Toll Roads worth avoiding?

[bemybear]

If I'm going to Sacramento from SF, I sometimes opt to take 101 to 37 to 80 - about 15-20 miles longer but allows me to bypass congestion around the MacArthur Maze and the Eastshore Freeway segment of I-80, all while avoiding the $6 Carquinez Bridge toll.  No real way to avoid toll going to SF from Sacramento though without driving all the way into the San Jose area.

I always liked I-80W-I-680S-CA-24W and across the Bay bridge.  Seems like people were less nutty on the Northern reaches of I-680 than the equivalent piece of I-80 and I liked seeing the mothballed ships in Suisun Bay and I love all of 24.

[lstone19]

Driving to the east this weekend from SE WI and will be taking I-94 through MI (and then crossing S. ON) to avoid the horrible Indiana Toll Road.  Avoiding the OH Turnpike is an extra plus.

It's that easy to get through both Canadian and US Customs right now?  I think I would take a few two lane non-freeway segments or a stoplight-infested four lane route through Indiana over going through Canada.

Just joined AARoads so I know I'm coming to this late.

I did this in June - Chicago to upstate NY both ways via Ontario. With the caveat that my wife and I have Nexus, the only issue was the pathetically slow toll collection both ways at the Blue Water Bridge (Mich DOT collects going to Canada and the owner of the Canadian half collects going to the U.S.). It made me wonder if they're deliberately slow to meter traffic into Customs/Immigration on the other side.

EB mid-afternoon on a Tuesday, about a two to three minute backup at the BWB toll booth, then once across the bridge, no line at the Nexus lane, two to three quick questions and on my way. At the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge early evening, no toll that direction and no lines at all at CBP (no Nexus at that hour but right up to an inspector). Again, two to three questions and I was on my way.

WB on a Sunday, using the Peace Bridge into Canada, no line at the Nexus lane, one question via a remote inspector (booth was unmanned), then through the toll booth with EZ-Pass and we were on our way.

But the real mess was at the BWB. Long line for the toll booth which seemed to be processing about two cars per minute per lane (two were open). Then the lane we were in closed and re-opened a minute later as an automated lane (credit cards and exact change only IIRC). We crept forward and then it came to a total stop. Finally forced our way into the adjacent manned lane and saw that a bridge worker was trying to assist someone in backing out of the automated lane. No idea why but the only logical explanation would be didn't have exact change. Given that the lane had just changed and that there was a worker there assisting the back up move, wouldn't just getting change for the driver from the manned booth have been faster? Finally through in about 10 minutes.

One oddity is that they have the toll booth set up as cars on the left and trucks on the right but once on the bridge, CBP wants trucks on the left and cars on the right with the middle "Restricted Lane" for Nexus and Buses only. So a giant weaving area coming out of the toll booth. Given we were the only car I saw in the middle lane and there was no one waiting at the Nexus booth, not a lot of Nexus use on a Sunday afternoon. A couple of quick questions and we were on our way.