U.S. 301 toll road project in Delaware

[PHLBOS]

The DelDOT release says thru trucks will be restricted from the old route, so they are counting on truck tolls to fund this.

https://www.deldot.gov/About/news/index.shtml?dc=release&id=7467

I imagined plenty of truckers are pissed about this - any of them heading up US 301 are forced to pay a toll or break the law.

Isn't there some requirement that a relatively nearby toll-free alternative route (not necessarily a highway) needs to be available for all vehicles?

One in-state example is the situation in the Newark/Elkton, MD area.  To legally bypass the I-95 toll in DE; US 40 is available for trucks (a thru-truck prohibition exists for DE 896).  Another example is US 13 en lieu of the tolled DE 1.

Not providing a toll-free alternate route tells me that such a draconian restriction will probably result in lawsuits being filed by trucking companies/interest groups.  Time will tell.

[cl94]

Are through trucks allowed on DE 299? If so, that and US 13 would be the alternate.

[sprjus4]

Are through trucks allowed on DE 299? If so, that and US 13 would be the alternate.

That still requires you to enter Delaware, and as soon as you cross the state line a $3 is issued, or something like $10 for trucks.

[sprjus4]

The DelDOT release says thru trucks will be restricted from the old route, so they are counting on truck tolls to fund this.

https://www.deldot.gov/About/news/index.shtml?dc=release&id=7467

I imagined plenty of truckers are pissed about this - any of them heading up US 301 are forced to pay a toll or break the law.

Isn't there some requirement that a relatively nearby toll-free alternative route (not necessarily a highway) needs to be available for all vehicles?

One in-state example is the situation in the Newark/Elkton, MD area.  To legally bypass the I-95 toll in DE; US 40 is available for trucks (a thru-truck prohibition exists for DE 896).  Another example is US 13 en lieu of the tolled DE 1.

Not providing a toll-free alternate route tells me that such a draconian restriction will probably result in lawsuits being filed by trucking companies/interest groups.  Time will tell.

There's no way to shunpike the tolls as a truck safely or legally due to this. There are small narrow roads that enter Delaware to the side, but those cannot handle truck traffic. There should be a proper "last exit before toll" to enter Middletown safely, not the B.S. way this was designed IMHO.

If I lived in Middletown, I wouldn't want to be driving up back home at night, and either pay a $3 toll or drive on 1.5 lane roads to avoid it.

[PHLBOS]

The DelDOT release says thru trucks will be restricted from the old route, so they are counting on truck tolls to fund this.

https://www.deldot.gov/About/news/index.shtml?dc=release&id=7467

I imagined plenty of truckers are pissed about this - any of them heading up US 301 are forced to pay a toll or break the law.

Isn't there some requirement that a relatively nearby toll-free alternative route (not necessarily a highway) needs to be available for all vehicles?

One in-state example is the situation in the Newark/Elkton, MD area.  To legally bypass the I-95 toll in DE; US 40 is available for trucks (a thru-truck prohibition exists for DE 896).  Another example is US 13 en lieu of the tolled DE 1.

Not providing a toll-free alternate route tells me that such a draconian restriction will probably result in lawsuits being filed by trucking companies/interest groups.  Time will tell.

There's no way to shunpike the tolls as a truck safely or legally due to this. There are small narrow roads that enter Delaware to the side, but those cannot handle truck traffic. There should be a proper "last exit before toll" to enter Middletown safely, not the B.S. way this was designed IMHO.

If I lived in Middletown, I wouldn't want to be driving up back home at night, and either pay a $3 toll or drive on 1.5 lane roads to avoid it.

Should a filed lawsuit against Delaware be successful; one option to alleviate such would be to force DelDOT to relocate that AET gantry just north of the DE 299 (Exit 2) interchange.

[ipeters61]

The DelDOT release says thru trucks will be restricted from the old route, so they are counting on truck tolls to fund this.

https://www.deldot.gov/About/news/index.shtml?dc=release&id=7467

I imagined plenty of truckers are pissed about this - any of them heading up US 301 are forced to pay a toll or break the law.

