Oh me too!  I'm all for it!

The real question should be, when will Pennsylvania actually do something constuctive with the toll dollars collected on the Pa. Turnpike?

 

My guess, after driving the Pa Turnpike from the Ohio state line to Breezewood over the past 15 years, is "no".

 

This has nothing to do with the topic.

The real question should be, when will Pennsylvania actually do something constuctive with the toll dollars collected on the Pa. Turnpike?

 

My guess, after driving the Pa Turnpike from the Ohio state line to Breezewood over the past 15 years, is "no".

 

This has nothing to do with the topic.

 

It's quite on topic, one backhanded slam deserves another. :)

stop kids.

I said, stop kids.

ez pass? who uses the turnpike to commute?

 

sucker.

 

 

I go to school west of Chicago, so I purchased Illinois' I-Pass late last year and am VERY GRATEFUL to have it!!!  I-Pass users utilize the "open-road tolling" lanes and not only does it cut my tolls in half, it is compatible with the EZ-Pass system, and at the I-80 / Tri-State (I-294) split it literally saves me 30 minutes or so (I always look at those stuck in the toll booth lanes and breathe a sigh of relief)!!!

 

If Ohio gets it..........that'll make payment convenient and I guess toll stops a little less inconvenient........man oh man that Route 250 interchange is so congested  :lol:

 

 

On a side note.....when driving back and forth from home to school I travel the Ohio Turnpike (from Mile 118, basically the halfway point) to Indiana and it costs $4.50; I use the entire Indiana Toll Road and it costs me $4.15 (153 miles)..........grrrrrrrrrr

By the way, my favorite sign is in the eastbound lanes at the Indiana State Line...........Welcome to Ohio.........Ted Strickland, governor  :-)

 

 

I go to school west of Chicago, so I purchased Illinois' I-Pass late last year and am VERY GRATEFUL to have it!!!  I-Pass users utilize the "open-road tolling" lanes and not only does it cut my tolls in half, it is compatible with the EZ-Pass system, and at the I-80 / Tri-State (I-294) split it literally saves me 30 minutes or so (I always look at those stuck in the toll booth lanes and breathe a sigh of relief)!!!

 

If Ohio gets it..........that'll make payment convenient and I guess toll stops a little less inconvenient........man oh man that Route 250 interchange is so congested  :lol:

 

 

On a side note.....when driving back and forth from home to school I travel the Ohio Turnpike (from Mile 118, basically the halfway point) to Indiana and it costs $4.50; I use the entire Indiana Toll Road and it costs me $4.15 (153 miles)..........grrrrrrrrrr

 

I wouldn't grrr that much. The Ohio State line to Breezewood (151 miles) -- $11.25. God help ya if you have to drive to Philly.

god forbid a highway authority charge close to what it costs to maintain a road.

god forbid a highway authority charge close to what it costs to maintain a road.

 

Pope, I believe most of your trips are to MI right? Both Jersey and Ohio charge less for similar distances. The difference between those two states and the Pa. Turnpike is like comparing a US road to a Mexican one. If it didn't add two hours of burning fuel....I would gladly take I-79 to I-68 every time. Of course I-79 is mess too....especially south of Washington, Pa. to the W. Va. state line.

I see what you are saying now. i don't ride the PA turnpike very often. I believe you are saying the condition of the roads is deplorable compared to ohio's with the fares in mind?

I see what you are saying now. i don't ride the PA turnpike very often. I believe you are saying the condition of the roads is deplorable compared to ohio's with the fares in mind?

 

Pretty much....I mean they have great service plazas and the regular signage has improved quite a bit..but many parts of the PA turnpike aren't in great shape. For example, large sections of the turnpike's call boxes don't work, and OK pavement around the Pittsburgh area is sketchy at best. Penn DOT spent over a year making this 'beautiful' interchange at the Butler Valley exit but for the most part the expressway is still a mess.

 

And there is an incredible waste of construction signage on the Turnpike. There's one section, east of New Stanton that says 55....then right lane out ahead...then 65...then 55...then right lane out ahead...then 65...and yet there isn't a construction vehicle or even a barrel in sight in this area. It's pretty damn silly.

