Wow over a million posts.
I heard on the radio today that tolls would increase another 3% by 2023. That means definitely over $20 EACH WAY to go from end to end. Let's not forget the tolls on the bridges at both ends as well. Add on congestion pricing...a trip from Baltimore to NYC will cost close to $100 in tolls alone.
You can save some money by taking 295 and using local roads to avoid the tolls in Delaware
295 only goes up to a point, these rest of the Turnpike is still enormously expensive
Enormously? Not really.
Well, you may be in for a shock. It's actually more expensive on the NJ Turnpike than the PA Turnpike, especially when comparing EZ Pass rates.
Currently, from Exit 7A (where it's the northern-most easiest access point to 295) to Exit 18E/W, that 57 mile trip will cost you $10.05 Off-Peak (17.6 cents per mile), or $13.39 Peak (23.5 cents per mile).
On the PA Turnpike, an equivalent 57 mile trip is generally about $6.20 to $8.90 (10.9 to 15.6 cents per mile) with EZ Pass.
If you think of the price to drive the entire PA Turnpike, or the price someone would pay using the Toll-by-Plate option, the PA Turnpike is much more expensive than the entire length of the NJ Turnpike. But the PA Turnpike is also 3 times as long as the NJ Turnpike, so that makes sense.
But on a per-mile basis, the NJ Turnpike is actually considerably more expensive than the PA Turnpike. It's actually a bit surprising the NJ Turnpike has been able to hide that from the media and the public.
Now, is $10 or $13 enormously expensive? For someone on a lower income, or someone that drives it every day (and in that case, probably twice a day), it adds up considerably.