I-70

jsmith948 · 10-03-2014, 05:08 AM

We are thinking of making a trip back east to NW New Jersey next summer or fall. Will probably take 99 & 58 to Barstow then I-15 into Utah to I-70. Then east to I-71 & I-76 to I-80.
According to the Atlas, I-70 is a toll road for 70+ miles east of Topeka?
Have any of you traveled along this section of I-70? I was wondering how much the tolls are? Good Sam routed me around the toll section, but, it looked a little convoluted. Any help/suggestions?

in advance.

**JRTJH** · 10-03-2014, 05:24 AM

We were through there in April of this year. The tolls from Topeka to Kansas City were, I believe $11. That's with the dual axle Cougar and SRW truck. For us, it wasn't worth the effort to go out of our way to avoid the tolls.

The only place I've found where it was "distasteful" to be "held hostage" by tolls was on the tollways just east of Houston/Galveston. There it seemed like it was "$5.45 in tolls every 5 miles for nearly 50 miles

That's what I got for listening to "Sally, the GARMIN GURU" Next time, I'll use my "I remember when" and take I-10 to the Budweiser brewery, then 610 south toward Galveston. That was a $50 lesson learned.

Kansas wasn't that kind of experience, at least for us. The tollway was convenient and affordable.

Good Luck with planning your trip.

BirchyBoy · 10-03-2014, 05:50 AM

On the topic of tolls: I bought an EZPass in Indiana for our trip this past summer. Our tolls were $71 total for the trip between CO and ME and back. Not too bad all things considered. The only bad part is that EZPass hit my credit card for another $71 last week, 3 full months after our last toll was charged. I called and they said they charge quarterly based on previous usage. What kind of crap is that?

jsmith948 · 10-03-2014, 06:22 AM

Thanks for the info. Sounds like we'll be OK on the tollway and we won't bother with the EZ Pass

**JRTJH** · 10-03-2014, 06:23 AM

DANG!!!!!!!!!!!! So EZPASS charges you for the tolls, then decides to charge you for "next year's tolls" too? Ain't that a grand way to bill??? LOL Hopefully they will get it fixed for you. Thanks for the "heads up" I'm thinking that my "idea" to get an EZPASS to make things simpler probably isn't the way to go (since we only encounter tolls when travelling).... Hmmmmm

**hankpage** · 10-03-2014, 06:50 AM

BirchyBoy, I have been using EZ-PASS for years with no problems. It may have something to do with the way you set up your method of payment. Mine is set to charge my credit card $25 when gets low. With some tolls in our area being over $16 my card may be charged several times for one trip but rarely is there more than $20 reserve in the EZ-PASS account. Many tolls now have express lanes so you can maintain speed and don't have to stop to squeeze through a toll booth. Perhaps you can change how your account is billed ..... it's worth a phone call. Hank

BirchyBoy · 10-03-2014, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hankpage

BirchyBoy, I have been using EZ-PASS for years with no problems. It may have something to do with the way you set up your method of payment. Mine is set to charge my credit card $25 when gets low. With some tolls in our area being over $16 my card may be charged several times for one trip but rarely is there more than $20 reserve in the EZ-PASS account. Many tolls now have express lanes so you can maintain speed and don't have to stop to squeeze through a toll booth. Perhaps you can change how your account is billed ..... it's worth a phone call. Hank

I called them back just now to talk to another agent. She said the last charge on my account was for the Delaware bridge for $37. If it had been a regular toll for a few bucks, I wouldn't have been charged like I was. She initiated a refund of $70, so all is good. Now I need to decide on keeping the darn thing for the next trip, and paying $1/month management fee, or sending it back and getting one when it's needed next.

jsmith948 · 10-03-2014, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BirchyBoy

I called them back just now to talk to another agent. She said the last charge on my account was for the Delaware bridge for $37.

Which bridge was that Was that the Stroudsburg crossing on I-80?
Also, I see you're from CO - is the Eisenhower Tunnel any hassle (propane, etc)?

BirchyBoy · 10-03-2014, 09:15 AM

It was the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

I haven't taken my travel trailer West yet through the Eisenhower tunnel. I can't imagine any issues though; lots of campers go that way. Any restrictions might be for larger, commercial vehicles but I'm not sure.

hankaye · 10-03-2014, 05:31 PM

jsmith948, Howdy;

Here's the Home page for Co."s DOT Info section,
I didn't see anything that applied to RV's specifically.
Perhaps if you were to call or contact them and get
the info. "Straight from the Equine's Mouth".
http://www.coloradodot.info/

hankaye

MarkS · 10-03-2014, 09:54 PM

Going through the tunnels with a RV is no problem. Getting to the tunnels can be a challenge. Truck magazines frequently use the Eisenhower approaches to test trucks. Long steep at 11k feet. If you have a gasser, be prepared to go slow up and down.

This time of year keep an eye on the weather.

The climb out of Denver and Vail Pass will also strain your rig.

jsmith948 · 10-04-2014, 04:13 AM

BirchyBoy - Thanks for the reply. Since we left NJ in 1967, it looks like they have added toll bridges at just about all the Delaware River crossings. I seem to remember there only being toll bridges in Trenton and Stroudsburg. I was hoping the toll wasn't $37!