 

By the way, I'm all for Ohio and Indiana getting E-Z Pass, I just wish Pa. would actually do some real improvements to it's highway, outside of interchanges, service plazas and toll booths.

I know what you're talking about with the PA Turnpike.  I took it from the Ohio/Pennsylvania State line for a long time on my way to Philly.  The construction signage was overboard to say the least, the lanes were too narrow for the truck traffic that was on the road, signage in general was terrible, shoulders were extremely narrow, and overall it was a headaches to drive.

 

I remember on the way back I couldn't wait to get back into Ohio and drive on some roads that didn't cause me soo much stress.  And to think that the PA road was a toll road on top of it was really what irked me the most.  It was a complete headache to drive and I had to pay...whereas the Ohio road was without tolls and was a dream to drive on in comparison.

 

But I will say that the PA road had to maintain tunnels and navigate much more difficult terrain, and should not be faulted for that.

But I will say that the PA road had to maintain tunnels and navigate much more difficult terrain, and should not be faulted for that.

 

Which is complete bullsh!t as West Virginia ALSO has tunnels and even more rugged terrain than Pennsylvania (and need I remind everyone, it's also a poorer state) and has excellent "stress-free" roads.  I just think that PennDOT is one of the more inept state transportation agencies (it's a sad day when ODOT actually beats someone, overall).

I have never driven on a WV road myself.  I was comparing PA to OH in terms of drivability and terrain.  PennDOT may certainly be a crap department, but I will say that at least PA has some alternative forms of transportation that neither OH or WV can boast.

But even if we are discussing alternative forms of transporation (which I assume you are implying the subways and commuter rail of Philadelphia), they are still shitty.  SEPTA is a joke (though the idea and former glory is fantastic).  So to say "well gee, they have more on their plates" isn't logical if they still "suck" at it.  And don't think I'm praising ODOT when discussing PennDOT.  ODOT is about as Christ-like as MC Rove.

ODOT is about as Christ-like as MC Rove.

 

I loved that MC Rove clip. Hilarious.

But I will say that the PA road had to maintain tunnels and navigate much more difficult terrain, and should not be faulted for that.

 

Which is complete bullsh!t as West Virginia ALSO has tunnels and even more rugged terrain than Pennsylvania (and need I remind everyone, it's also a poorer state) and has excellent "stress-free" roads.  I just think that PennDOT is one of the more inept state transportation agencies (it's a sad day when ODOT actually beats someone, overall).

 

I-68 is like night vs. day compared the Pa. Turnpike, even if it means going over hills as opposed to around and through them.

I have never driven on a WV road myself.  I was comparing PA to OH in terms of drivability and terrain.  PennDOT may certainly be a crap department, but I will say that at least PA has some alternative forms of transportation that neither OH or WV can boast.

 

They do have cross-state (daytime) Amtrak service, and pretty decent bus services, especially from eastern PA (Scranton, Allenton etc) into New York City, or at least to the western termini of the NJ Transit commuter rail lines.

 

And while we lament the condition of SEPTA or even PAT, they still offer more extensive transit services than in any Ohio city (which are also pretty shitty IMHO).

At the Turnpike/I-71 interchange, there was an EZ-Pass sign above one of the tollbooths for a few months.  I ended up in it a couple of times without realizing and you had to pay yourself to get out.  The sign now just says "self pay" and it takes twice as long (no exaggeration) to get through that booth than going through a booth with a human being. 

 

I use the turnpike more often for work than for commuting. 

 

 

I have never driven on a WV road myself.  I was comparing PA to OH in terms of drivability and terrain.  PennDOT may certainly be a crap department, but I will say that at least PA has some alternative forms of transportation that neither OH or WV can boast.

 

They do have cross-state (daytime) Amtrak service, and pretty decent bus services, especially from eastern PA (Scranton, Allenton etc) into New York City, or at least to the western termini of the NJ Transit commuter rail lines.

 

And while we lament the condition of SEPTA or even PAT, they still offer more extensive transit services than in any Ohio city (which are also pretty shitty IMHO).

