Toll Roads that you have Shunpiked

[Rothman]

Taconic Pkwy to Sprain Brook or Saw Mill Parkways rather than the Thruway.

[tigerwings]

Ohio Turnpike.

Employer will not pay the tolls, so I usually use US 20.

[andrepoiy]

Due to the 407 being very expensive, I pretty much shunpike it all the time unless there's an absolute emergency that requires its use...

[webny99]

Due to the 407 being very expensive, I pretty much shunpike it all the time unless there's an absolute emergency that requires its use...

Same here, at least when I used to be able to travel to Canada. Although in my case, the alternate (ON 403/QEW) is also freeway and not usually congested at the times I used it, so I'm not sure that really counts.

I believe I've only been on the 407 once, and only a short segment of it.

[NWI_Irish96]

Ohio Turnpike.

Employer will not pay the tolls, so I usually use US 20.

Do you get paid an hourly rate for your travel time? I'd think the extra cost of the added time outweighs the tolls.

[Flint1979]

I've shunpiked the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Ohio Turnpike, Indiana Toll Road, and all the toll roads near Chicago.

Using US-30, OH-2, US-20 multiple places, US-41 and US-12 mainly.

The last time I was in Florida I was coming from Delray Beach back to Kissimmee and wanted to get back as fast as I could so I took Florida's Turnpike I wasn't paying the toll because the guy had a SunPass in his vehicle.

[andrepoiy]

Due to the 407 being very expensive, I pretty much shunpike it all the time unless there's an absolute emergency that requires its use...

Same here, at least when I used to be able to travel to Canada. Although in my case, the alternate (ON 403/QEW) is also freeway and not usually congested at the times I used it, so I'm not sure that really counts.

I believe I've only been on the 407 once, and only a short segment of it.

I've taken the 407 part that parallels the 403/QEW for the fun of it, and well, it was certainly a lot emptier than the 403/QEW. Unfortunately, it was $18 without a transponder (weekend rate) and I don't think I saved any time at all.

[SkyPesos]

- Ohio Turnpike between I-280 and I-75 (OH 795)
- Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-80)
- Pennsylvania Turnpike (PA 43/US 40/I-68)
- Tri State Tollway between O'hare and I-80/I-94/IL 394 (I-190/I-90/94). Yes, I used the Jane Addams Tollway that time after shunpiking the Tri State Tollway, but I shunpiked most of that that too another time.
- Jane Addams Tollway east of I-39 (I-74/I-39)
- Dulles Toll Rd between I-66 and IAD airport (Dulles Access Rd)
- 407 ETR (ON 401).

[sparker]

I've shunpiked the Ohio Turnpike (with OH 2) and the ITR (usually up into MI) not so much to save money as because those pikes are so damn boring!  Shunned the NYT between Rochester and Buffalo on NY 33 for the same basic reason -- although pacing a CSX WB container train served as an additional incentive!     

[mgk920]

I have most shunpiked the Tri-State Tollway (I-94) through Lake County, IL via Skokie Highway (US 41).  If I am transiting the Chicagoland area, I'll continue via I-94 (and, if necessary, I-57) through the city, and if going eastward, crossing to the Indiana Toll Road (reasonable toll rate) just east of I-65, mixing it up with all of the big-rig trucks on the I-80/94 Borman Expressway.

Most of the day, I-94 through Chicago is also faster than the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) around.

Mike

[cpzilliacus]

Roads I have shunpiked:

1. I-95 (Delaware).  So easy and so short to avoid the toll by any number of routes as described upthread.

2. NJ-700 part of New Jersey Turnpike, Exits 1 to 6 - now possible by staying on I-95 through Center City Philadelphia, but I-95 there is frequently congested, so it's not something I normally do.  Southbound I-95 is quite expensive this way because of the Pennsylvania Turnpike toll point at their end of the Delaware River Turnpike Bridge.

3. I-95 and NJ-700 parts of New Jersey Turnpike between Exits 1 and 7A, by taking I-295 and I-195. As with the I-95 shunpike through Center City Philly, not my preferred route.  The New Jersey Turnpike tolls have always seemed quite reasonable, and much of the Pike has an 85th percentile speed of 75 MPH or better, so what's not to like?  And the frequent service plazas are useful for breaks.

4. Before I-95 was completed in Maryland with the Fort McHenry Tunnel, I would shunpike the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thruway (I-895) to avoid severe congestion there by taking I-695 through the northern suburbs of Baltimore.  The Fort McHenry Tunnel eliminated most of that recurring congestion, so now I just take I-895.

5. U.S. 30 west of Breezewood, Pennsylvania is a pretty good road, and can be used to shunpike the I-70/I-76 part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike without spending too much time to Bedford.  Then PA-31, a pretty good road, can be used all the way to "free" I-70 west of New Stanton. 

