Toll Road - Highest percentage through traffic, Least useful to state residents

[briantroutman]

I was on the Ohio Turnpike a few weeks ago, and the thought occurred to me that it isn't particularly useful to Ohio residents for in-state travel. Admittedly, it is useful for Clevelanders headed to Pittsburgh or Toledoans going to Chicago, but if the Buckeye State started with a clean sheet and set out to build a superhighway to serve the most important travel corridor in the state, I'd posit that Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati would be roughly equivalent to the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Pittsburgh-Harrisburg-Philadelphia route.

I'm sure their priorities were shuffled by the need to connect to the already-completed Pennsylvania Turnpike route, though.

Anyway, that got me wondering: What long distance toll road (>50 miles) has the highest percentage of traffic that drives its entire length?

And perhaps this follow-up question has the same answer: What toll road is least valuable (directly, in terms of personal use) to its in-state residents?

Despite the impetus for these questions being Ohio, I'm going to guess that the answer is the Indiana Toll Road. What do you think?

[3467]

Well we know in Illinois most traffic is Illinois from I-PASS users. There is a big pick up in Traffic after Toledo so I think you are right about Indiana and that's why politically they could sell it

[jeffandnicole]

One of the main reasons Ohio didn't implement EZ Pass until relatively recently was there wasn't much of a benefit to Ohio residents, as the Ohio Turnpike is heavily used by out-of-staters. They really didn't want to spend the money to implement electronic tolling, but there was a high demand for it, and numerous toll runners thinking they could use EZ Pass, finally persuaded Ohio to get the system. 

[dfwmapper]

The Turner Turnpike (I-44 between OKC and Tulsa) probably sees extremely high through traffic counts, though it's extremely important to residents of Oklahoma. The Cherokee Turnpike (part of US 412 between Tulsa and NWA) isn't long enough to qualify at only 33 miles, but would also have a huge percent of through traffic. Oklahoma's other turnpikes either have major connections/destinations in the middle (Muskogee on the Muskogee, US 69/McAlester on the Indian Nation, US 69 on the Will Rogers, Lawton on the H.E. Bailey, Stillwater on the Cimarron) or are too short (Chickasaw, Creek, Kilpatrick).

On the other end of the spectrum, the Kansas Turnpike probably has the lowest percentage of traffic using the entire length because of the existence of the free section of I-35 between KC and Emporia.

I'd have to guess that the Indiana Toll Road is pretty far down the list. There's a lot of traffic that enters or exits at I-65 or I-94.

[corco]

Delaware Turnpike?

[dfwmapper]

Delaware Turnpike?

Not long enough, and if you believe that I-295 between I-95 and the Delaware Memorial Bridge is part of the turnpike (as Wikipedia suggests), then it would still be pretty far down the list because of I-95/I-495 traffic.

[jeffandnicole]

Delaware Turnpike?

Under 50 miles, but if you were to lose that criteria factor, there's still a lot of people that only use it to get to and from Rt. 1 and the Christiana Mall at exit 4 (tax free shopping), and a lot of people that use it at Exit 1 to avoid the tolls and for the U of D, so they're not driving it the entire length.

And I should add that it's a primary route for people south of Wilmington to take into Wilmington for work, so it's very useful for state residents as well.

[pianocello]

I'd have to agree with Indiana. Not for the most traffic using the entire length, but definitely the least valuable for its state's residents. I feel like the majority of the in-state traffic is just between NWI and South Bend, and even that's primarily because of Notre Dame.

On the other hand, though, I feel like quite a few people would use the ITR to commute between places like Valpo and Portage to the steel mills in Gary and East Chicago. Not sure, though.

[theline]

As a South Bend resident who uses the ITR a lot, you might think I'd defend its usefulness to Hoosier drivers. I won't. I think I'm the exception to the rule. I feel that most Hoosiers worried little when it was leased out. It's not a part of their lives.