Isn't there some requirement that a relatively nearby toll-free alternative route (not necessarily a highway) needs to be available for all vehicles?

One in-state example is the situation in the Newark/Elkton, MD area.  To legally bypass the I-95 toll in DE; US 40 is available for trucks (a thru-truck prohibition exists for DE 896).  Another example is US 13 en lieu of the tolled DE 1.

Not providing a toll-free alternate route tells me that such a draconian restriction will probably result in lawsuits being filed by trucking companies/interest groups.  Time will tell.

There's no way to shunpike the tolls as a truck safely or legally due to this. There are small narrow roads that enter Delaware to the side, but those cannot handle truck traffic. There should be a proper "last exit before toll" to enter Middletown safely, not the B.S. way this was designed IMHO.

If I lived in Middletown, I wouldn't want to be driving up back home at night, and either pay a $3 toll or drive on 1.5 lane roads to avoid it.

Should a filed lawsuit against Delaware be successful; one option to alleviate such would be to force DelDOT to relocate that AET gantry just north of the DE 299 (Exit 2) interchange.

What about MD-299 West to MD-213 North to US-40 East?  Or are there restrictions that way too? (I haven't been to that area in a while)

[sprjus4]

The DelDOT release says thru trucks will be restricted from the old route, so they are counting on truck tolls to fund this.

https://www.deldot.gov/About/news/index.shtml?dc=release&id=7467

I imagined plenty of truckers are pissed about this - any of them heading up US 301 are forced to pay a toll or break the law.

Isn't there some requirement that a relatively nearby toll-free alternative route (not necessarily a highway) needs to be available for all vehicles?

One in-state example is the situation in the Newark/Elkton, MD area.  To legally bypass the I-95 toll in DE; US 40 is available for trucks (a thru-truck prohibition exists for DE 896).  Another example is US 13 en lieu of the tolled DE 1.

Not providing a toll-free alternate route tells me that such a draconian restriction will probably result in lawsuits being filed by trucking companies/interest groups.  Time will tell.

There's no way to shunpike the tolls as a truck safely or legally due to this. There are small narrow roads that enter Delaware to the side, but those cannot handle truck traffic. There should be a proper "last exit before toll" to enter Middletown safely, not the B.S. way this was designed IMHO.

If I lived in Middletown, I wouldn't want to be driving up back home at night, and either pay a $3 toll or drive on 1.5 lane roads to avoid it.

Should a filed lawsuit against Delaware be successful; one option to alleviate such would be to force DelDOT to relocate that AET gantry just north of the DE 299 (Exit 2) interchange.

It should be there. Forcing drivers to pay the toll and offering no safe free alternative route is wrong and can lead to some dangerous situations (lots of traffic on narrow roads, deadly accidents on them, etc.)

[Tonytone]

Why isn't it $1 on weekdays & $3 on weekends like De-1. Seems like they want MD residents to pay the toll, because anyone living in Middletown will get off at the exits. It would make sense to toll northbound 301 from MD stateline as $3 , but people going south from De-1 to 301 SB should not have to pay 3 to go home. I would just continue taking 13 or De-1 to 299 for all that.


iPhone

[ipeters61]

Why isn't it $1 on weekdays & $3 on weekends like De-1. Seems like they want MD residents to pay the toll, because anyone living in Middletown will get off at the exits. It would make sense to toll northbound 301 from MD stateline as $3 , but people going south from De-1 to 301 SB should not have to pay 3 to go home. I would just continue taking 13 or De-1 to 299 for all that.


iPhone

Isn't it $4 to get on at the beginning (either at the MD line or DE-1) and less if you get on elsewhere?  If so, then Middletown traffic would be paying $4 to get back into town, but paying less to leave town.

Traffic is so bad in Middletown I wouldn't be surprised if the expressway still gets tons of traffic.  DE-896 S/B looked like a disaster on my trips from Dover to Newark at rush hour.

