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Old 02-16-2012, 08:34 AM   #1
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Maryland travel gets expensive

For all of you that may travel through Maryland with your trailer you may want to check out the new toll rates.

Using the 301 route with a 2 axle trailer will be $24.00 round trip on the toll bridges. That number jumps to $48.00 if you have 5 axles. A bit expensive but nothing compared to the route 95 route. 5 axles on route 95 round trip will be $72.00.

Not sure why Maryland has taken this punitive position towards recreational vehicles but I am sure it will influence some in their future travel plans.
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Old 02-16-2012, 10:08 AM   #2
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Yikes! It might be cheaper to fly over the bridge.
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Old 02-16-2012, 10:28 AM   #3
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Illinois Tollways (Chicago area) just increased by 100% on 1/1/12 as well.
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Old 02-16-2012, 12:13 PM   #4
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Sorry I failed to include this link so individuals could check for themselves.

MdTA toll rates
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Old 02-16-2012, 12:26 PM   #5
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They're really targeting commercial vehicles, but it goes by axles, so we're caught up in the mess.

You're better off avoiding I-95 anyway. From the DC area, you can take US 50 over the Bay Bridge (which does have a higher toll as noted), then follow 301 north into Delaware. I don't remember the exact route off the top of my head, but you can pop onto I-95 above the Delaware toll plaza with a difference of only a few minutes' travel, just in time to slam on your brakes for the I-295 exit to New Jersey. My wife and I drive to Philly on Thanksgiving Day and this is our preferred route (not so much because of the tolls, more because of the idiotic drivers).

Also, you neglected to mention that each of those tolls is only in one direction (north for I-95, east for the Bay Bridge, and south for the Nice Bridge, for example - apparently they don't want us to leave ). If you think about the tolls really being for both directions and compare them to other tolls around the country, they actually aren't as bad (or at least they weren't a year or two ago - I haven't checked lately).
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Old 02-16-2012, 01:22 PM   #6
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I did not mention that the tolls on route 301 were in one direction on each of the bridges in question but rather reported the round trip cost. Also the tolls noted for a trip on route 95 is a round trip cost and consider the fact that a camper is forced to used the Key bridge because they are carrying propane.

Yes Maryland has taken the same position as New Jersey in that they charge you to leave the state. A final insult for those living within the state.

Yes Maryland is targeting the commercial rigs not stopping to consider the impact on recreational traffic. While commerce will have to pay or loose business the recreational user will to some extent question do I really want to take the boat to the eastern shore this week end or does a New Jersey or Delaware camper want to camp in southern Maryland or Pa. this weekend. I think Pa. will be the winner.

If you are using EZ Pass and cross the Delaware Memorial Bridge they will also charge you at commercial rates, $25.00 for a tri axle trailer $20.00 for a 2 axle trailer but has posted on it's web page that you will only be charged $10.00 or $7.50 if you pay with cash.

Maryland could have taken a similar position on rates and notification.
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Old 02-16-2012, 02:04 PM   #7
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I did not mention that the tolls on route 301 were in one direction on each of the bridges in question but rather reported the round trip cost. Also the tolls noted for a trip on route 95 is a round trip cost and consider the fact that a camper is forced to used the Key bridge because they are carrying propane.
Actually, you could easily go around the west side of Baltimore and pay no tolls with little time penalty. There's more traffic, but we do it all the time both with and without the camper without a problem.
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Old 02-16-2012, 03:08 PM   #8
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This is why I avoid toll roads whenever I can. Unfortunately, the nation's refusal to keep highways maintained well seems to be causing more and more efforts to add tolls to highways to pay for deferred maintainence.

A few years ago we were traveling west through Houston and I-10 and there were signs that I-10 now had a toll on it and no trailers allowed. This had been done so recently it was not on the map. We had to scramble to find a way west and it took us an extra hour to get through the area. Texas had apparently decided to ask the federal gov't to allow a toll on an interstate where there had never been one and the gov't (a Texan was president when the request came) allowed it. I don't know what the status of the no trailer rule is, but we won't be going anywhere near Houston again.

When traveling east, we avoid the toll roads from Chicago east and take I-70. A few years ago there was a proposal to make I-80 through Pa. a toll road, but it failed because of much opposition. I thought we might never go to Pa. again.