6. CA-73 (San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor) in Orange County, California is a toll road.  Since it connects at both ends to the San Diego Freeway (I-405 at the north end and I-5 at the south end), just staying on "the 405 freeway" and "the 5 freeway" is a way to shunpike it. But of course traffic is much heavier on I-405 and I-5 than it is on CA-73.

7. As mentioned nearby, the Taconic State Parkway is a way to shunpike a long section of the I-87 part of the New York State Thruway, and probably less traffic (when will the Thruway Authority widen I-87 from Harriman to Albany?).  But - entering the parkway from the Thruway Berkshire Section involves a toll.

[jp the roadgeek]

US 1 or US 130 to I-295 (or the old I-95) to shunpike the NJTP
DE 896 to DE 4 to DE/MD 279 to shunpike the DE Turnpike toll.
US 1 to MD/DE 273 to shunpike the Tydings or Hatem bridge (and the above)
US 20 or MA 9 to shunpike the Mass Pike

[roadman65]

The Grand Parkway in Texas. I used the service roads to avoid paying Dollar Rent A Car a 12.50 a day toll fee.  That is one state pretty much you can shunpike toll roads easy except for Sam Houston Parkway over the Ship Canal and the Dallas North Tollway in its entirety which lack feeder roads long side them.

I used I-80 in PA to avoid the PA Turnpike.
I used I-76 to avoid the OH Turnpike.
I use Edgewood Drive in Lakeland to avoid the Polk West Toll Plaza in Lakeland, FL for FL 570.

[jemacedo9]

5. U.S. 30 west of Breezewood, Pennsylvania is a pretty good road, and can be used to shunpike the I-70/I-76 part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike without spending too much time to Bedford.  Then PA-31, a pretty good road, can be used all the way to "free" I-70 west of New Stanton. 

I have used PA 31 once and was surprised that it was a pretty good road for a PA two-laner...so agreed.

[1995hoo]

The combination of I-68 and US-220 is a very good way to shunpike to Bedford as well, and the combination of I-68 and the new US-219 is an excellent way to shunpike to Somerset and Seven Springs. I was quite impressed with how quick (and empty) the connection was from Somerset down to I-68 when we used that road last October.

[jmacswimmer]

The southern end of Florida's Turnpike, mainly because it's all electronic and E-ZPass isn't interoperable with SunPass.  US 1 is a slog, though, I really don't recommend it as a shunpike route.  Just pay the toll there unless you're like me and don't do bill by mail.

Before I had E-ZPass, I once did something similar with the Mass Pike.  Leaving Worcester on I-290 and ultimately headed for I-84, I used US 20 between Auburn & Sturbridge to avoid dealing with tolls-by-mail.  (If I had been coming all the way from Boston to I-84, I probably would have just taken the Pike, but for one exit it didn't add much time and US 20 is a good alternative in this area.)

I finally opened an E-ZPass account several weeks later and typically use the Pike whenever I'm in MA now - I still occasionally use US 20 between Auburn & Sturbridge, but for a non-shunpiking reason.

2. NJ-700 part of New Jersey Turnpike, Exits 1 to 6 - now possible by staying on I-95 through Center City Philadelphia, but I-95 there is frequently congested, so it's not something I normally do.  Southbound I-95 is quite expensive this way because of the Pennsylvania Turnpike toll point at their end of the Delaware River Turnpike Bridge. 

In addition to the WB/SB PATP bridge toll, it appears that the NJTA includes some sort of bridge surcharge in the exit 6 ticket toll.  For example, when heading south on the NJTP exiting at 6 incurs a higher toll than continuing to 5 or 4 (and 3 is only slightly higher than 6).

Another "partial shunpike" I tried once was using I-195/NJ 29 to the US 1 Trenton-Morrisville Bridge, then picking up I-295 to I-95 thru Philly.  In addition to shunpiking the southern NJTP, the Trenton-Morrisville Bridge is significantly cheaper than any of the bridges downstream (and can also be easily shunpiked via the nearby Trenton Makes Bridge, but $1.25 with E-ZPass isn't bad IMHO).

[vdeane]

The southern end of Florida's Turnpike, mainly because it's all electronic and E-ZPass isn't interoperable with SunPass.  US 1 is a slog, though, I really don't recommend it as a shunpike route.  Just pay the toll there unless you're like me and don't do bill by mail.

Before I had E-ZPass, I once did something similar with the Mass Pike.  Leaving Worcester on I-290 and ultimately headed for I-84, I used US 20 between Auburn & Sturbridge to avoid dealing with tolls-by-mail.  (If I had been coming all the way from Boston to I-84, I probably would have just taken the Pike, but for one exit it didn't add much time and US 20 is a good alternative in this area.)

Another example would be during the pandemic, when my parents and I shunpiked the Thruway between Rochester and Canandaigua because they didn't yet have E-ZPass and the Thruway was in their emergency toll collection mode of the pandemic.  We ended up going NY 96->NY 444->US 20/NY 5, bypassing not only the Thruway but also NY 332 (we discovered this route decades ago when NY 332 was being widened to four lanes and the construction often caused backups).  Going back we just took NY 332 up to NY 96.

