Virginia

[WillWeaverRVA]

The Powhite Parkway Western Extension is also high priority. Just drive the existing route on 288 and 360 and you can see why.

I'm very, very familiar with that stretch. I'm honestly surprised I didn't rip all my hair out when that used to be part of my commute.

Back when US-360 was four lanes? Widening to six and eight lanes helped a lot, and the just completed two-lane widening on the ramp from VA-288 SB to US-360 WB is a huge improvement.

However, the Powhite Parkway Western Extension is very needed. I live on the Powhite Parkway axis, in Stratford Hills.

Nah, it was already six or eight lanes by the time I was having to use it. Peak hour traffic on that stretch is still nightmarish even with the various improvements that have been made, although the two-laning of the ramp from southbound VA 288 has helped immensely with traffic on that segment of VA 288.

[1995hoo]

Somewhat changing the subject—although not entirely, as the Powhite Parkway is a toll road—someone on another forum I visit posted a link to an article saying Virginia has the most expensive toll roads in the country on a per-mile basis, a stat the writer acknowledges is caused primarily by the HO/T lanes in Northern Virginia.

But there is one particular aspect of that article that left me somewhat bemused as soon as I saw it. Take a look at the linked article and see if you can spot what I thought was peculiar.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Somewhat changing the subject—although not entirely, as the Powhite Parkway is a toll road—someone on another forum I visit posted a link to an article saying Virginia has the most expensive toll roads in the country on a per-mile basis, a stat the writer acknowledges is caused primarily by the HO/T lanes in Northern Virginia.

But there is one particular aspect of that article that left me somewhat bemused as soon as I saw it. Take a look at the linked article and see if you can spot what I thought was peculiar.

The fact that the picture is in Maryland and not Virginia?

[1995hoo]

Somewhat changing the subject—although not entirely, as the Powhite Parkway is a toll road—someone on another forum I visit posted a link to an article saying Virginia has the most expensive toll roads in the country on a per-mile basis, a stat the writer acknowledges is caused primarily by the HO/T lanes in Northern Virginia.

But there is one particular aspect of that article that left me somewhat bemused as soon as I saw it. Take a look at the linked article and see if you can spot what I thought was peculiar.

The fact that the picture is in Maryland and not Virginia?

Exactly. I doubt anyone else on the other forum picked up on that until I pointed it out, but I found it rather strange that someone would use a picture of another state's highway to illustrate an article about Virginia.

[Beltway]

Somewhat changing the subject—although not entirely, as the Powhite Parkway is a toll road—someone on another forum I visit posted a link to an article saying Virginia has the most expensive toll roads in the country on a per-mile basis, a stat the writer acknowledges is caused primarily by the HO/T lanes in Northern Virginia.

That honor belongs to Pennsylvania. Of course the other six states with end-to-end turnpikes are right behind.

360 miles of PA TPK is $60.27 for EZPass and $120.74 pay by plate.

Any per mile metric is flawed given the sheer mileage of toll roads in states like NY, NJ, PA, FL, OH, IN and OK.

Florida holds the title for the most miles of toll roads in the United States, with approximately 734 miles of tolled roadway. That includes a mix of expressways, turnpikes, and toll bridges, many of which are concentrated in areas like Orange County (home to Orlando).

States with the most miles of toll roads
- Florida – 734 miles
- Oklahoma – 596 miles
- New York – 574 miles
- Pennsylvania – 508 miles
- Texas – 503 miles
- Illinois – 282 miles
- New Jersey – 255 miles
- California – 246 miles
- Ohio - 241 miles

The VA HOT lanes should not be included, as the general purpose lanes on those highways are toll-free, and the HOT lanes are dynamically priced to keep them from congesting, so the prices are merely a reflection of their success.

Virginia is one of only three states to have large-scale de-tolling of paid off toll roads. The Coleman Bridge went toll-free today, the bonds for the widening in 1996 are paid off.