When I plan a trip, I check for tolls and some places get ignored. The one way toll thing penalizes people visiting who come in one way and leave another. When we went to NYC several years ago (no trailer on that trip) we entered the city from the Bronx (no tolls at all) and left going through the Holland Tunnel. The toll there was to enter the city and we never paid any toll. A victory for us! So now I check to see if tolls are one way and not the other. AAA maps always have a place where tolls are listed.

Fortunately the Rockies are pretty much toll free. Many years ago when the Boulder Turnpike was built between Denver and Boulder, there was a toll, but when the road was paid for, they eliminated the toll. Has that ever happened anywhere else? Now there is a toll road around the east side of Denver. Very little traffic and very high tolls. Avoid that one. On I-70 in Kansas, the Kansas Turnpike was built before the interstate system was built and I-70 goes along it for some time. I think the toll road was built in the '50's and it still has a toll. Same for the turnpikes running from Chicago to NY. Fla. also has a lot of toll roads.

There are plenty of good alternate highways. Maybe a bit slower, but you actually see the countryside. You don't have to deal with big trucks and crazy drivers as often. In Md. and other northeastern states there are a lot of tolls and it is more difficult to avoid them, but we usually avoid toll areas.

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Old 02-16-2012, 03:28 PM   #9
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Many years ago when the Boulder Turnpike was built between Denver and Boulder, there was a toll, but when the road was paid for, they eliminated the toll. Has that ever happened anywhere else?
Yes. The section of I-30 that runs between Fort Worth and Dallas was opened in the early 1960s as a toll road called the "Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike." The public was promised that the tolls would cease when it was paid off. Predictably, when it did get paid off (I think maybe in the 1980s?), the powers in charge of it sought to get the state law changed to allow for collections to continue. The public raised such an uproar that the proposal was dropped. As you might guess, the quality of maintenance on it has not been the same since.

P.S. - After posting, I saw that I'm no longer labeled "Mddsmith" - rather, I've been changed to a newbie called "msmith." Not sure what's going on.
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Old 02-16-2012, 03:40 PM   #10
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Now there is a toll road around the east side of Denver. Very little traffic and very high tolls. Avoid that one.
Actually, I'll take that one, as well as the Northwestern tollroad, upon occasion. Handy for when I'm in a hurry and it's rush hour, and it's the best way to the airport from the north end of town. It's well maintained, and there really is a lot less traffic, so sometimes it's the best way from StoN and vice versa.
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Old 02-16-2012, 03:52 PM   #11
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Gene,

I live in Austin and take 71 to I-10 to the heart of Houston quite often. I have never seen a toll on I-10. Beltway 8 is a toll road but it is a outer loop for Houston.

Over the years, the construction on I-10 around Katy drove me nuts, but it's all finished now and traffic flows quite well (except for rush hour). No trailer restrictions.

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Old 02-16-2012, 04:03 PM   #12
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Barry, aren't trailers prohibited on the western side of Houston on I-10?

Maybe I'm getting confused with the beltway because we had to make some quick decisions as we drove through the downtown area and had little idea where to go to get through to San Antonio.

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Old 02-16-2012, 04:17 PM   #13
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Going south without tolls

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Actually, you could easily go around the west side of Baltimore and pay no tolls with little time penalty. There's more traffic, but we do it all the time both with and without the camper without a problem.
Hi,

Could you let this novice know about this " western" route, please? We frequently drive from the Wilmington, DE area to Virginia and Florida. I never paid too much attention to the tolls because they really weren't that much for a car. I know routes to avoid the ridiculous toll at the Delaware border but don't know how to avoid the ones further south.

Your help is appreciated,
Sue
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Old 02-16-2012, 04:23 PM   #14
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Beware Georgia as well

OK, not so draconian as Mary-Land, but still something new to watch out for.

We've only ever had one toll road in the entire state until recently, Georgia Hwy 400. That roadway has been around for maybe 25 years at this point. Not surprisingly, after that road was paid for, the toll was extended. The good news is that it was designed to be a conduit into the downtown area of Atlanta, so it probably doesn't affect too many RV'rs.

On the other hand.......

The geniuses under the Capital Dome have decided to take exising lanes of certain interstates around the city and turn them into High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. The tax (I mean toll) is not that high except during rush hour, but.....

At present, the only highway that has been converted is the I-85 corridor on the North-East side of town (Atlanta, that is). There are plans to convert lanes on I-75 on the North-West side as well. And I-75 on the south side will get a brand new reversible center lane built at great expense (and I'm sure little return).