Hankaye - Thanks for the link. Great idea - wish I had thought of it:

MarkS - Thanks for the warning regarding the grades. We could always bypass CO by going I-80 or I-40. On the map, I-70 appears to follow the river. Thought it would be a nice, scenic drive.

Desert185 · 10-04-2014, 05:33 AM

If you want scenic, do Dodge City-Walsenburg-Alamosa-Pagosa Springs-Durango-Cortez-then southern route or Hwy 50 westbound. There's a couple of 10,000' passes, but the scenery is worth the climb. Climb=mountains=scenic.

No tolls, BTW.

jsmith948 · 10-04-2014, 06:14 AM

Thanks for the info. We aren't really concerned about grades/mountains. Have never traveled into CO and appreciate any & all input.

hankaye · 10-04-2014, 08:30 AM

jsmith948, Howdy;

Scenic is great but better appreciated without looking over white knuckles.
I-40 across Northern Az. is also a great scenic drive and you can turn North
at I-25 at Albuquerque, N.M.
OR ... Take I-70E to US-191 in Southeast Utah, go South (tip. Fuel/gas up
at Green River, Ut. [second exit, that way you don't have the hassle of going
through town], as the gas/fuel stop at the exit for 191 is a gouger,
wanted $5.35/gal. for diesel last June when the price in Green River was
$3.62/gal.), follow 191S through Moab, Ut. to Montrose, Ut. turn Left onto
US-491 (used to be US-666), this will take you across the very Southwestern
corner of Co, and into N.M. Keep following it South till you find I-40 then East
to Abq. then North on I-25. Raton Pass is the only major hill and it's nothing
like climbing up an down across Co. When you get to Co.Springs you can
jump onto US-24 and that will bring you to I-70 at Limon, Co. saves a few
hundred miles as well as having to put up with the nut cases in and around
Denver.
Only a few suggestions for alternate routes.

MarkS · 10-04-2014, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsmith948

MarkS - Thanks for the warning regarding the grades. We could always bypass CO by going I-80 or I-40. On the map, I-70 appears to follow the river. Thought it would be a nice, scenic drive.

I didn't mean to scare you off. I70 is very scenic. As long as you are prepared, it is no problem. My DMax pulling a 10K trailer can do 65 the whole way. My previous 6 liter gasser pulling a 6K trailer was maxed out at 40mph up some of the grades.

**JRTJH** · 10-04-2014, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkS

I didn't mean to scare you off. I70 is very scenic. As long as you are prepared, it is no problem. My DMax pulling a 10K trailer can do 65 the whole way. My previous 6 liter gasser pulling a 6K trailer was maxed out at 40mph up some of the grades.

That was also our experience on I-70. Whether going east or west, the climb up to the tunnel can be a challenge with a gas truck. It was even worse with a NA diesel.

"back before the tunnel" it was even worse trying to negotiate Loveland Pass. Of course, back then, the passes were the only way to go anywhere, so it was "do or die" so to speak. Between Berthod, Rabbit Ears, Loveland and the host of others, the Eisenhower Tunnel seems "tame" by comparison.

The only suggestion (if you're intent on travelling I-70, is to take it easy headed down into Denver. Every year, someone tries to do the "game check cutoff" with heated brakes and winds up either over-running the exit or doing a "panic stop with damage" while trying to avoid all the vehicles lined up waiting for DNR to do their thing.

Take it easy, don't be "afraid of the mountain" but respect it and you'll really enjoy the trip. No matter where you go along I-70, from the western Colorado state line all the way to Denver, it's scenery, Scenery, SCENERY !!! It's all breath taking if you've never experienced it.

jsmith948 · 10-04-2014, 10:23 AM

Thanks for the replies. No, you didn't scare us off. If we go in summer, we'll take 70. If we go after school starts, we'll take 40. Old trucker with lots of mountain miles and our little f250 should be okay. My primary concern was the tunnels.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

BirchyBoy · 10-07-2014, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BirchyBoy

I called them back just now to talk to another agent. She said the last charge on my account was for the Delaware bridge for $37. If it had been a regular toll for a few bucks, I wouldn't have been charged like I was. She initiated a refund of $70, so all is good. Now I need to decide on keeping the darn thing for the next trip, and paying $1/month management fee, or sending it back and getting one when it's needed next.

This is rich. I got a verbal promise from the agent to refund the $70 and in today's mail is a bankruptcy notice for ITR concessions, otherwise known as the operator of the Indiana toll road. I'm wondering if the incorrect charge was actually a money grab prior to filing.....

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...-declines.html

Bob Landry · 10-07-2014, 06:18 AM

My solution for dealing with the money grab toll roads and all of the billing problems they generate is simple. I don't drive on them. I pay for road usage every time I buy gas. Texas really got greedy, Austin in particular, and forced tolls on us through repetitious elections until the voters just gave in and then turned the management of them over to some company in Spain.
Our legislature also passed a sporting goods tax that was supposed to fund the State Parks, but they also wrote into the bill that the legislature had to appropriate that money to go to the parks after it was collected and guess what has yet to happen. As a result of that, Parks & Wildlife has a big donations drive every year wanting money to supplement their operating costs. I don't think so and I don't use their parks.

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