New Jersey Turnpike

[J Route Z]

Why doesn't the Turnpike have blue guide signs for restaurants and gas stations, only lodging? The ACE does. In fact, the Expressway recently put these up. Is it competition with the rest areas?

[Snappyjack]

It's the same with the NY Thruway. They want to keep all the food/gas related business at the service plazas.

[signalman]

Why doesn't the Turnpike have blue guide signs for restaurants and gas stations, only lodging? The ACE does. In fact, the Expressway recently put these up. Is it competition with the rest areas?

They're service plazas, and that's exactly right.  No toll road authority is going to advertise the off-highway food and fuel options.  Remember, toll road authorities get a piece of the action from sales at the service plazas.  So it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to advertise the competition that's often right off the toll road at an exit.

[jeffandnicole]

Why doesn't the Turnpike have blue guide signs for restaurants and gas stations, only lodging? The ACE does. In fact, the Expressway recently put these up. Is it competition with the rest areas?

They're service plazas, and that's exactly right.  No toll road authority is going to advertise the off-highway food and fuel options.  Remember, toll road authorities get a piece of the action from sales at the service plazas.  So it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to advertise the competition that's often right off the toll road at an exit.

Except...as mentioned by J Route Z, the Atlantic City Expressway DOES advertise off-highway food options.

My guess is, the ACX does this because of its toll structure.  Let's say someone going East from Rt. 42 gets off at Cross Keys Rd.  They pay a 40 cent toll there (depending on the plaza, some exits are 75 cents).  Then they re-enter the ACX and go East towards the shore...they still have to pay the $3.00 toll.  So by the vehicle exiting the Expressway, they actually incurred a toll of $3.40, not $3.00.   (Note, this works going Westbound also.  Say they pay the $3 toll...then exit for dinner.  When they re-enter, they have to pay another 40 cents or 75 cents).

I think the tendency of Expressway users to be more local in nature rather than long-distance travelers on the Turnpike & Parkway may play a role in it as all.  These people will have better knowledge of the nearby area, and would probably avoid the Expressway eating options regardless.

Since there are so many options off the Expressway, they may have determined it's better to cash in on those options

[bzakharin]

My guess is, the ACX does this because of its toll structure.  Let's say someone going East from Rt. 42 gets off at Cross Keys Rd.  They pay a 40 cent toll there (depending on the plaza, some exits are 75 cents).  Then they re-enter the ACX and go East towards the shore...they still have to pay the $3.00 toll.  So by the vehicle exiting the Expressway, they actually incurred a toll of $3.40, not $3.00.   (Note, this works going Westbound also.  Say they pay the $3 toll...then exit for dinner.  When they re-enter, they have to pay another 40 cents or 75 cents).

I was especially amused when I noticed the ACE advertising a gas station off of exit 9, considering that I'm pretty sure that exit is the only one to have a toll at both the exit and the entrance in both directions. Not to mention it's right next to exit 7 where you can get off and back on for free in either direction (even if you need to deal with the Garden State Parkway, there are exits off of that with nearby gas stations no further than 2 miles away in either direction).

Still, wouldn't Sunoco and the food vendors that have contracts with the SJTA to operate in the service areas be pissed that the SJTA is driving business away from them by posting these signs?

[Alps]

Why doesn't the Turnpike have blue guide signs for restaurants and gas stations, only lodging? The ACE does. In fact, the Expressway recently put these up. Is it competition with the rest areas?

They're service plazas, and that's exactly right.  No toll road authority is going to advertise the off-highway food and fuel options.  Remember, toll road authorities get a piece of the action from sales at the service plazas.  So it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to advertise the competition that's often right off the toll road at an exit.

More than that, would you buy a contract with the service plazas if the company you're buying from advertises your competition off exits?

[signalman]

More than that, would you buy a contract with the service plazas if the company you're buying from advertises your competition off exits?

I realize that this is a rhetorical question, but of course not.  I was merely trying to point out to J Route Z why there's no food/fuel advertisements on toll roads.

[roadman65]

Florida's Turnpike has gas food and lodging signs at interchanges.  Even with the many service plazas with gas and food, they still advertise the competition.

[ixnay]

Florida's Turnpike has gas food and lodging signs at interchanges.

Must be the air down there.

ixnay

[roadman65]

Florida's Turnpike has gas food and lodging signs at interchanges.

Must be the air down there.

ixnay

Lately its been rainy.

[Mergingtraffic]

are there any new contract plans online for signing projects? 

[lepidopteran]

Florida's Turnpike has gas food and lodging signs at interchanges.  Even with the many service plazas with gas and food, they still advertise the competition.

