Phily, Delaware, Baltimore

[Mergingtraffic]

Going to Philly and then to Delaware and back to Baltimore again.

I know pretty much all about Baltimore but any sign goodies left in Delaware and most importantly Philly?

Old state-named interstate shield, non-reflective button copy, stubs etc
Thanks in advance!

[Alex]

Delaware things of interest for you. The file names below reveal the locations.

State-named shields for I-95 in Wilmington:

https://www.aaroads.com/delaware/delaware999/8th_st_wb_at_jackson_st_02.jpg
https://www.aaroads.com/delaware/delaware999/10th_st_wb_at_jackson_st_01.jpg
https://www.aaroads.com/delaware/delaware010/de-048_eb_app_de-002_wb_01.jpg
https://www.aaroads.com/delaware/delaware010/de-048_eb_after_scott_st.jpg

18" shield: www.aaroads.com/shields/show.php?image=DE19610953 3rd Street southeast ahead of Jackson Street.

Outline shield for US 13, there's next to nothing left of it nowadays, the photo here is from 2004:

https://www.aaroads.com/delaware/delaware999/14th_st_wb_at_french_st_02.jpg

The oldest I-495 shield, still neutered but here it is none the less:
https://www.aaroads.com/delaware/delaware010/us-013_nb_at_12th_st.jpg

DE 2 cutout:
https://www.aaroads.com/delaware/delaware001/de-002_wb_after_de-048_02.jpg

DE 4 cutout:
https://www.aaroads.com/delaware/delaware001/de-004_wb_first_shield_01.jpg

Older generation DE 273 shields:
https://www.aaroads.com/delaware/delaware999/chestnut_st_nb_at_de-009_273.jpg - New Castle
https://www.aaroads.com/delaware/delaware999/academy_st_nb_app_de-002b_273_eb.jpg - Newark



There are no older guide signs and Delaware never used button copy, so there's nothing really to see as far as old signage outside the shields above.

[Ian]

A few Philly things...

-1961 spec I-76 and I-276 shields on the King of Prussia Mall Boulevard
-All text button copy throughout the US 1/PA 132 interchange in Bensalem
-Reflective button copy signs on the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76). Most are between PA 291 and I-676. I-95 also has a few in various places, mostly southbound between the airport and PA 420.
-I'm pretty sure these signs are still there, but I'm not sure
-Old button copy signs with button copy PA 320 shields at the US 1/PA 320 SPUI in Springfield
-The old alignment of PA 291 right in front of PHL (complete with shields on the old roadway!)
-There's an old all text button copy sign on the US 1 southbound ramp through the I-76 interchange near Fairmount Park (Street View)

There's definitely more, but I need to do more research.

[Mergingtraffic]

Going back down to Baltimore from I95 NYC.  any ways to dodge a toll or two? 

Do I save anything by jumping off the NJ Tpke via I-195 to I-295 to DE?

[froggie]

You save the rest of the Turnpike toll, but you still pay crossing into Delaware.

You could cross the Delaware River on I-95, but then you'd be dealing with the full breadth of Philly traffic.

[dgolub]

You might want to snap the signage in New Jersey north of Philadelphia where I-95 turns into I-295 and vice versa, since it will be going away when the I-95/I-276 interchange is completed.

[Mergingtraffic]

The PA-63 Woodhaven and the US-1/PA-132 button copy signs still there? I plan to modify my trip if they're still there.

[PHLBOS]

Going back down to Baltimore from I95 NYC.  any ways to dodge a toll or two?

I'm assuming you know how to bypass the I-95 toll plaza in Newark, DE ($4 toll, NO EZ-Pass discount).

[jeffandnicole]

Assuming you're taking the GWB in from NYC, you would incur these tolls if you went the most direct way (cash tolls.  EZ Pass may be discounted depending on plaza and time of day):

NJ Turnpike, 18E/W to 1: $13.85
Del Mem Br: $4.00
Delaware I-95: $4.00
Baltimore Tunnel: $4.00

Total:  $25.85

But you could drive:

NJ Turnpike, 18E/W to Exit 7A: $9.55 (then take 195 west to 295 North to 95 South.  You can also enter Trenton via 29, pick up the Trenton Makes or Calhoun St Bridge, and make your way to 95 South that way)  (You can also exit the Turnpike earlier and take parallel US 1 or US 130 down towards the Trenton area)

This bypasses the Del Mem Br toll. 

Bypass the Delaware I-95 toll by taking Exit 1B to Rt. 4 to Rt. 2, which becomes Rt. 279 in Maryland, putting you back on I-95 South

Approaching Baltimore, you can take 95 or 895, and get off one of the exits before the tolls, where you can go around the city on the more local roads towards Fells Point and such, and you can get to any point in Baltimore that way.

