle.

[paulj]

ohhell10339 wrote:

Getting socked for forty or fifty bucks just to drive on a freeway--when I am already paying gas taxes--would make me want to march on the state capitol with a flaming torch.

Tolls and gas taxes aren't exactly fungible.

Tolls got to the toll authority (usually a chartered entity separate from the state government), and pay for construction bonds and tollway operation and maintenance.

Gas taxes go to federal and state accounts. Past taxes (plus federal borrowing) paid for the freeway construction (but usually not tollway construction).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_toll_roads_in_the_United_States

According to this Montana is one of the states that never has had toll roads. I suppose that's a good excuse for not knowing how they operate. 🙂 But aren't the entrance fees to Yellowstone a toll?

Oregon doesn't currently have any either, but I've driven part of a former toll road, Barlow Road. I quit after a mile or so; it was too rough for my cute-ute. We did, though, spend a nice night camping by a steam nearby.