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New Jersey Turnpike

Started by hotdogPi, December 22, 2013, 09:04:24 PM

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The Nature Boy

Quote from: 1 on September 13, 2014, 09:15:43 PM
Quote from: The Nature Boy on September 13, 2014, 09:02:09 PM
I never have the luxury of avoiding gassing up on the Thruway. I'm always driving across to either the MA or VT line so I'm stuck the entire way.

The NY Thurway is a terribly boring drive.

NY 5? US 20?

I haven't had the luxury of driving either for an appreciable distance.


lepidopteran

Quote from: Zeffy on September 13, 2014, 12:04:21 AM
Well, guess I'll stick to conventional methods and hunting for food off the Turnpike (or before I re-enter New Jersey) because a lot of reviews are saying the prices are higher than I would want...

Unrelated, does anyone know what the hell is going on here?



Molly Pitcher Service Area on the Turnpike. I'm assuming the stuff in the middle is related to the widening of the Turnpike, but what's up with the ramp shown by Google Maps?
Simple explanation. (Apologies if I've described this one here before)  Originally, the Molly Pitcher Service Plaza had two separate restaurant buildings on the SB side.  One was the building that still stands there today, plus the "snack bar" hut.   The other was to the south of there and set at about a 60-degree angle to the highway.  This restaurant was exclusively for chartered bus tours.  As such, it probably had a cafeteria style setup to absorb busloads at once, something impractical at the sit-down restaurant that the regular Howard Johnson's were.  (From what I saw on HistoricAerials, the building itself had a unique design for the purpose, possibly with 2 levels; anyone know for sure?)  But getting back to the ramps, this "Charter Bus Stop" as they called it was accessible from the NB lanes via a trumpet interchange.  A sign indicated whether or not it was open, and prominently proclaimed "Buses Only".  When the bus stop closed (not sure when, but the building disappeared around the mid-'90s) the trumpet ramp remained as access to the State Police barracks also on that side.  Although it was well-marked as "official use only", I suspect that a lot of motorists tried to use it to access the Molly Pitcher plaza, despite Joyce Kilmer being about 5 miles ahead.  So in the current truck-lane widening project, the interchange remained, but now with the right-angle type turns that are used in most other "official use only" ramps, less likely to be used accidentally than a trumpet loop ramp.  Apparently, Google Maps has not yet updated this ramp style modification.

signalman

Quote from: vdeane on September 13, 2014, 08:25:43 PM
Quote from: Pete from Boston on September 13, 2014, 01:34:56 PM
The food prices are high for what it is.  Can anyone say little respect for body or wallet?  You have to have a certain inherent resignation to eat Popeye's, for example, at all.  You have to bargain further against common sense to pay nine dollars for it. 

I'm far from cheap – I'm just too smart to not only accept crap but pay extra at a place where if anything the margins are so high on the volume that said crap should be cheaper than elsewhere.

It's 2014.  I have the technology in my pocket to find quality food at appropriate prices using countless specific parameters just about anyplace without great disruption to my travel.

When you are on the road a lot, and you end up using that as an excuse to regularly eat badly and expensively, no one is to blame but you. 
Eating out is expensive no matter where you do it.  Plus I travel alone, so that eliminates pretty much anything that isn't fast food anyways... and trips long enough where I'd have to eat our are relatively rare.  Pretty much just roadmeets, though I'll stop at Sbarro on the Thruway for some trips to/from Rochester just for something different.  Btw, the price for a slice of cheese and a breadstick or two on the Thruway is around $6.
I agree with vdeane on this.  I almost always travel alone, so I live on fast food and convenience store junk.  Going to a sit down type place alone is awkward to me (and I know that I'm not alone on here with that mentality).  If I'm using a toll road it's likely for clinching purposes, so if it comes time to eat or refuel I will use a service plaza.  I acknowledge that I may be getting screwed out of a couple bucks, but it's convenient and I am already paying a little extra to drive on said toll road.  I feel as though if you're that strapped for cash, then you can't realisitcally afford to take a road trip.

Pete from Boston


Quote from: signalman on September 14, 2014, 02:47:39 AM
I agree with vdeane on this.  I almost always travel alone, so I live on fast food and convenience store junk.  Going to a sit down type place alone is awkward to me (and I know that I'm not alone on here with that mentality).  If I'm using a toll road it's likely for clinching purposes, so if it comes time to eat or refuel I will use a service plaza.  I acknowledge that I may be getting screwed out of a couple bucks, but it's convenient and I am already paying a little extra to drive on said toll road.  I feel as though if you're that strapped for cash, then you can't realisitcally afford to take a road trip.

It's part practicality, part principle for me.  There were times I had to make 500-mile trips weekly, and though there was too much fast food in those trips, it was rarely on the toll roads, because it ultimately would have been hundreds of dollars thrown away over a year for very little added convenience.   That would have just been dumb, like putting premium gas in my truck for nothing.  I worked my ass off for those hundreds of bucks, and they can do much more useful things than that.

You can say all you want that if you can't afford a few extra bucks you shouldn't be taking the trip, but it's just as true to say if you throw money away because you can't afford a couple of extra minutes, you should have left earlier.  It all comes down to individual priorities.