[sprjus4]

360 miles of PA TPK is $60.27 for EZPass and $120.74 pay by plate.

That toll comes out to about 17 cents per mile for E-ZPass and 34 cents per mile for pay by plate.

VA-895 charges $5.95 for 7 miles of roadway, so about 85 cents per mile.

Even more egregious is VA-168 during summer weekends. $9 for 6 miles of roadway, coming in about $1.50 per mile - to bypass a rural two lane road with a mere 3 traffic lights (two of which concentrated on one end, and one of which is a school.) Off peak, it's around 66 cents per mile with a $4 toll.

Both roads significantly more expensive than the Pennsylvania Turnpike. And that's not even mentioning the HO/T lanes in Northern Virginia which are routinely more than $1 per mile.

[Beltway]

360 miles of PA TPK is $60.27 for EZPass and $120.74 pay by plate.

That toll comes out to about 17 cents per mile for E-ZPass and 34 cents per mile for pay by plate.

Yes and is 360 miles of it. 450 miles if you go from Ohio to Scranton.
For a highway built in the 1940s and 1950s and only just recently has about 25% been widened to six lanes.

VA-895 charges $5.95 for 7 miles of roadway, so about 85 cents per mile.

Mainly because of a major bridge over a shipping channel.
Compare that to a Baltimore harbor crossing, DRPA bridges, Hudson River crossings, etc.

The 895 James River Bridge is dimensionally very similar to the new Goethals Bridge in main span length, vertical and horizontal navigational clearances and number of lanes.

E-ZPass Peak: $16.06 one-way toll for Goethals Bridge

Even more egregious is VA-168 during summer weekends. $9 for 6 miles of roadway, coming in about $1.50 per mile - to bypass a rural two lane road with a mere 3 traffic lights (two of which concentrated on one end, and one of which is a school.) Off peak, it's around 66 cents per mile with a $4 toll.

What about  the long paid for Verrazano Narrows bridge now? The tunnels?

Both roads significantly more expensive than the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

As I detailed, its mileage makes it far more expensive.
Try one of the shorter trips like Morgantown to Willow Grove -- $9.69 and $19.38.

And that's not even mentioning the HO/T lanes in Northern Virginia which are routinely more than $1 per mile.

I already did and  since the general purpose lanes are free, they are not part of this discussion. Besides, meet HOV threshold = toll-free.

All your cites have reasonable toll-free alternates.

[vdeane]

Yes and is 360 miles of it. 450 miles if you go from Ohio to Scranton.

Nobody's taking the PTC from Ohio to Scranton, and that would be true even if the road were free.

Any per mile metric is flawed given the sheer mileage of toll roads in states like NY, NJ, PA, FL, OH, IN and OK.

You sound just like the people who claim that statistics like "crashes per million miles traveled" are worthless and that we should use absolute numbers for crash data (such as the author of Killed by a Traffic Engineer).

[Beltway]

Yes and is 360 miles of it. 450 miles if you go from Ohio to Scranton.

Nobody's taking the PTC from Ohio to Scranton, and that would be true even if the road were free.

What if they have business in Harrisburg (for example) on that trip from northern Ohio to Clark's Summit (for example)?

Any per mile metric is flawed given the sheer mileage of toll roads in states like NY, NJ, PA, FL, OH, IN and OK.

You sound just like the people who claim that statistics like "crashes per million miles traveled" are worthless and that we should use absolute numbers for crash data (such as the author of Killed by a Traffic Engineer).

We're not talking about crashes and highway fatalities.

We are not taking about rates.

We are talking about mileage of toll roads.

Just looking at a state highway map of the Orlando area is painful -- looking at all those green (tolled) superhighways.

When has there ever been a Virginia Turnpike 200 or 300 miles long?

The 34 mile long Richmond-Petersburg turnpike was tolled from 1958 to 1992.

[vdeane]

We are I am talking about mileage of toll roads.

FTFY