Wasn’t it the tolls that paid for them though? Maybe just for maintenance but seemed pretty hefty last time I was through there, compared to some in Florida that I think were completely paid with tolls.
Same in PA with the turnpike, only tourists or recent arrivals call it I-76
Theoretically the PA Turnpike should be completely funded by tolls, however Harrisburg cronies (on both sides of the aisle) have been diverting that funding for other projects for decades. So now I typically don’t use the Turnpike to go to Philly period unless I’m pressed for time the tolls have gotten so damn high
I am not currently traveling to NYC anyway, as a result of the pandemic, but I stopped driving into NYC several years ago when the tunnel toll was raised to $16. And then, you have the problem of parking once you get there, because street parking is essentially impossible, and private parking garages could easily nick you for $30 for the day.
It’s just so much less hassle to park (at relatively low cost) in Jersey City, and take public transportation into NYC.
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The Thruway tolls have been paying for the operation of the states canal system for years for pleasure boating, This tells me that many politicians own boats,The tolls have also funded some non toll interstate that either Albany or NYC bigwigs use.
The Thruway was funded by bonds and the tolls were supposed to be removed once the bonds were paid off. Maintenance was supposed to be paid for by our insanely high gasoline tax like the rest of our roads.
That’s what my wife and I did when we would go see shows on Broadway. Quite convenient
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When we go into NYC we stay in CT and take the train (Harlem line) to Grand Central. Hotel prices are 1/3rd that of NYC. And where we stay at in CT it’s only a 35 minute ride into the city. Very convenient.
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My Dad was really pissed about that because he helped build the Thruway. They are now making the tolls completely unmanned. MA turnpike is that way and parts of NH tolls are that way too.NY also did got Federal funding for sections of the Thruway which could be used in emergency situations as landing strips in case of war.
About five years ago we signed up for the Illinois tollway with the transponder because a lot of the exits were no longer manned and you couldn’t pay cash. Actually it is really nice and the rates are about half the cash rates. Just drive on through. Plus the same system covers most of the tollways going east except DC, NJ, and NY I think, and Florida is different but I don’t take my car there anyway (or didn’t). Of course on the one metro section in Minnesota it’s a different system so I’ve never done that. Maybe someday they will all talk to each other.
Looks like just mostly around Orlando. The rental cars pretty much have the transponders already in them. Last time I stopped at the toll booth and they waved me through-didn’t know the transponder was activated. I don’t think I ever did get a separate bill for the tolls.
I’ve h ad EZPass for a couple decades now. Cost is one thing…but the main reason was I didn’t have to wait in the other toll lanes.
I don’t recommend this. The last I knew, at least one rental car company had a policy that you pay a daily service charge covering the whole rental period the first time you use the transponder, in which case your first toll can become fantastically expensive. I got my own E-PASS that I bring when I travel there to avoid this.
That’s the way it works unless you get a special deal or you become a member of one of the car rental clubs.
I think I’m probably a member depending on who I rented from. But the EZ pass says you are supposed to register the car you will be using so not sure how that would work for a rental. I’ve always had to update when changing cars.
We bought a new car, did several trips with the Ipass, tolls got deducted just fine, then got an auto funds applied notice and changed the cars. We have loaned it to our daughter, and never had an issue. In updating there were a couple of cars I did not even recognize.
As long as the vehicle is the same class you’re allowed to use it.
I interviewed for a job in Lower Manhattan during my senior year of college. The HR guy said that despite the high cost, it was definitely worthwhile to live in Midtown and commute to the office. Apartment costs were bad enough, but they wanted $300/month to rent a parking spot - in 1974. I paid that for an apartment where I moved a few months later. My cost analysis showed that I could take a cab four times a day and not spend as much as it would cost me to own a car in NYC.
So maybe it’s a California thing? Exit numbers are a relatively new thing here (I remember seeing them on signs in movies before I saw them on signs here) but I’ve never paid any attention to them, relying instead on the actual name of the road (Smith Jones Rd., Wrecking Crew Highway, etc.). I would only be concerned if they eliminated the name of the road from the exit sign, leaving only the exit number).
Our limited access highway exits have both road names and exit numbers. I always use the road names, and couldn’t tell you what the exit numbers are. When giving directions, I tell the name and direction (NEWS) to go, never the exit number.
That causes problems sometimes. Why wife’s cousin got married many years ago. Her mother gave directions over the phone to several people in her Bawlmer accent. She told them to get off the beltway at the Bel Air Road exit, but with her accent, it sounded like Blair Rd. Several people went past the correct exit. That was long enough ago that there weren’t cell phones. Fortunately, everyone eventually figured it out and got the the service.