Roadrunner75

Quote from: Zeffy on September 12, 2014, 05:20:34 PM
Has anyone eaten at any of the service areas on the Turnpike? I'm thinking of going down into Baltimore to see a friend and on the way back maybe hit a service area for dinner. I figure their food can't be much worse than the fast food I snarf down on a weekly basis, so it's not like that matters.
You don't even need the NJ Turnpike at all for your trip.  From your area, save a few bucks and take 295 all the way down to DE.  You can even post some nice pictures of the work at 76/42.  If you want a City view and a little traffic depending on the day, swing down 95 through PA and avoid paying a bridge toll.  Easier food options off 295 too.


roadman65

The NJ 73 interchange (both NJT and I-295) are good for gas-food-lodging if using I-295 or the NJT.  If you swing over the PA side using I-95 the US 1 Business interchange and the US 1 North Oxford Valley interchange (you must also exit US 1 NB) has a great choice of food as there is a mall located there.  Like all mall sprawls you have the big chains, regional chains, and a good mom and pop built there as well.

Then if you see a Wawa anywhere along any of those roads, definitely stop at one of them if you are hungry!  Good hoagies at a great price, plus reasonable gas and a full soda fountain and flavored coffees.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Roadrunner75

I will second that on Wawa.  You'll find one near pretty much any interchange from central Jersey on south.

They finally made my day by putting a Wawa in right near the GSP / Turnpike interchange in Woodbridge on 9.  Very convenient going both directions (GSP NB to Turnpike NB and vice versa, which is what I do frequently) if you know what you're doing with the confusing mess of ramps in that area.


Pete from Boston

Wawa is terrific at turning around freshly-prepared foods in minutes at low prices. The Turnpike should have Wawas. 

The Nature Boy

What are the available options on the Turnpike? I've only eaten at Roy Rogers and Burger King.

Roadrunner75

Quote from: The Nature Boy on September 15, 2014, 12:08:55 AM
What are the available options on the Turnpike? I've only eaten at Roy Rogers and Burger King.
Here's a link for the service areas (click on the gas pumps):
http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/our-roadways.html
It varies per plaza.  Typically a Roy's or BK, a pizza place like Sbarro, sometimes a Starbucks, etc.

Side note: It looks like Roy's is making a comeback in the northeast.  Until recently, the only Roy's left in NJ (or pretty much anywhere north of MD) that wasn't in a service plaza was near me just south of Toms River:
https://www.google.com/maps?ll=39.933127,-74.179961&spn=0.000004,0.00327&t=m&z=19&layer=c&cbll=39.933128,-74.180474&panoid=BmGWhyP0o0uF_IZ_7s1glw&cbp=12,358.82,,0,1.91 
It was always a bit of nostalgia to go in there.  I now hear the franchise owner of this location is opening a second one a few miles north in Brick. 

jeffandnicole

Quote from: The Nature Boy on September 13, 2014, 01:11:32 AM
I've never left the Turnpike and gotten back on so this may seem like a dumb question but:

Do you lose money if you get off and get back on? I hope the question makes sense, but is the distribution of charges equitable throughout the state? I could imagine a situation where I get on at the start, get off a few miles later, get back on and the price to the terminus from that exit isn't a direct continuation so there may be an additional dollar or two added because someone at the NJ Turnpike Authority can't do math or wanted to penalize people for getting off to avoid the service plazas.

Hope that makes sense.

It's probably a smaller penalty than if, for example, I could choose between a 12" hoagie for $7, or a 6" hoagie for $5, not $3.50. 

Basically, yes, there is a small additional charge.  It's done on purpose, and not because someone can't do math.  The Turnpike would have course want you to remain on the turnpike, so they're going to provide the incentive to remain on the turnpike by charging a bit extra to get off.

Quote from: doofy103 on September 13, 2014, 11:58:16 AM
Gas is about 11cents higher on the Tpke in my experience. 

I believe the contract Sunoco has with the Turnpike allows them to do a sampling of gas prices throughout the state, and then tack on 2 cents to that average.  If you look at Gasbuddy, you will find prices off the turnpike both lower & higher than on the Turnpike.  And due to the Turnpike authority's odd requirement that fuel prices can only change on Fridays, it has been commonly observed that when prices are rising sharply, the cheapest fuel prices in the state will be on the Turnpike.

Quote from: Pete from Boston on September 14, 2014, 11:46:40 PM
Wawa is terrific at turning around freshly-prepared foods in minutes at low prices. The Turnpike should have Wawas. 

You won't have Wawa's on any toll road, for the same reason Wawa will not be found at Airports: They do not deviate from their pricing structure.

hubcity

Eh, I hadn't gotten dinner on the way to NYC and figured I'd grab something at the rest stop. One Burger King hamburger, $1.75 tax included. If I was overcharged, it wasn't by much. (And frankly, that's really all you need. Resist super-sizing.)