This could be for a number of reasons.
-- In some areas, the plazas are 40 miles apart.  Not to mention that the stretches between exits before and after Yeehaw Junction are about 50 miles long, some of the longest in the country (I think they are the longest stretches east of the Mississippi). So  advertising comfort stations may help avert problems with running out of gas, or even, (ahem!) "holding it in" until the next available stop.
-- The only service plaza south of Pompano Beach is about 45 miles away, near the southern end.  No room to build new plazas in a highly developed area.
-- Since the plazas are in the median and shared by both directions, they may already have all the business they can handle, particularly during the busy season.  Sometimes there may simply not be enough parking.
-- This next reason might be a bit of a stretch, but you have a lot of older drivers in Florida who may be intimidated by the fast-lane merges required to access the left-hand on/off ramps leading to the median service plazas.

[jeffandnicole]

are there any new contract plans online for signing projects? 

Generally, the NJ Turnpike Authority online docs only mention the expected advertising date, and later when the projects go out to bid, and eventually the winning bid and amount.  I generally don't see anything as to what would be of interest: the actual signs.

[roadman65]

Are there any plans in the works later on for the mileage signs to be resurrected that once had the distance to New York every 10 miles on the tenth mile?  Or even to have them post interchange with the name or road of the next exit followed by New York, Camden, Wilmington?

I am amazed that the George Washington Bridge at 16 miles still exists at the Eastern and Western Spur splits in the NB cars only lanes as seen in OK Roads flickr pages, so I was wondering if there is still hope on that one.

[02 Park Ave]

Are there any plans to change interchange numbers and mile markers on the Turnpike to an I-95 basis upon the completion of the widening?  Or, will they just wait until the I-95/PA Tpk connexion is completed over in PA?

[storm2k]

Are there any plans to change interchange numbers and mile markers on the Turnpike to an I-95 basis upon the completion of the widening?  Or, will they just wait until the I-95/PA Tpk connexion is completed over in PA?

AFIAK, there have never been any plans for such. They don't change the mileage numbers north of int 10 where 95 officially joins the Turnpike now, so I don't see why they would do that once the 95/PATP connection is completed.

[jeffandnicole]

are there any new contract plans online for signing projects? 

Generally, the NJ Turnpike Authority online docs only mention the expected advertising date, and later when the projects go out to bid, and eventually the winning bid and amount.  I generally don't see anything as to what would be of interest: the actual signs.

Doofy...here's that treasure chest of info that you want...or at least close enough...

Go here: http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/construction.html . Click on the 'Click Here' to access the NJTA BidX website.  Scroll down the BidX page until you get to the "What's New" section, which has many of the recent bid documents.  For one signing project on the Parkway, you can go to 14092301 (currently the 5th one down) and click on that.  On the next page, click on the P600.337. On the next page, under the available downloads section, click on Reference Material.  It'll take a few moments to open.  Then, click on the file for "Reference Drawings (Listed on Title Sheet)"  This will bring you to a number of files.  While they are all interesting, one you can view is C0910.  Now you have information regarding some of the signs they will be installing.

Enjoy!

[Mergingtraffic]

are there any new contract plans online for signing projects? 

Generally, the NJ Turnpike Authority online docs only mention the expected advertising date, and later when the projects go out to bid, and eventually the winning bid and amount.  I generally don't see anything as to what would be of interest: the actual signs.

Doofy...here's that treasure chest of info that you want...or at least close enough...

Go here: http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/construction.html . Click on the 'Click Here' to access the NJTA BidX website.  Scroll down the BidX page until you get to the "What's New" section, which has many of the recent bid documents.  For one signing project on the Parkway, you can go to 14092301 (currently the 5th one down) and click on that.  On the next page, click on the P600.337. On the next page, under the available downloads section, click on Reference Material.  It'll take a few moments to open.  Then, click on the file for "Reference Drawings (Listed on Title Sheet)"  This will bring you to a number of files.  While they are all interesting, one you can view is C0910.  Now you have information regarding some of the signs they will be installing.

Enjoy!

Excellent, JeffandNicole.  I will definitely look it over.  Trying to see how long the ancient Exit 17 signs SB will be around for. 

I know this and the SB sign are being replaced as a new gantry is going up.  Sadness

[akotchi]

Are there any plans to change interchange numbers and mile markers on the Turnpike to an I-95 basis upon the completion of the widening?  Or, will they just wait until the I-95/PA Tpk connexion is completed over in PA?

AFIAK, there have never been any plans for such. They don't change the mileage numbers north of int 10 where 95 officially joins the Turnpike now, so I don't see why they would do that once the 95/PATP connection is completed.

According to New Jersey's records, I-95 "offically" joins the Turnpike at the state line in the Delaware River (on the Pa. Extension).  State records have the Mercer County portion as 95M.