Granted, a lot of drivers get off and on the Toll Road at I-94 and I-65, but many of them are also out-of-staters as well. The ones getting off at 94 in particular are mostly Illinois or Michigan residents traveling between those states.

[NWI_Irish96]

I would not classify the ITR as being the least useful.  When I lived in Northern Indiana I used it a lot to get to/from Chicago and those trips would have been a lot longer without it.  I would classify it as a road on which very few of the trips are intra-state. 

[jeffandnicole]

I would not classify the ITR as being the least useful.  When I lived in Northern Indiana I used it a lot to get to/from Chicago and those trips would have been a lot longer without it.  I would classify it as a road on which very few of the trips are intra-state. 

Um...doesn't "A road on which very few of the trips are intra-state" = "Least useful to state residents"?

[briantroutman]

I would not classify the ITR as being the least useful.  When I lived in Northern Indiana I used it a lot to get to/from Chicago and those trips would have been a lot longer without it.  I would classify it as a road on which very few of the trips are intra-state. 

Um...doesn't "A road on which very few of the trips are intra-state" = "Least useful to state residents"?

In a way, yes, but not entirely. As in cabiness42's example, someone who lives in Valparaiso–who would be an Indiana resident–and uses the ITR to commute to Chicago every day would probably consider it very useful.

Although considering that the number of people who work out of state, though sizable, is a relatively small percentage of the workforce (about 5.3 million of 126.9 million people, or about 4%), the impact of cross-state commuters would probably be likewise comparatively minor.

Also keep in mind that even though a toll road such as the ITR may be of vital importance to a group of state residents–for either intrastate or interstate travel–that proportion is likely dwarfed by the proportion of Pennsylvanians using the Turnpike to commute to the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys, New Yorkers on the the Thruway, etc.

[Duke87]

I don't know that a lot of people actually drive the whole length of the Ohio Turnpike in one shot. Even for through-state travel, a lot of traffic that entered at Westgate is going to branch off and take 80 or 90 rather than following the Turnpike all the way through to Eastgate. Likewise, a not insignificant amount of traffic that entered at Eastgate is going to branch off up 75 or 23 to go to various points in Michigan, or even 24 to Fort Wayne.
There certainly are trips for which following the whole Ohio Turnpike is the most logical route. But the percentage of them would have been higher before the Keystone Shortway was completed, since then NYC-bound traffic would likely take the PA Turnpike.


The New Jersey Turnpike definitely has a decent number of trips using its entire length, what with it being the de facto through route for I-95 even if it is not officially so. But given traffic counts at the northern end versus the southern end, the percentage can't be that high.


Then there's also the counter-question - what major toll road has the lowest percentage of trips following its whole length? I'd wager that it'd be the New York State Thruway simply because its route is relatively circuitous and it is definitely not the fastest way to get between its endpoints.
But if we count detolled turnpikes the Connecticut Turnpike would also compete in this contest simply because the easternmost few miles of it (CT 695) don't go much anywhere and traffic counts are low even in total.

[jwags]

I don't know that a lot of people actually drive the whole length of the Ohio Turnpike in one shot. Even for through-state travel, a lot of traffic that entered at Westgate is going to branch off and take 80 or 90 rather than following the Turnpike all the way through to Eastgate. Likewise, a not insignificant amount of traffic that entered at Eastgate is going to branch off up 75 or 23 to go to various points in Michigan, or even 24 to Fort Wayne.
There certainly are trips for which following the whole Ohio Turnpike is the most logical route. But the percentage of them would have been higher before the Keystone Shortway was completed, since then NYC-bound traffic would likely take the PA Turnpike.

Living in Wisconsin I've travelled many times to MD and I have always driven the entire OH Turnpike end to end. I remember particularly a few times waiting in line to pay the toll (Pre EZPass) where the display for the car in front of me showed the toll for the entire drive through as well (10.25 at the time).

