We’re planning a road trip, and part of the itinerary will be to drive on I-80/I-90 from south of Chicago to Syracuse, NY. I’m trying to find out how much the tolls are going to be, to have an idea of how much and what kind of cash to have handy. Googling ain’t doing it, and the Indiana DOT Web site (first state I tried) was similarly unhelpful.
Anybody know of a site (or sites) where I can look the sucker up? I know that in the past I’ve seen stuff (probably offline) along the lines of “it costs $XX.XX to travel from A to B on toll road C.” You’d think something like that would be on Teh Intarweb somewhere!
Not sure if your route takes you on the Ohio Turnpike but if it does, then it will cost you $8.95.
I agree with vetbridge, you should check out your local Triple-A office or browse through their website. If you are not a member, and if it is required, borrow a friend.
Also, I would point out that AAA membership is cheap. I recently stopped at a AAA office to register a trailer and get plates (they do all kinds of that stuff). They discount these services for members. By joining I saved nearly as much as a years membership costs.
OK, thanks, everyone, it looks like the rolls of coin I picked up at the bank today should be sufficient, along with pocket cash. Gah, too much crap to do, not enough time to do it!
I don’t think we travel enough to make AAA membership worth its while. Mostly we’re homebodies.
Um, it’s shorter and more direct. Plus there’s substantially less traffic than you’ll see in the Toledo-Cleveland-Erie corridor, especially if you’re likely to hit Cleveland in the daytime. It’s less urban and therefore has higher speed limits. The added bonus of being able to do a little shopping in Canada and take advantage of the exchange rate is worth mentioning too.
Well, we would like to mosey through that part of Canada sometime, but I don’t think it’s going to be on this trip. We’ve got enough hassles going on already without gathering paperwork for crossing the border, exchanging money, etc. And not a lot of extra cash for shopping; this is a “visit the family” trip.
Here’s how I’m calculating the mileage from home (central WI) to Syracuse, courtesy of Rand McNally:
Through Sault Ste. Marie: 1054 miles
Chicago-Detroit-Buffalo: 941 miles
Tollway through IL/IN/OH/PA/NY: 923 miles
The old folks we’re going to visit always come back this way via that route, so I guess we can hazard it. I’ll note your warning about Cleveland, though; if it looks bad we can always circle around it.
I90 in New York has two toll sections. I’m a little behind and don’t pay attention with with using the EZ-pass, but I’d say the section from the NY/PA line to south of Buffalo is about $5.00. Then after Buffalo I90 East to Syracuse will be another $5 or so.
East of Buffalo, just before exit 48A look to the right and wave. I’ll be looking for you.
In New York, it depends on where you get onto I-90 and where you get off at Syracuse, but from the PA line to the central Syracuse exit, it’s $7.90. From the Buffalo Airport (assuming you cut through Canada), it’s $5.30.
Growing up I SE Michigan, I always crossed Ontario when heading for New York State or New England.
I would also agree that taking I-94 (or I-94/I-69) across Michigan is cheaper than staying on the Indiana Toll Road and Ohio Turnpike. Michigan has higher speed limits than Ohio or Pennsylvania (not sure about Indiana), but (unless it has changed recently) Ontario has lower speed limits.
However,
the border crossings at Port Huron/Sarnia and, especially, Detroit/Windsor have gotten significantly hairier since the WTC/Pentagon attacks. (For a while there was a constant backup at the Ambassador Bridge.) I am not sure how that bridge or the tunnel or the Blue Water Bridge are to cross, these days, but then you have to get back into the U.S. at Niagara Falls or nearby and that can be its own experience of hell.
Before blithely seeting off to use the Michigan/Ontario route, I would wait for some opinions of people who have to cross there regularly, these days. (I don’t think you need a passport yet, but the date to implement that rule is rolling up on us.)
As for the tolls in the U.S.:
as Frosted Glass linked, Indiana will cost $4.15 in a car. Illinois cost will vary by the point at which you enter.
Ohio will not cost $8.95. There is no reason to drive all the way to Pennsylvania. You can exit the Turnipike at Exit 142, following I-90 through Cleveland if you will not be in rush hour for $5.45.
If you are concerned about Downtown Cleveland, you can continue to Exit 151 and take I-480 across to I-271 then I-271 North to rejoin I-90. The toll to Exit 151 is $5.75. (I do not advise this route between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. but the rest of the time it is just city traffic–not a big deal.) Ohio Turnpike Rate Calculator Ohio Turnpike Home page from which you can get maps, lodging, construction info, etc.
I-90 is free to the border of New York (including the Pennsylvania panhandle) where it becomes part of the New York Thruway.
(I always hopped off the Thruway as soon as i could and followed US-20 across the back country. It is two-lane with a lot of villages, but very pretty.)
I will note that the Sarnia/Niagara Falls run is only about five hours long. You really don’t need much except a credit card for gas to get through if you are not sightseeing.
Man, I’m gonna have to print this thread out and take it along!
Looks like we’ll probably hit the Cleveland area well after rush hour. Then crash on the road for a few hours somewhere between there and Buffalo, so we can arrive in Syracuse somewhat coherent the next day. We’ve driven straight through from here to Colorado (which is farther) with only a few brief naps and plenty of driver switches, so it should be OK.
Yeah, if it weren’t for the border crossing, Canada could be fun. We crossed there & back a few days after 9/11 :eek:. I know it’s been a while, but I don’t care to repeat the experience when we don’t have time to kill.
The run from Cleveland to Buffalo isn’t the most densly populated stretch of road so you might want to choose your lodging ahead of time to widen your choices.
Eh, the van is comfy enough that we can just tilt the seats back and grab a pillow and blankie. We’ve done it before. That way we don’t have to commit to a certain distance.
(We did reserve a room for the return trip, though. Gonna hang out at Niagara Falls for a bit and then cook ourselves in the hot tub and crash before we head home.)
In November 2004 I breezed into Canada via Port Huron, but coming back through Detroit was a bit of a PITA (and that retelling doesn’t include the preliminary hour of waiting in truck exhaust on the bridge). But on the bright side, U.S. citizens won’t need a passport until Dec. 31, 2007 to return to the U.S. from Canada.
Stopping for a bit of a rest in the van. I do it all the time on mini trips. Sounds like fun. If you’re going to wander around the Niagra area and you like a little history you can swing through Lockport and look at the canal locks. You have the original 5 locks next to the 2 current barge locks.
We cross here in Michigan once or twice every couple months, so not exactly every day, but enough to get a feel for it. The Ambassador Bridge in Detroit seems to take about 30 minutes, on average (paying toll + actual travel + customs). Less in the wee hours, but occasionally double that time. The tunnel I dunno, but I imagine traffic probably evens out between the bridge and the tunnel. The Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron seems to take less time: 15 to 20 minutes. Passports are not yet required; we get by quite nicely with birth certificates plus driver’s licenses.
I’ll note your warning about Cleveland, though; if it looks bad we can always circle around it.