My parents also regularly shunpike between Rochester and I-81 by taking NY 104/NY 104B/NY 3/NY 13, though I'm not sure that counts as the main issue is that they find NY 104 more interesting, not the tolls.  Granted, they've been going up to the 1000 Islands for a long time, so I have no idea what the original motivation was.  Maybe the extra mileage of the all-freeway route made no sense in the NMSL era.  Or maybe it started with tolls but no longer was by the time I was born.  Who knows.

[achilles765]

When I lived in New Orleans, before they removed the tolls from the Crescent City Connection, if I didn't have any change or cash or just didn't feel like paying, I used to cross the river using the Huey P Long bridge on clearview parkway when I had to go to and from the Westbank.

[Avalanchez71]

The southern end of Florida's Turnpike, mainly because it's all electronic and E-ZPass isn't interoperable with SunPass.  US 1 is a slog, though, I really don't recommend it as a shunpike route.  Just pay the toll there unless you're like me and don't do bill by mail.

Before I had E-ZPass, I once did something similar with the Mass Pike.  Leaving Worcester on I-290 and ultimately headed for I-84, I used US 20 between Auburn & Sturbridge to avoid dealing with tolls-by-mail.  (If I had been coming all the way from Boston to I-84, I probably would have just taken the Pike, but for one exit it didn't add much time and US 20 is a good alternative in this area.)

I finally opened an E-ZPass account several weeks later and typically use the Pike whenever I'm in MA now - I still occasionally use US 20 between Auburn & Sturbridge, but for a non-shunpiking reason.

2. NJ-700 part of New Jersey Turnpike, Exits 1 to 6 - now possible by staying on I-95 through Center City Philadelphia, but I-95 there is frequently congested, so it's not something I normally do.  Southbound I-95 is quite expensive this way because of the Pennsylvania Turnpike toll point at their end of the Delaware River Turnpike Bridge. 

In addition to the WB/SB PATP bridge toll, it appears that the NJTA includes some sort of bridge surcharge in the exit 6 ticket toll.  For example, when heading south on the NJTP exiting at 6 incurs a higher toll than continuing to 5 or 4 (and 3 is only slightly higher than 6).

Another "partial shunpike" I tried once was using I-195/NJ 29 to the US 1 Trenton-Morrisville Bridge, then picking up I-295 to I-95 thru Philly.  In addition to shunpiking the southern NJTP, the Trenton-Morrisville Bridge is significantly cheaper than any of the bridges downstream (and can also be easily shunpiked via the nearby Trenton Makes Bridge, but $1.25 with E-ZPass isn't bad IMHO).

I shunpiked by taking US 20 off of I-84 in Sturbridge, MA to I-295.  That was not a bad drive at all. 

[hotdogPi]

I shunpiked by taking US 20 off of I-84 in Sturbridge, MA to I-295.  That was not a bad drive at all.

I-290?

[Avalanchez71]

I shunpiked by taking US 20 off of I-84 in Sturbridge, MA to I-295.  That was not a bad drive at all.

I-290?

Yes I-290.

[zachary_amaryllis]

The only one I can think of that I've specifically chosen a different route that was slower just to avoid a toll is the extremely expensive per mile E-470.  If it were priced similar to the Kansas Turnpike, I would take it far more often.  Spend $1.50 to save 10 minutes?  Sure.  Spend $13 to save 10 minutes?  Hell no.

Chris

i'm with you there. i have occasion to visit a friend on the east side of the metro area (near aurora, actually) and i'll do 270 to 70 unless i space out the exit, then just use 70.

270 is a hot mess, tho.

[Avalanchez71]

Has anyone done a cost/benefit analysis of shunpiking a given route?

[sprjus4]

Has anyone done a cost/benefit analysis of shunpiking a given route?

VA-168 toll road.

6 miles long, saves 2-3 minutes during off peak compared to parallel route VA-168 Business, and saves $4 and up to $9 during peak weekends. There's only 3 traffic signals on the parallel route, it's mostly free-flowing rural 45-55 mph road. The toll road is only 55 mph.

Seems to be worth the benefit.

Now, the other toll facility in the city, US-17 Dominion Blvd (a quick 3 minute trip with virtually never any traffic), toll rates are about $1.22 with E-ZPass and shunpiking it coming from I-64 can easily add 20-30 minutes, or more during peak hours due to congestion on parallel routes and 5-10 or so extra miles. In my opinion, it's not worth avoiding it in that case. Some people still do, but most simply pay the toll. It's simply far more convenient.

[Avalanchez71]

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel would be one wherein using the toll route I believe would be more efficient than driving all over VA, potentially a sliver of DC and MD just to get back to the Delmarva part of VA.