The last couple of times I've technically not driven the entire length as I have exited the road for fuel/food because it is often cheaper off the turnpike and my EZPass makes it much simpler than having to keep getting tickets.

[jeffandnicole]

I would not classify the ITR as being the least useful.  When I lived in Northern Indiana I used it a lot to get to/from Chicago and those trips would have been a lot longer without it.  I would classify it as a road on which very few of the trips are intra-state. 

Um...doesn't "A road on which very few of the trips are intra-state" = "Least useful to state residents"?

In a way, yes, but not entirely. As in cabiness42’s example, someone who lives in Valparaiso—who would be an Indiana resident—and uses the ITR to commute to Chicago every day would probably consider it very useful.

But the entire point of the thread is referring to people that live in the same state as the toll road.  If one lives in Indiana and commutes to Illinois, then that isn't a intrastate trip, and has nothing to do with the question posted in this thread!

[jeffandnicole]

The New Jersey Turnpike definitely has a decent number of trips using its entire length, what with it being the de facto through route for I-95 even if it is not officially so. But given traffic counts at the northern end versus the southern end, the percentage can't be that high.

It's been 12 years since I worked Interchange 1, but I believe that Exits 18E/W (GWB), 16E (Lincoln Tunnel), 11 (GSP) & 10 (287) seemed to be the interchanges I'll get the most number of tickets from.

When I worked Interchange 3, there was quite a number of shorter trips, especially those where people could've simply used 295 for their entire trip.

[jp the roadgeek]

The Mass Pike has to be one where few people drive its entire length.  Not everyone is going to Logan, and a good chunk of people leaving Boston heading west get off at Exit 9.  Couple that with the people who use it to go toward Foxboro and the Cape (11A) , and NH and ME (10 or 11A),  and it's very rare that people drive the whole thing.

[Duke87]

The Mass Pike has to be one where few people drive its entire length.  Not everyone is going to Logan, and a good chunk of people leaving Boston heading west get off at Exit 9.  Couple that with the people who use it to go toward Foxboro and the Cape (11A) , and NH and ME (10 or 11A),  and it's very rare that people drive the whole thing.

If you're going to Logan you don't even drive the whole length, you miss the last half mile. Driving the entire length requires going from the NY line into MA 1A.

What's weird is in my mind I don't think of the Big Dig section as being part of the MassPike proper, so I didn't even consider this. But officially it is, so it's also a contender.



As for most likely to be driven its whole length, I wonder how the West Virginia Turnpike fares on this metric. At first glance it seems like a likely candidate since there are no major cities near the route south of Charleston to draw traffic away, but then I-64 and US 19 definitely draw a lot of early exits so maybe not.

[vdeane]

What about the New Hampshire Turnpike?  Aside from traffic to/from Portsmouth, it's basically a path between Massachusetts and Maine.

[GaryV]

What about the New Hampshire Turnpike?  Aside from traffic to/from Portsmouth, it's basically a path between Massachusetts and Maine.

Doesn't meet the 50-mile criteria postulated by the original post.  But otherwise, I thought of it too.

[thenetwork]

There really aren't that many people who drive the OH Turnpike end-to-end.  Of the 3 interstates that cross the OH border at one end or another, not one follows the Pike the entire way (I-80 comes the closest covering 90.4% of the mainline, or 218 of the 241 miles).  And the fact that the Pike is only 2-lanes each way at both state lines is another clue. 

The PA Turnpike should easily be the winner in the "impossible to ride the entire toll road from end to end" due to all of the branches it has added over the past couple of decades -- some are not even connected to the mainline...yet.

[briantroutman]

There really aren't that many people who drive the OH Turnpike end-to-end.

Let's be clear about something... the "highest percentage of through traffic"  could still be a very low number. If the percentage of through motorists (I'm just making these numbers up) is 0.1% on the NY Thruway, 0.3% on the PA Turnpike, and 0.8% on the OH Turnpike, Ohio could be the winner, even though only 8 cars out of 1,000 actually drive the whole length.