To your question (oft-debated elsewhere), the easiest thing to do is to use Turnpike mileposts and consider I-95 to be a secondary overlapping route to the Turnpike for reference marker purposes.  Similar to what Ohio does with I-76 and Pennsylvania does with I-276.

Although . . . I am not sure mile-based exit numbers based on any system is a done deal on the Turnpike yet . . .

[vdeane]

I recall a rumor saying they would go mile-based (using I-95 numbers?) if they went AET.

[bzakharin]

I recall a rumor saying they would go mile-based (using I-95 numbers?) if they went AET.

So, Exit 117 (currently 17, funny how that lines up) will be followed by Exit 68 (or 70A, or whichever one is currently signed)? That would be kind of confusing, since there will now possibly be an exit 68 further south on the Turnpike. Though, renumbering according to I-95 won't line up very well either (it's close, though), though if they keep exits sequential south of I-95, Exit 6 will line up roughly with Mile 6 on I-95

[akotchi]

I recall a rumor saying they would go mile-based (using I-95 numbers?) if they went AET.

So, Exit 117 (currently 17, funny how that lines up) will be followed by Exit 68 (or 70A, or whichever one is currently signed)? That would be kind of confusing, since there will now possibly be an exit 68 further south on the Turnpike. Though, renumbering according to I-95 won't line up very well either (it's close, though), though if they keep exits sequential south of I-95, Exit 6 will line up roughly with Mile 6 on I-95

I would imagine that since the Turnpike Authority owns the "free" part of I-95 nearly all the way to the GWB, the exit numbers would go up to 122.  The strange part would be the Port Authority exits (73 and 74) if that agency doesn't change to match.  Would be interesting to see how it all plays out.

[jeffandnicole]

I recall a rumor saying they would go mile-based (using I-95 numbers?) if they went AET.

So, Exit 117 (currently 17, funny how that lines up) will be followed by Exit 68 (or 70A, or whichever one is currently signed)? That would be kind of confusing, since there will now possibly be an exit 68 further south on the Turnpike. Though, renumbering according to I-95 won't line up very well either (it's close, though), though if they keep exits sequential south of I-95, Exit 6 will line up roughly with Mile 6 on I-95

I would imagine that since the Turnpike Authority owns the "free" part of I-95 nearly all the way to the GWB, the exit numbers would go up to 122.  The strange part would be the Port Authority exits (73 and 74) if that agency doesn't change to match.  Would be interesting to see how it all plays out.

If they went to milepost numbering, it's not going to be done in a vacuum with just the Turnpike, and just a portion of the Turnpike at that.  There's no either/or.  Everyone will need to be on board, including NJDOT & the PANYNJ, and it would probably be mandated by the Feds, so any one agency can't just simply choose to exclude themselves from the re-numbering. 

The only question will be do they number from the southern point of the NJ Turnpike in Deepwater/Carney's point, or from the southern point of I-95 in NJ (at the NJ/PA Turnpike Bridge). 

[Roadrunner75]

So I was thinking of applying to be a toll collector at the Turnpike. I meet all the requirements, and I might be close to acquiring my own vehicle so I can get there. Looking at it, they try and place you to a close interchange (so I guess it would be from about 6-9 for me) to your house. They pay $12 an hour which is way better than the minimum wage crap in Hillsborough and surrounding towns, and you get at least 20 hours a week. I'm just looking for something to generate revenue for a bit. Anyone have any experience with this? I see the NJTA also provides training for the job, so on a scale of 1-10, how easy is the job? I can't honestly see it being harder than a 4, considering you just collect tolls.

Zeffy - Now's your chance:  A slot just opened up in the GSP toll booths (just don't bless motorists as they come through):
http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2014/10/toll-taker_waited_a_month_before_complaining_about_god_bless_comment_turnpike_says.html#incart_river

[Zeffy]

The only question will be do they number from the southern point of the NJ Turnpike in Deepwater/Carney's point, or from the southern point of I-95 in NJ (at the NJ/PA Turnpike Bridge).

I'd much rather have them start at the beginning of the Turnpike, since IMO, the Turnpike is the actual roadway - I-95 just so happened to take over the northern stretch past Exit 6.

Zeffy - Now's your chance:  A slot just opened up in the GSP toll booths (just don't bless motorists as they come through):
http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2014/10/toll-taker_waited_a_month_before_complaining_about_god_bless_comment_turnpike_says.html#incart_river

LOL I read that article. I wouldn't bless people anyway seeing as how I'm atheist.    Unfortunately, some of the GSP booths are decently far away compared to some of the Turnpike ones... plus I still need a vehicle!! 

I love how that woman is using her religion as a defense. It wasn't that. She wasn't getting enough hours by the Turnpike Authority. Absolutely useless lawsuit.