Total Cost: $9.55 (or less)

Going North is a bit trickier.  Yes, you can skip the Baltimore tunnel tolls by staying on those local streets and picking up 95 or 895.  Going north though, you're going to run into a $8 toll.  There's no easy way around this.  You can head to nearby parallel US 40...which also has an $8 toll.  If you go north to US 1, you can avoid the toll that way, but it's quite a bit out of your way to get there and back, and tends to be heavy with traffic, traffic lights, etc.  So unless you want to go for a ride, you'll probably have to pay the $8. 

You'll approach the $4 Delaware I-95 Toll again.  Take the reverse of the above: 279, which becomes 2, to 4, to 896 to avoid it.

No toll to enter NJ.

Take 295 North to at least Exit 60.  Take I-195 to Exit 6 for the NJ Turnpike, which is Exit 7A on the 'pike.  To avoid some tolls there, you can take 295 to Exit 67 for 1 North, or 195 to Exit 5B for 130 North.

If you want to avoid the costly NYC tolls, there's several cheaper or toll-free options if you stay on this side of the Hudson, but that's mostly going to depend on your final destination point.

Total toll: About $17.55 if you take the Turnpike from 7A to 18E/W.

[KEVIN_224]

Slight correction above: Take DE Route 4 to DE Route 279, which becomes MD Route 279 at the state line. That last leg in Newark was changed last fall to simplify route numbers in the area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_Route_279

[jeffandnicole]

I *thought* I read this was changed, but as GSV (http://goo.gl/maps/UqJyk, from 2012)  (and my memory) said Rt. 2, I went with that.

[mrsman]

To add to JeffandNicole's post, it is expensive to make a DC-NYC trip by car as you face a lot of tolls.

I do this trip about 2-3 times a year to visit family and I used to do a lot of the toll bypasses, but when they increased the toll on I-95 in northern Maryland, I bailed on this routing.

For all the time it takes to bypass the tolls, it might be a lot easier to just do a "wide arc" by way of Harrisburg and Allentown.  No way to avoid the Port Authority tolls to cross the Hudson River, but the only remaining toll that you'd face is the westbound toll to cross the Delaware River, which is only like $1.

You also avoid a lot of traffic too, especially if you travel in the holiday season.

[Mergingtraffic]

checked GSV, some of the Philly roads updated to June 2014 on the image date.

GSV didn't update the area by the US-1/PA-132 or the US-1/PA-63 interchanges, so I don't know if the button copy signs are gone from there or not.

[akotchi]

checked GSV, some of the Philly roads updated to June 2014 on the image date.

GSV didn't update the area by the US-1/PA-132 or the US-1/PA-63 interchanges, so I don't know if the button copy signs are gone from there or not.

I live very near there, and I can say that the button copy signs in both places are still there.

[1995hoo]

To add to JeffandNicole's post, it is expensive to make a DC-NYC trip by car as you face a lot of tolls.

I do this trip about 2-3 times a year to visit family and I used to do a lot of the toll bypasses, but when they increased the toll on I-95 in northern Maryland, I bailed on this routing.

For all the time it takes to bypass the tolls, it might be a lot easier to just do a "wide arc" by way of Harrisburg and Allentown.  No way to avoid the Port Authority tolls to cross the Hudson River, but the only remaining toll that you'd face is the westbound toll to cross the Delaware River, which is only like $1.

You also avoid a lot of traffic too, especially if you travel in the holiday season.

I would add to this that you can cut off some distance by not going all the way to Harrisburg. From Allentown, cut southwest on US-222 past Reading and Lancaster. Pick up westbound US-30 at Lancaster and follow it to the York area. Many sat-navs and mapping software will have you follow US-30 to I-83 and then go south, and while that works, you can shortcut things by making a left onto North Hills Road (the intersection where the limited-access portion of US-30 ends), following it to the light at Market Street, making a right to pass under the Interstate, and then make the next right onto the loop-around ramp. Route from the Holland Tunnel to York shown here (including the local York routing I just described): http://goo.gl/maps/XGdbN

I've found US-222 can sometimes be slow in the Allentown area, but once you're past there it moves quite well. Both US-222 and US-30 are predominantly freeway-grade with 65-mph speed limits except for the segment of US-222 northeast of Reading.

If I'm passing through the area at lunchtime, I sometimes use PA-61 at Hamburg to connect from I-78 to US-222. While it's slightly indirect, there were a lot of eating places along that road.

If you go this way, you could encounter a toll in North Jersey depending on which roads you use when you reach the Jersey side of the Hudson, but otherwise, the only toll is the westbound toll at the bridge over the Delaware. Entering Baltimore via I-83 brings you in west of the tunnels, so you avoid those tolls as well.

I find the Pennsylvania route more interesting and more scenic than the Turnpike route even if it takes a bit longer.

Going back down to Baltimore from I95 NYC.  any ways to dodge a toll or two? 

Do I save anything by jumping off the NJ Tpke via I-195 to I-295 to DE?

If you prefer to go down I-295 in New Jersey, I'd suggest using Exit 7 to reach it. The toll would be a little higher than using Exit 7A on the way south, but it's a much more direct connection (just look at a map, you'll see what I mean). The only reason I might use 7A would be if it were lunchtime or dinnertime because there are plenty of places to stop in the Bordentown area.

