Easiest+shortest shunpikes

[index]

Tolls that are both easy to avoid and add little travel time. Any of the toll bridges in Louisville are ridiculously easy to avoid. A toll being easy to avoid isn't enough to make this thread, it has to also add a negligible amount of travel time, so something like using US 74 mainline to avoid the Monroe Expressway doesn't count, since the travel time is usually twice as long on mainline 74.

[1995hoo]

Heading north on the Maine Turnpike to Portland, Exit 44 for I-295 is tolled. Exit 45, less than a mile to the north, lets you exit toll-free and drive less than a mile east to a loop ramp onto I-295. It adds 0.8 of a mile overall.

[jaehak]

Delaware Turnpike tollbooth is pretty easy to get around.

[Rothman]

Feels like we have had this thread already where someone always brings up dodging the Delaware Turnpike toll.

[jmacswimmer]

Now that all traffic lights have been eliminated on VA 7 between US 15 & VA 28, using the 7/28 combination to avoid the Dulles Greenway doesn't add any additional time.
Low-hanging fruit: Any express toll lane, by simply staying in the general-purpose lane

Feels like we have had this thread already where someone always brings up dodging the Delaware Turnpike toll.

Yeah, I think our favorite anti-widening character did a shunpiking thread a month or 2 ago - but if I'm understanding the OP correctly, the difference here is specifically shunpikes that don't have a significant time penalty.  The Delaware Turnpike is indeed easy to avoid, but involves quite a few traffic lights where if you hit one, you hit them all (and the ongoing DE 279 reconstruction is slowing things down further).  I often try to combine things such as food/gas/liquor (there's a great liquor store with an amazing craft beer selection on MD 279 just west of the state line) with the shunpike to make it feel a little more worth it

[JayhawkCO]

There are very few times when coming from Fort Collins to my house in Aurora, E-470 saves me more than 5 minutes.  A lot of the time, if I-25 is backed up through Thornton, it's cheaper and just as fast to pay for the express lanes to I-270 and then get to I-70 and I-225.

Chris

[index]

Now that all traffic lights have been eliminated on VA 7 between US 15 & VA 28, using the 7/28 combination to avoid the Dulles Greenway doesn't add any additional time.
Low-hanging fruit: Any express toll lane, by simply staying in the general-purpose lane

Feels like we have had this thread already where someone always brings up dodging the Delaware Turnpike toll.

Yeah, I think our favorite anti-widening character did a shunpiking thread a month or 2 ago - but if I'm understanding the OP correctly, the difference here is specifically shunpikes that don't have a significant time penalty.  The Delaware Turnpike is indeed easy to avoid, but involves quite a few traffic lights where if you hit one, you hit them all (and the ongoing DE 279 reconstruction is slowing things down further).  I often try to combine things such as food/gas/liquor (there's a great liquor store with an amazing craft beer selection on MD 279 just west of the state line) with the shunpike to make it feel a little more worth it

Yeah, that's what I'm looking for. Shunpikes that barely make a difference in your overall route time-wise.

[SkyPesos]

Using OH 2 instead of the Turnpike (I-80/90) between Toledo and Cleveland only adds 2 miles distance and 10 mins of travel time and saves you a ton of toll money. Oh yea, way less trucks too.

[renegade]

Using OH 2 instead of the Turnpike (I-80/90) between Toledo and Cleveland only adds 2 miles distance and 10 mins of travel time and saves you a ton of toll money. Oh yea, way less trucks too.

I know a guy who would sharply disagree with you, but I am not that guy.  I have used OH-2 many times.  Once past the traffic lights around Oregon, there's little reason to stop till downtown Cleveland.

[sbeaver44]

Using OH 2 instead of the Turnpike (I-80/90) between Toledo and Cleveland only adds 2 miles distance and 10 mins of travel time and saves you a ton of toll money. Oh yea, way less trucks too.

I know a guy who would sharply disagree with you, but I am not that guy.  I have used OH-2 many times.  Once past the traffic lights around Oregon, there's little reason to stop till downtown Cleveland.

I'll third OH 2.  I also like to divert on OH 163 through Port Clinton for the scenery.

[Roadgeekteen]

I-95 instead of Florida's Turnpike in South Florida.

I-295 instead of the NJ Turnpike.

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

The Yonkers toll on the NY Thruway is easily avoided on Central Park Ave and the Sprain Brook Parkway

[hbelkins]

I wouldn't consider the Louisville bridges as worthy of this thread. It's free-flowing on the Indiana side of the river, but downtown Louisville is full of traffic lights. And crossing the river on I-64 and doubling back on 265 adds too much time and mileage to be worth it, in my view.

It's easy to avoid the Mossy toll booth on the WV Turnpike, as there's a county route that parallels the turnpike between the Mossy and Pax exits. And now that the East Beckley Bypass is open, it's easy to avoid the toll booth at the US 19/Corridor L exit by taking the Bradley exit on Corridor L, then following US 19 and the bypass to I-64 to connect with I-77.

Also, I-79 and I-68 to avoid the PA Turnpike between Breezewood and New Stanton.

[US 89]

I wouldn't consider the Louisville bridges as worthy of this thread. It's free-flowing on the Indiana side of the river, but downtown Louisville is full of traffic lights. And crossing the river on I-64 and doubling back on 265 adds too much time and mileage to be worth it, in my view.

US 31 coming into Louisville was pretty bad back in 2016 (when I was last there) before the new 65 bridge was even tolled. I'd rather not think about what that's like now.