Punch line is avoid Atlanta like the plague. There are many, many ways around the city along state and federal highways that are much more pleasant drives. The people are much nicer and you don't see near the crazy drivers as close in to the city.

Ain't Gub'ment great???? But I digress.....

Thanks for letting me hijack the thread, Howie.

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Old 02-16-2012, 04:33 PM   #15
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Well, just to ease anyones wounds after they help the fine citizens of Maryland, by passing through one of our numerous and expensive tolls, you can always stop by and pay a visit. I charge no tolls and will at a minimum buy you a cup of coffee. I am moments from the two tunnels going under Baltimore's harbor.
I too am nailed by the tolls, for, I live on the West side of the city and my shop is on the East side. At a minimum, I make one round trip every day. If I need to go to the Rv supply house, yep, another round trip. Forget something at home, forget about it...
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Old 02-16-2012, 04:52 PM   #16
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I have seen a sign that had a picture of the governor that said welcome to Maryland what is in your wallet?
The Governor is not making points but then he does not need too as he is in his last term. He is also eliminating or wants to eliminate the mortgage deduction for homeowners with income over 100K.

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Old 02-16-2012, 05:23 PM   #17
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Go O'Malley!
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Old 02-16-2012, 05:40 PM   #18
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I was just thinking of the last time I crossed the Outer Crossing. I think it was $28. I always enjoy the $4 for driving in Delaware for 5 minutes.
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Old 02-16-2012, 06:15 PM   #19
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Tolls on the Connecticut Turnpike have been a source of controversy from the Turnpike's opening in 1958 to the removal of tolls in 1985 ....

The CT Turnpike originally opened with a "barrier" toll system, unlike toll roads in neighboring states, which used a ticket system for collecting tolls. More controversy ensued when, in the early 1980s, New York City Subway riders discovered that tokens purchased for use in the CT Turnpike toll booths were of the same size and weight as New York City subway tokens. Since they cost less than one third as much, they began showing up in subway collection boxes regularly. CT authorities initially agreed to change the size of their tokens, but later reneged, and the problem went unsolved until 1985, when CT discontinued the tolls on its Turnpike.

Several accidents prompted CT to eliminate tolls along the Turnpike altogether. The most notorious of these occurred in 1983 when a semi plowed into four cars at the Stratford toll plaza, killing seven people and injuring several others. The investigation following the crash determined that the truck driver fell asleep at the wheel just before the crash took place. Then, less than five months later, a section of the Turnpike's northbound Mianus River Bridge in Greenwich collapsed due to the corrosion of its substructure, killing three motorists crossing it at the time.

After the 1983 crash at the Stratford toll plaza, toll opponents pressured the State to remove tolls from the Turnpike in 1985. While the 1983 Stratford accident was cited as the main reason for abolishing tolls in CT, the underlying reason was the fact that federal legislation at that time forbade states with toll roads from using federal funds for road projects. Because the Mianus River Bridge was rebuilt with federal highway funds following its collapse, CT was required by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 to remove tolls from the Turnpike once its construction bonds were paid off. Prior to their removal in 1985, tolls on the CT Turnpike generated over $65 million annually. Since their removal, CT politicians have continuously discussed reinstating the tolls, but have balked at bringing them back out of fear of having to repay the $2.6 b-b-billion in federal highway funds that CT received for Turnpike construction projects following the abolition of tolls.

So what's a CT lawmaker gonna do without some righteous toll bank? Implement an income tax, increase the state gasoline tax and sales tax, and impose a new tax on corporate windfall profits, dat's wot.
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Old 02-17-2012, 05:49 AM   #20
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Hi,

Could you let this novice know about this " western" route, please? We frequently drive from the Wilmington, DE area to Virginia and Florida. I never paid too much attention to the tolls because they really weren't that much for a car. I know routes to avoid the ridiculous toll at the Delaware border but don't know how to avoid the ones further south.

Your help is appreciated,
Sue
As you're approaching Baltimore on I-95, you have several options for getting by the city:
1. I-95, with the Fort McHenry tunnel (toll, plus Baltimore doesn't want propane tanks in their tunnels);
2. I-895, with the Harbor Tunnel (also toll, no propane)
3. I-695 around the east side of the city via the Key Bridge (toll, also subject to high wind sometimes)
4. I-695 around the west side of the city (free, but more traffic)

If you're heading south, the cheapest route would be to take I-695 west and then hop on I-95 south again - it's very well marked.
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