Pete from Boston


Quote from: Roadrunner75 on September 15, 2014, 12:51:24 AM
Quote from: The Nature Boy on September 15, 2014, 12:08:55 AM
What are the available options on the Turnpike? I've only eaten at Roy Rogers and Burger King.
Here's a link for the service areas (click on the gas pumps):
http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/our-roadways.html
It varies per plaza.  Typically a Roy's or BK, a pizza place like Sbarro, sometimes a Starbucks, etc.

Side note: It looks like Roy's is making a comeback in the northeast.  Until recently, the only Roy's left in NJ (or pretty much anywhere north of MD) that wasn't in a service plaza was near me just south of Toms River:
https://www.google.com/maps?ll=39.933127,-74.179961&spn=0.000004,0.00327&t=m&z=19&layer=c&cbll=39.933128,-74.180474&panoid=BmGWhyP0o0uF_IZ_7s1glw&cbp=12,358.82,,0,1.91 
It was always a bit of nostalgia to go in there.  I now hear the franchise owner of this location is opening a second one a few miles north in Brick.

The only new Roy's I've known of in years was at a truck stop in Stonington, CT, opened in 2009 or so.  It's now something else.  The last one in Mass. closed recently in Sturbridge.   

The only thing beyond nostalgia that Roy's has going for it was variety–there's stuff like ham and roast beef on the menu, and the Fixin's Bar where you can basically dress your sandwich however you want.

KEVIN_224

Um...anything new happening on the NJ Turnpike...like getting the rehab work on the inner roadway done? :)

P.S. We once had Wawa in Newington, CT on Kelsey Street and in New Britain on Stanley Street, very near Central Connecticut State University. The last Wawa I was at was in Elkton, MD, a mere 500 feet or less from the Delaware state line (MD Route 279, junction of MD Route 277).  :-/

http://goo.gl/maps/kczix
(Route 2 on the Delaware side of the border is now DE Route 279.)

02 Park Ave

I understand that the inner lanes are planned to be opened by Thanksgiving.
C-o-H

KEVIN_224

I noticed the work going on when I was last on the Turnpike in August. I got on at Exit 4 in Mount Laurel and exited at Exit 16E in Secaucus. It will be nice once the shift for the trucks/busses can be removed, near the north end of the widening project.

Alps

Unsurprisingly, Wawa discussion has been moved to Off-Topic. Please keep it there.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=13495.0

Duke87

Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 15, 2014, 08:45:41 AM
Quote from: The Nature Boy on September 13, 2014, 01:11:32 AM
Do you lose money if you get off and get back on? I hope the question makes sense, but is the distribution of charges equitable throughout the state? I could imagine a situation where I get on at the start, get off a few miles later, get back on and the price to the terminus from that exit isn't a direct continuation so there may be an additional dollar or two added because someone at the NJ Turnpike Authority can't do math or wanted to penalize people for getting off to avoid the service plazas.

Basically, yes, there is a small additional charge.  It's done on purpose, and not because someone can't do math.  The Turnpike would have course want you to remain on the turnpike, so they're going to provide the incentive to remain on the turnpike by charging a bit extra to get off.

I don't think it's about discouraging people from getting off and on. It's simply a question of that each transaction costs money to process, so driving from exits 1 to 5 and then 5 to 9 should cost more than driving from exits 1 to 9 because doing it as two transactions cuts into the turnpike authority's revenue. This is much less the case with EZpass but consider that traditionally the hop off/hop on setup would require printing two tickets and having two toll collectors spend time taking your cash, instead of just one of each.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

ChezeHed81

I went with a friend to the Maker Faire in New York this weekend.  On the way, I caught a few shots along the Turnpike.


Northbound, approaching the beginning of the dual carriageways.

I wish my camera's sensor could process the LED background, but in person, these look great.  I like the borderless appearance of the electronic sign.

Leaving the Woodrow Wilson Service Area.

VMS displaying travel time information in a format that is not only informative, but simple to understand at speed.  One of the strengths of the Turnpike, from my experience, is to provide effective feedback to its users.  While I miss the RSAs, the newest generation of VMSes is being used in many ways which I find the change to be worth it.

Pete from Boston

I had to look up "RSA" to find that it meant "Reduced Speed Ahead."  I first thought "Really Sexy Arrows."


mtantillo

Last time I ate at Nathan's on the Turnpike, 2 hot dogs, a fries, and a drink set me back $12.60. Very inflated prices!

Flyer78

Thanks for sharing the pics. I guess that might answer what the LED portion of the signs was going to be. I guess it still helps they can supersede other messages in that space if they had to. Also, by using drum/slats, it allows for permanence in the event of power-/system-failure, etc.

Duke87

The downside is that the unsynchronized refresh cycles make these sorts of displays difficult to photograph properly. You'd need to use a longer exposure.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

vdeane

I'm surprised they're only using the new display signs for the bottom half of the split signs.  Would have thought they'd use it for the whole sign like the ones at the temporary split.  Wasn't there a rumor that the Turnpike would retire the old flip signs?
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

J Route Z

On the turnpike southbound, the 1 mile sign for Exit 13A is not 1 mile to the interchange. This is an error which should be corrected to 1/2 mile. I looked it up on Google Maps measuring tool.



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