Speed Limit Drops Approaching Toll Booths

[JREwing78]

The closest Michigan has to such a situation, I-75 south towards the Mackinac Bridge, drops in speed from 70mph to 55mph approx. 1/2 mile before the tollbooths on the north side of the bridge. Coming the other direction, it's merely the 45mph/20mph truck limit of the bridge itself.

I believe it does something similar on I-75 northbound approaching the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie, but I haven't been that way in a while and Google's Street View doesn't show it well.

Granted, this stretch of I-75 is generally lightly trafficked. In the heaviest months, it sees about 17,500 vpd on the Mackinac Bridge. In the slowest months, it's about 5700 vpd.  At the International bridge, it varies between about 4500 to 7000 vpd.

[kphoger]

speed displays...encouraging motorists to slow down. 

He he he.  I love those.  They ought to put "˜PLEASE' plaques above them.

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

For example, the speed limit on the Eastbound Toll Road goes from 55 east of the Lake Station ramp (exit 21) to 45 at the one mile ticket advisory, then to 40 within the half-mile.

That 40 there is very, very new.  As recently as 3-4 weeks ago (oy, it's a blur.) it was 45 all the way to the plaza. (For a month or so, I was running up and down the I-80 corridor between eastern PA and ChicagoLand every 3 days or so.)  One driver got on the CB the last time I went through there and mentioned "Looks like too many people were slowing down to 45, so they had to throw a 40 in there."

[Brandon]

For example, the speed limit on the Eastbound Toll Road goes from 55 east of the Lake Station ramp (exit 21) to 45 at the one mile ticket advisory, then to 40 within the half-mile.

That 40 there is very, very new.  As recently as 3-4 weeks ago (oy, it's a blur.) it was 45 all the way to the plaza. (For a month or so, I was running up and down the I-80 corridor between eastern PA and ChicagoLand every 3 days or so.)  One driver got on the CB the last time I went through there and mentioned "Looks like too many people were slowing down to 45, so they had to throw a 40 in there."

I wish they'd rebuild the toll plaza and put some high-speed ORT lanes in the middle.

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

I wish they'd rebuild the toll plaza and put some high-speed ORT lanes in the middle.

You and I both.  Ohio as well.

[Ace10]

Simple - I don't generally drive on toll roads outside of the E-ZPass Group states.

The MAP-21 law, passed by Congress last year, mandates that the toll systems across the country become interoperable. See TOLLROADSnews report here.

From TOLLROADSnews (with emphasis added):

Interoperability within 4 years

Electronic tolling on all  interstates  and other federal-aid highways must provide for interoperability by mid-2016 as provided in a mercifully short provision of the Act:

SEC. 1512. TOLLING.

(a) AMENDMENT TO TOLLING PROVISION.–Section 129(a) of title
23, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTION INTEROPERABILITY REQUIREMENTS.–Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, all toll facilities on the Federal-aid highways shall implement technologies or business practices that provide for the interoperability of electronic toll collection programs.

The one thing about MAP-21 that caught my eye is that this section applies to only "toll facilities on the Federal-aid highways". Does this technically cover totally-privately-funded roads? My main concern is Florida because the only tolled portion of Interstate is the Alligator Alley on I-75. To my knowledge, all the rest of Florida's toll roads are state or county roads or bridges on state, county, or local roads. And how about roads like VA 895, TX 130, or WA 520? I didn't see any discussion about this particular detail so I wanted to bring it up.

As far as Florida, there are generally always warning signs at least 1 or 2 miles in advance of the toll plaza in rural parts of the state (like the northern coin system on the Turnpike). Toll roads in cities like Tampa, Orlando, or Miami have warning signs too, though these are closer to 0.5 to 1 mile in advance. There are no speed limit reductions in advance of the toll plaza, or if there are, it certainly isn't the norm. Lots of toll plazas in Florida have been upgraded to express ETC and toll collection can be accomplished at highway speeds or even higher.

I do remember the northernmost toll plaza on the Turnpike having rumble strips in advance of the toll plaza, but this isn't really the norm. The toll plazas on the northern coin system are placed pretty far apart, so I can see the reasoning.

As mentioned before, at ramps, speed limits through SunPass/E-Pass only booths are 25 MPH on FTE roads and (generally) 35 MPH on OOCEA roads (except for Osceola Parkway). Also, Osceola Parkway's one and only mainline toll plaza has a sign that indicates the vehicle's speed as it approaches the plaza. (https://maps.google.com/?ll=28.345099,-81.439605&spn=0.000002,0.001612&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=28.345099,-81.439605&panoid=VS2fqycfhktAAxUoF6HV-g&cbp=12,292.62,,3,0.48)

[NE2]

The one thing about MAP-21 that caught my eye is that this section applies to only "toll facilities on the Federal-aid highways". Does this technically cover totally-privately-funded roads? My main concern is Florida because the only tolled portion of Interstate is the Alligator Alley on I-75. To my knowledge, all the rest of Florida's toll roads are state or county roads or bridges on state, county, or local roads.

Most of these are on the National Highway System, the current primary federal aid system.