[sprjus4]

The DelDOT release says thru trucks will be restricted from the old route, so they are counting on truck tolls to fund this.

https://www.deldot.gov/About/news/index.shtml?dc=release&id=7467

I imagined plenty of truckers are pissed about this - any of them heading up US 301 are forced to pay a toll or break the law.

Isn't there some requirement that a relatively nearby toll-free alternative route (not necessarily a highway) needs to be available for all vehicles?

One in-state example is the situation in the Newark/Elkton, MD area.  To legally bypass the I-95 toll in DE; US 40 is available for trucks (a thru-truck prohibition exists for DE 896).  Another example is US 13 en lieu of the tolled DE 1.

Not providing a toll-free alternate route tells me that such a draconian restriction will probably result in lawsuits being filed by trucking companies/interest groups.  Time will tell.

There's no way to shunpike the tolls as a truck safely or legally due to this. There are small narrow roads that enter Delaware to the side, but those cannot handle truck traffic. There should be a proper "last exit before toll" to enter Middletown safely, not the B.S. way this was designed IMHO.

If I lived in Middletown, I wouldn't want to be driving up back home at night, and either pay a $3 toll or drive on 1.5 lane roads to avoid it.

Should a filed lawsuit against Delaware be successful; one option to alleviate such would be to force DelDOT to relocate that AET gantry just north of the DE 299 (Exit 2) interchange.

What about MD-299 West to MD-213 North to US-40 East?  Or are there restrictions that way too? (I haven't been to that area in a while)

That would be a viable alternative for long-distance traffic but residents of Middletown doesn't get a good option like that. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

[Tonytone]

The DelDOT release says thru trucks will be restricted from the old route, so they are counting on truck tolls to fund this.

https://www.deldot.gov/About/news/index.shtml?dc=release&id=7467

I imagined plenty of truckers are pissed about this - any of them heading up US 301 are forced to pay a toll or break the law.

Isn't there some requirement that a relatively nearby toll-free alternative route (not necessarily a highway) needs to be available for all vehicles?

One in-state example is the situation in the Newark/Elkton, MD area.  To legally bypass the I-95 toll in DE; US 40 is available for trucks (a thru-truck prohibition exists for DE 896).  Another example is US 13 en lieu of the tolled DE 1.

Not providing a toll-free alternate route tells me that such a draconian restriction will probably result in lawsuits being filed by trucking companies/interest groups.  Time will tell.

There's no way to shunpike the tolls as a truck safely or legally due to this. There are small narrow roads that enter Delaware to the side, but those cannot handle truck traffic. There should be a proper "last exit before toll" to enter Middletown safely, not the B.S. way this was designed IMHO.

If I lived in Middletown, I wouldn't want to be driving up back home at night, and either pay a $3 toll or drive on 1.5 lane roads to avoid it.

Should a filed lawsuit against Delaware be successful; one option to alleviate such would be to force DelDOT to relocate that AET gantry just north of the DE 299 (Exit 2) interchange.

What about MD-299 West to MD-213 North to US-40 East?  Or are there restrictions that way too? (I haven't been to that area in a while)

That would be a viable alternative for long-distance traffic but residents of Middletown doesn't get a good option like that. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

Biggest scam in Delaware History. Lets see how the growth in Middletown does now.


iPhone

[ipeters61]

That would be a viable alternative for long-distance traffic but residents of Middletown doesn't get a good option like that. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

The restriction is on thru trucks though, not local traffic, so they could still take DE/MD-299.

[sprjus4]

That would be a viable alternative for long-distance traffic but residents of Middletown doesn't get a good option like that. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

The restriction is on thru trucks though, not local traffic, so they could still take DE/MD-299.

Agreed. Still, the toll location is purposeful to rip people off crossing on the freeway. At least one free "last exit before toll" exit at Exit 2 would've been reasonable.