[mrsman]

To add to JeffandNicole's post, it is expensive to make a DC-NYC trip by car as you face a lot of tolls.

I do this trip about 2-3 times a year to visit family and I used to do a lot of the toll bypasses, but when they increased the toll on I-95 in northern Maryland, I bailed on this routing.

For all the time it takes to bypass the tolls, it might be a lot easier to just do a "wide arc" by way of Harrisburg and Allentown.  No way to avoid the Port Authority tolls to cross the Hudson River, but the only remaining toll that you'd face is the westbound toll to cross the Delaware River, which is only like $1.

You also avoid a lot of traffic too, especially if you travel in the holiday season.

I would add to this that you can cut off some distance by not going all the way to Harrisburg. From Allentown, cut southwest on US-222 past Reading and Lancaster. Pick up westbound US-30 at Lancaster and follow it to the York area. Many sat-navs and mapping software will have you follow US-30 to I-83 and then go south, and while that works, you can shortcut things by making a left onto North Hills Road (the intersection where the limited-access portion of US-30 ends), following it to the light at Market Street, making a right to pass under the Interstate, and then make the next right onto the loop-around ramp. Route from the Holland Tunnel to York shown here (including the local York routing I just described): http://goo.gl/maps/XGdbN

I've found US-222 can sometimes be slow in the Allentown area, but once you're past there it moves quite well. Both US-222 and US-30 are predominantly freeway-grade with 65-mph speed limits except for the segment of US-222 northeast of Reading.

If I'm passing through the area at lunchtime, I sometimes use PA-61 at Hamburg to connect from I-78 to US-222. While it's slightly indirect, there were a lot of eating places along that road.

If you go this way, you could encounter a toll in North Jersey depending on which roads you use when you reach the Jersey side of the Hudson, but otherwise, the only toll is the westbound toll at the bridge over the Delaware. Entering Baltimore via I-83 brings you in west of the tunnels, so you avoid those tolls as well.

I find the Pennsylvania route more interesting and more scenic than the Turnpike route even if it takes a bit longer.

On my last trip, I actually did that routing, but found that two-lane section on 222 between Lancaster and Allentown to be a bit congested, so on my next trip, I'll try the all-interstate route through Harrisburg.

But the main point, I believe, is that you can generally get from the Capital Beltway to Manhattan in about 4 hours if you pay every toll.  If you stick to the I-95 routing but shunpike around the tolls (including the toll over the Hatem Bridge) it will take about 6 hours.  Even though it's further, the all-interstate routing is less stressful as you don't deal with any of the traffic lights and  can make the trip in about the same time.

If I were making the trip by myself, a bus ticket on Megabus or one of their competitors is usually cheaper than the tolls.  But I usually travel with my wife and three kids, so we need the car and 5 bus tickets is very expensive.

[NJRoadfan]

On my last trip, I actually did that routing, but found that two-lane section on 222 between Lancaster and Allentown to be a bit congested, so on my next trip, I'll try the all-interstate route through Harrisburg.

But the main point, I believe, is that you can generally get from the Capital Beltway to Manhattan in about 4 hours if you pay every toll.  If you stick to the I-95 routing but shunpike around the tolls (including the toll over the Hatem Bridge) it will take about 6 hours.  Even though it's further, the all-interstate routing is less stressful as you don't deal with any of the traffic lights and  can make the trip in about the same time.

That section of US-222 desperately needed to be widened 17 years ago when I was last on it.

I usually shunpike most of the tolls going southbound when I drive to NC. I use the time of day to my advantage though, since leaving at 5AM both US-1 in NJ and I-95 in Philly are pretty empty. Coming back I take I-295 up cross over at NJTP Exit 7 OR hop on US-130 and cut over at Exit 7A if traffic on the NJTP is heavy. The new lanes opening soon should solve that problem though. With the recent increase in tolls, I have been avoiding them a bit more then usual.

[froggie]

The biggest hangup with 222 is the traffic signal and the immediate vicinity around where it meets PA 73.  Aside from that, I found through long experience that (road construction notwithstanding), 222 wasn't bad and was certainly faster than taking 83 to 81 to 78.

[Gnutella]

I think PennDOT is about to widen a segment of U.S. 222 between Reading and Allentown.

[froggie]

Not yet.  There's resurfacing and a new roundabout (at PA 662) planned this year...but from what I've seen online, actual widening isn't currently planned until ca. 2019-2020.

[Roadrunner75]

Not yet.  There's resurfacing and a new roundabout (at PA 662) planned this year...but from what I've seen online, actual widening isn't currently planned until ca. 2019-2020.

That stretch needs a widening as soon as possible, preferably as a freeway.  What it doesn't need is that roundabout.  PennDOT continues to drop the ball on that one.

[froggie]

Given the development towards Reading, I think it's too late for a freeway.