 

Utah probably has "more extensive transit services" than Ohio cities.  My argument was simply directed at the notion of giving Pennsylvania a "pass" on shitty roads and horrendous services because they have more on their plate.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Report: Tolls can't meet future highway needs

By Eric Kelderman, Stateline.org Staff Writer     

 

State highway officials warned Wednesday (March 7) of a looming $11 billion hole in federal highway funds and said the growing shift toward tolls and private leases of roads can’t generate enough money to meet the nation’s short- or long-term transportation needs. 

 

Instead, the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, last raised 14 years ago, would have to go up at least 3 cents by 2009 and 7 cents more by 2015 just to maintain the current highway system and keep pace with the fast-rising cost of roads, according to a new report by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

 

More at:

http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=187179

Report says turnpike lease could fund public transit as well as roads needs

 

Philadelphia Business Journal - 2:15 PM EDT Tuesday, May 22, 2007

 

 

A long-term lease of the Pennsylvania Turnpike could generate enough revenue on its own to meet public-transit and roads and bridges funding needs identified by the state, according to a report released on Monday.

.........

 

Philadelphia Business Journal

http://mobile.bizjournals.com/smartphone/mobile.php?UMPG=article&UM_SCTN=Latest+News&MKT=philadelphia&UM_ARTICLE_LINK=http://www.bizjournals.com%2Fphiladelphia%2Fstories%2F2007%2F05%2F21%2Fdaily17.html%3Fsurround%3Dlfn

Article published November 15, 2007

 

Traffic declinestalls Ohio Turnpike work

Revenues below budget; some projects postponed

 

By DAVID PATCH

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

Northern Ohio's sluggish economy and gasoline's soaring price are taking their toll on the Ohio Turnpike.  While revenue is up in 2007 because of toll increases back in January, traffic is down for the first 10 months of the year.

 

More below

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071115/NEWS11/711150367/-1/NEWS

 

Contact David Patch at:

[email protected]

or 419-724-6094.

IIRC, the Ohio Turnpike is financing the bridge over the Maumee River and a new toll-way to connnect Columbus to Toledo (I-73).  I wonder if rising construction costs caught up with them and busted their budget.

 

http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22ohio+turnpike%22+%22toledo+to+columbus%22&btnG=Search+Archives&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8

The I-73 "toll way" proposal never got past the proposal stage.  It got strong public opposition from landowners before it even made it off the planning table and the idea was pretty much put on a dusty shelf.  The cost of land aquisition alone would have cost a lot back in the mid-1990's.  Imagine what those costs would be now.

Boreal, if you're referring to the I-280 Maumee River crossing, that's not an Ohio Turnpike project. It's an ODOT project.

There is no Interstate 73 project in the works. That was quickly dropped in favor of expanding capacity, adding interchanges and doing other operational improvements to U.S. Route 23 through most of central and southern Ohio.

 

As for the AADT drop, does anyone have any figures what it was in 2007 compared to last year?

 

As for EZ-PASS, it's about damn time! Although the Turnpike does not have a lot of commuters, it should still install the transponder-based system to give efficency to travelers who use EZ-PASS in other states. High-speed lanes should be constructed so that drivers do not need to slow to 5 to 15 MPH to use their tags.

Boreal, if you're referring to the I-280 Maumee River crossing, that's not an Ohio Turnpike project. It's an ODOT project.

Thanks.  I don't follow these projects closely (or I-73).  I just remember some stories on public radio from many years ago.  They never broadcast the story that the project has been dropped.

 

Ok, just to make things fun.  How much will traffic have to decrease to remove the need to build a new Innerbelt Bridge over the Cuyahoga River on I-90?  I have a feeling that only people with very important business will be motorists in about thirty years on account of gasoline prices.  Even electric motoring will be expensive, for that matter.  Hydrogen's a bust.