[Tonytone]

That would be a viable alternative for long-distance traffic but residents of Middletown doesn't get a good option like that. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

The restriction is on thru trucks though, not local traffic, so they could still take DE/MD-299.

Agreed. Still, the toll location is purposeful to rip people off crossing on the freeway. At least one free "last exit before toll" exit at Exit 2 would've been reasonable.

Im sure a ramp will be built, just like the one on De-1 southbound before the Toll


iPhone

[MASTERNC]

There's no way to shunpike the tolls as a truck safely or legally due to this. There are small narrow roads that enter Delaware to the side, but those cannot handle truck traffic. There should be a proper "last exit before toll" to enter Middletown safely, not the B.S. way this was designed IMHO.

If I lived in Middletown, I wouldn't want to be driving up back home at night, and either pay a $3 toll or drive on 1.5 lane roads to avoid it.

Sounds like the SR 1 frequent user discount also applies to 301

https://www.wdel.com/news/video-the-new-route-is-open-for-travel/article_cc7847c2-1524-11e9-b3eb-bfba59fa1271.html

[froggie]

Are through trucks allowed on DE 299? If so, that and US 13 would be the alternate.

Since this question never really got answered earlier, the answer is no.  And that restriction has been in place at a minimum for the better part of 2 decades (I recall it existing in the early 2000s when I first traveled through the area).

[roadman65]

The plans showed an auto default at the State Line with no access to the old road.  This means one will have a last chance at the last intersection in MD that most likely will not be marked.

I am surprised that US 301 is allowed to be tolled without a toll free alternative as in OK where US 412 is tolled twice you have US 64 as your free choice west of Tulsa and US 412 ALT east of Tulsa.  Even in IL for US 51 you have old US 51 to allow a shunpike, but here the only other way is now severed, unless its remedied but judging from posts above it seems not.

[ixnay]

The DelDOT webcam at the reentry road from the truck scale shows the right NB lane of the bypass barreled off.  Why?  When will those barrels be removed?

ixnay

[ixnay]

Are through trucks allowed on DE 299? If so, that and US 13 would be the alternate.

Since this question never really got answered earlier, the answer is no.  And that restriction has been in place at a minimum for the better part of 2 decades (I recall it existing in the early 2000s when I first traveled through the area).

That restriction has actually been there a lot longer, at least between Middletown and Odessa.  I remember noticing it in the mid-1980s when I first moved to the MD Eastern Shore from Delco, PA.  And that was quite a few years before that corridor got built up.

This is actually a case of a bypass being bypassed.  The now ex-301 stretch where the Golden Arches, the Colonel, AutoZone, etc. front it was built around 1993.  Before that, 301 went down Peterson Road (behind where Food Lion is now) to Main St. and turned right towards MD.

ixnay

[PHLBOS]

Are through trucks allowed on DE 299? If so, that and US 13 would be the alternate.

Since this question never really got answered earlier, the answer is no.  And that restriction has been in place at a minimum for the better part of 2 decades (I recall it existing in the early 2000s when I first traveled through the area).

That restriction has actually been there a lot longer, at least between Middletown and Odessa.  I remember noticing it in the mid-1980s when I first moved to the MD Eastern Shore from Delco, PA.  And that was quite a few years before that corridor got built up.

That long-term thru-truck restriction, until very recently, wasn't forcing thru-truck-traffic onto a tolled facility.  Since the southern leg of the new US 301 tollway replaces (rather than compliments) the old US 301 (Middletown Warwick Rd.) roadway; the change/upgrade now creates no free alternate route for trucks, thru-traffic or otherwise.  I don't know about anyone else here; but such reeks of extortion.

In addition to truckers complaining, I wouldn't be surprised that residents of neighboring Warwick, MD start complaining of increased thru-car-traffic along Sassafrass Ave.  While Google Maps show the stretch between US 301 & MD 282 as MD 299;  based on current (though 2008 vintage) GSVs, there are no signs along that stretch indicating such.  One has to wonder how much Warwick, MD was involved/consulted in the planning & design input for that southernmost leg of US 301. 