[jp the roadgeek]

Hutch Parkway to I-287 is a relatively easy shunpike for the Westchester toll on I-95 North.

[hbelkins]

I wouldn't consider the Louisville bridges as worthy of this thread. It's free-flowing on the Indiana side of the river, but downtown Louisville is full of traffic lights. And crossing the river on I-64 and doubling back on 265 adds too much time and mileage to be worth it, in my view.

US 31 coming into Louisville was pretty bad back in 2016 (when I was last there) before the new 65 bridge was even tolled. I'd rather not think about what that's like now.

I admit to using that bridge often when I'm in Louisville, but not for shunpiking purposes, but because it's convenient. Many of my work conferences are held at the Galt House hotel, so it's easier to hop on that bridge and cross the river than it is to go to the interstate.

[SeriesE]

San Francisco Bay bridges: easy to avoid if the starting point is in the southeastern portion of the bay (Milpitas, southern Fremont)

[sprjus4]

VA-168 Chesapeake Expressway in Chesapeake, VA

Coming southbound, get off at Exit 8B, turn right on VA-168 Business, and rejoin VA-168 about 6 miles south. VA-168 Business is a rural 2 lane road with a 45-55 mph speed limit, and only 4 traffic signals, 2 of which are concentrated on the northern end, and 2 in the middle. Only adds about 2-4 minutes as opposed to the (only) 55 mph toll road which is $4 off peak, and as high as $9 during peak weekends.

I used to occasionally pay the old $3 toll, but the recent $4 hike has given me less motivation to take it anymore. I would never take it on a peak weekend.

[sprjus4]

Here's another one - the Kansas Turnpike between Kansas City and Emporia.

Take I-35 instead. No toll.

You will be on the Turnpike south of Emporia, however. But you avoid it north of there.

[sparker]

San Francisco Bay bridges: easy to avoid if the starting point is in the southeastern portion of the bay (Milpitas, southern Fremont)

The shunpiking only becomes difficult when the waterway that features the toll crossings makes that 90-degree east turn to become the Carquinez Strait and, further east, part of Suisun Bay or the Delta.  Everything NB is tolled there (SB is free), leading to the fact that a lot of Bay Area-to-Sacramento shunpikers simply route their NB leg through Tracy and Stockton but keep the free return leg on I-80, I-680, or even CA 160. 

[plain]

Hutch Parkway to I-287 is a relatively easy shunpike for the Westchester toll on I-95 North.

Not for truck drivers.

[Flint1979]

Using OH 2 instead of the Turnpike (I-80/90) between Toledo and Cleveland only adds 2 miles distance and 10 mins of travel time and saves you a ton of toll money. Oh yea, way less trucks too.

True that. It's one of my shunpiking routes.

[Revive 755]

Using US 41 instead of I-94 through Lake County, IL.  Google has US 41 being shorter distance wise, but the number of signals and slow spots (such as the lousy section posted at 45 through Gurnee) detract from the easiness.

[michravera]

Tolls that are both easy to avoid and add little travel time. Any of the toll bridges in Louisville are ridiculously easy to avoid. A toll being easy to avoid isn't enough to make this thread, it has to also add a negligible amount of travel time, so something like using US 74 mainline to avoid the Monroe Expressway doesn't count, since the travel time is usually twice as long on mainline 74.

Using I-680 to I-580 to I-205 to I-5 to Sacramento from the South Bay instead of I-680 (using the Benicia Bridge) to I-80 to Sacramento from the South Bay is a "coin flip" on time and is toll free (express lanes are available). Using CASR-84 is intrinsically shorter, but doesn't always save time and has nothing to do with tolls (you are committed to the toll free route a bit earlier, however).

I'm not sure about the timing, but CASR-37 (which is toll free) can sometimes get you to the North Bay toll free and in about the same time as the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (I-580) which is tolled.

[sparker]

Tolls that are both easy to avoid and add little travel time. Any of the toll bridges in Louisville are ridiculously easy to avoid. A toll being easy to avoid isn't enough to make this thread, it has to also add a negligible amount of travel time, so something like using US 74 mainline to avoid the Monroe Expressway doesn't count, since the travel time is usually twice as long on mainline 74.

Using I-680 to I-580 to I-205 to I-5 to Sacramento from the South Bay instead of I-680 (using the Benicia Bridge) to I-80 to Sacramento from the South Bay is a "coin flip" on time and is toll free (express lanes are available). Using CASR-84 is intrinsically shorter, but doesn't always save time and has nothing to do with tolls (you are committed to the toll free route a bit earlier, however).

I'm not sure about the timing, but CASR-37 (which is toll free) can sometimes get you to the North Bay toll free and in about the same time as the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (I-580) which is tolled.

Have some friends who live up in Lincoln who come down to San Jose regularly to see relatives; they always use the I-5/205/580/680 routing in both directions rather than chance congestion in the Walnut Creek-Concord area as well as the construction zone at Cordelia.  Also, one of them has severe acrophobia and both the Benicia and Zampa bridges literally freak her out; no bridge issues via Stockton!  Nevertheless, the shunpiking aspect of it is more or less "icing on the cake" for them.  BTW, they avoid I-80 even east of I-5, choosing to head up to CA 99 and then cut over to Lincoln; and according to them work on the expressway/"parkway" between 99 and Lincoln hasn't even broken ground as of yet -- apparently, according to local media, it's been delayed until about 2024 (but ROW is in the process of being acquired).