Even though none of the three Interstate designations follow the OH Turnpike from border to border, it's still the most logical route from the Chicago area and other points north and west to the southern half of PA, MD, DC, and northern VA.

Compare that with the PA Turnpike, which you'd really only drive end-to-end if you were headed from Northern OH to somewhere in central NJ. If your destination was any further north, you likely would have diverted onto I-78 or I-80 at some point. Any further south, and you might go through Philadelphia or across US 322 or I-295.

The PA Turnpike should easily be the winner in the "impossible to ride the entire toll road from end to end" due to all of the branches it has added over the past couple of decades -- some are not even connected to the mainline...yet.

As far as I'm concerned, driving mainline from the OH/PA border to the NJ/PA border satisfies the requirement. The NE Extension, Mon-Fayette, etc. are separate roads. Similarly, one would not need to take the Berkshire Connector to travel the NY Thruway end-to-end. Yonkers to the PA border is enough.

The Mass Pike has to be one where few people drive its entire length. 

I hadn't really considered that...I always just thought of the Mass Pike being the NY Line to "Boston" ; I didn't really take into account the Big Dig, Logan, and beyond. So the only people who would drive the entirety of the Mass Pike would be people who live in Winthrop and headed to a vacation in Albany? That might be the winner for the "lowest percentage through traffic"  prize.

Of course I don't know how many people would drive from NYC to Erie by way of Albany, Syracuse, and Buffalo.

[DandyDan]

What about the Illinois toll roads?  I'd have to suspect a lot of truck traffic drives the Tri-State and the Jane Addams Tollways end to end, but the Ronald Reagan does not since one could easily take I-80.  I can't even see someone in Sterling or Rock Falls taking I-88 east to Chicago, since they could just take US 30 to Sugar Grove and then possibly catch I-88 by Aurora.  In the years since I left the DeKalb area, I've driven I-88 several times and it always seems empty west of DeKalb.  (And BTW, did they really have to change the names of the Northwest and East-West tollways?)

[dfwmapper]

President George Bush Turnpike in Dallas just makes the cut at 54 miles, and as a 5/8 beltway of Dallas, sees zero end-to-end traffic. It's 20 miles longer than the most direct route between the endpoints, and 15 miles longer than the most direct route that doesn't involve driving through downtown. That might match the NY Thruway for lowest percent of end to end traffic. If Denver's E-470 and Northwest Parkway are counted as a single road, that would also be in the running, mostly because of the insanely high toll rate. E-470 on its own isn't quite long enough.

By the way, must one travel between the precise start and endpoints to be considered traveling the full length? Or is traveling far enough to pay the maximum toll sufficient? Eastbound on the Mass Pike, the last barrier is at exit 18, so leaving at I-93 would count if it's just going by toll. Westbound is different because of the extra toll at the airport.

[Brandon]

What about the Illinois toll roads?  I'd have to suspect a lot of truck traffic drives the Tri-State and the Jane Addams Tollways end to end, but the Ronald Reagan does not since one could easily take I-80.  I can't even see someone in Sterling or Rock Falls taking I-88 east to Chicago, since they could just take US 30 to Sugar Grove and then possibly catch I-88 by Aurora.  In the years since I left the DeKalb area, I've driven I-88 several times and it always seems empty west of DeKalb.  (And BTW, did they really have to change the names of the Northwest and East-West tollways?)

Actually, the fastest way to get from Sterling and Dixon to Chicago is I-88.  US-30 goes through a lot of towns east of I-39.  I've also noticed more traffic west of I-39 in the past few years.  Most of the plates are Illinois ones, but there's a few Iowa ones here and there.  Thus, I conclude that I-88 is mostly used by locals and people going to/from DeKalb, Rochelle, Dixon, and Sterling.