If I were living near there and saw the plans & the toll gantry locations; the very first question I would've asked would have been,"Why are you eliminating the only toll-free corridor that's open to all traffic?"  Every other tollway in Delaware (I-95/Delaware Turnpike & DE 1) was built in addition to the main arterial corridors not instead of.

For those suggesting placing LAST EXIT BEFORE TOLL signage; while such works for southbound traffic approaching Exit 2, it doesn't really help northbound traffic too much because the last turn-off before the AET gantry is indeed at the fore-mentioned Sassafrass Rd. (which isn't truck-traffic friendly) or the MD 290 interchange further south (I'm assuming that trucks can use that road).

[Beltway]

That long-term thru-truck restriction, until very recently, wasn't forcing thru-truck-traffic onto a tolled facility.  Since the southern leg of the new US 301 tollway replaces (rather than compliments) the old US 301 (Middletown Warwick Rd.) roadway; the change/upgrade now creates no free alternate route for trucks, thru-traffic or otherwise.  I don't know about anyone else here; but such reeks of extortion.

It would seem like the easiest solution would be for traffic between Maryland and the new DE-299 interchange, to ride toll-free.  Problem is that about 2.3 miles of new 4-lane freeway would be untolled while financed with toll funding.  Maybe they could install gantries at the DE-299 interchange so that they could determine which vehicles are using only that segment, and then charge them a very nominal toll such as 50 cents.

[PHLBOS]

Here's breakdown of the passenger vehicle (car) tolls (E-ZPass & Toll-By-Plate).  Note: the Wiki source contained a more direct one-page listing of the tolls whereas DelDOT's own website did not.

Exit/Interchange numbers added (in blue) to the below-quote where applicable:

The road has a mainline toll gantry north of the Maryland border and ramp toll gantries on the southbound exits and northbound entrances at the DE 299, DE 71, and Jamison Corner Road interchanges.
The mainline toll gantry costs $4.00 using E-ZPass and $5.60 using toll-by-plate for passenger vehicles.

The ramp toll gantries cost $1.00 using E-ZPass and $1.40 using toll-by-plate for passenger vehicles at the DE 299 interchange (Exit 2),

$0.75 using E-ZPass and $1.05 using toll-by-plate for passenger vehicles at the DE 71 interchange (Exit 5),

and $0.50 using E-ZPass and $0.70 using toll-by-plate for passenger vehicles at the Jamison Corner Road interchange (Exit 9).

[sprjus4]

Problem is that about 2.3 miles of new 4-lane freeway would be untolled while financed with toll funding.  Maybe they could install gantries at the DE-299 interchange so that they could determine which vehicles are using only that segment, and then charge them a very nominal toll such as 50 cents.

That shouldn't be an issue... The Chesapeake Expressway is free between Exit 10 and Exit 8 even though the entire project between Exit 10 and MM 2 was built with toll revenue.

[Beltway]

Problem is that about 2.3 miles of new 4-lane freeway would be untolled while financed with toll funding.  Maybe they could install gantries at the DE-299 interchange so that they could determine which vehicles are using only that segment, and then charge them a very nominal toll such as 50 cents.

That shouldn't be an issue... The Chesapeake Expressway is free between Exit 10 and Exit 8 even though the entire project between Exit 10 and MM 2 was built with toll revenue.

But isn't between Exit 10 and Exit 8 part of the Great Bridge Bypass?  That was built toll-free back in the 1970s.  Granted they had to rebuild the south end to make it seamless with the new highway.

[wilbur_the_goose]

I happened to drive the new expressway today from DE-1 to DE-299 and back (lunch in Middletown at Grotto Pizza near the Amazon warehouse on old 301).   We loved the road.   Extremely well built - felt almost "German".

There were some state Troopers out there today - I could see how somebody would like to hit 100mph due to the build quality and light traffic.

Saved me about 15 minutes each way - loved it!