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080318/NEWS11/803180362/-1/NEWS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Article published March 18, 2008

 

Ohio Turnpike moves toward electronic toll collection

Ohio to add E-Z Pass to 241-mile system

By DAVID PATCH

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

Seventeen months from now, it will become E-Z to use the Ohio Turnpike, though in some cases not quite so E-Z as on neighboring states' tollways.

 

 

.......

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08085/867652-35.stm

 

Almost E-Z: Pennsylvanians win with Ohio's electronic toll plan

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

 

Here's good news for Pennsylvania drivers motoring west. The Ohio Turnpike Commission has finally given the gas to a plan to install E-ZPass toll lanes.

 

 

.........

Ohioans generally don't care as they generally use Rt. 2 to get across the state so that may be why Ohio was "late" to this E-Z Pass system.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=a_d0dQrR0Lqc

 

Illinois, Indiana Toll Roads May Join Macquarie Sales

 

By Darrell Preston

 

July 28 (Bloomberg) -- Macquarie Infrastructure Group, a publicly traded toll-road fund managed by Australia’s biggest investment bank, Macquarie Group Ltd., may sell the leases on the Chicago Skyway and Indiana Toll Road as it seeks to raise cash, investors said.

 

A July 8 statement by the Sydney-based company says “it is reviewing options which seek to enhance security holder value.” prompted speculation that the Skyway, the first privatized U.S. toll road, and the Indiana highway, the largest such transaction, may be part of the company’s divestiture plans, said William Seddon, an analyst who helps manage $250 million with White Funds Management in Sydney.

 

More at link above:

We'll probably see more toll roads in the near future. DOTs, including Ohio's, can't afford to keep up their highways on gas taxes alone. And no elected officials want to double taxes in order to afford the upkeep.

Ohio Turnpike toll changes may keep truckers off the road

By Karen Farkas, The Plain Dealer

December 22, 2009, 8:00AM

 

The Ohio Turnpike is the quickest and easiest way for Ed Nagle's drivers to transport food to Canton or Cleveland.

 

But many return to his Toledo trucking company on Ohio 2 because the turnpike toll is now based on the number of truck axles instead of weight -- so an empty truck costs the same as one loaded with freight, Nagle said.

 

"The turnpike is an added expense," said the president of Nagle Toledo Inc. "We have to buy fuel, maintain equipment and pay the driver. So, if we have the option, we try to cut back on tolls."

 

Full story at: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/12/ohio_turnpike_toll_changes_may.html

They fix their mess yet at the Ohio Turnpike?  Even cars with tall antennas were getting charged the higher rate...

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/01/ohio_turnpike_height_classific.html

 

Ohio Turnpike height rule leads to higher tolls for passenger vehicles with objects on roof

 

Strap a bike to the top of the car or luggage to the minivan roof, and you will pay more to travel on the Ohio Turnpike.

 

That's because the Turnpike Commission has a new height classification, which shifts passenger vehicles measuring 7 feet 6 inches tall or higher into a toll category meant for heavier two-axle commercial trucks.

 

 

 

Ohio Turnpike E-ZPass wins favor as raised tolls boost revenue

Published: Friday, October 01, 2010, 10:00 AM    Updated: Friday, October 01, 2010, 2:21 PM

Tom Breckenridge, The Plain Dealer

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The money is flowing and vehicles are rolling, one year after the Ohio Turnpike Commission raised tolls and installed an automated toll-collecting system known as E-ZPass.

 

The turnpike expects to collect a record $230 million in tolls this year. And E-ZPass is earning mostly kudos from motorists, who like the convenience of rolling through turnpike interchanges.

 

"Every time I keep going and other drivers have to stop to pay or pick up a ticket, I feel like I'm getting away with something," Linda Green of Cleveland said in an e-mail.

 

Full story at: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/10/ohio_turnpike_e-zpass_wins_fav.html

Ohio is not likely to sell the Ohio Turnpike anytime soon:

Published: Monday, December 06, 2010, 5:45 AM   

Updated: Monday, December 06, 2010, 8:10 AM

Michael K. McIntyre

 

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio's budget woes are unrelenting. Selling or leasing the Ohio Turnpike to a private operator would fetch money that would help.

 

That's why anxiety rose at the turnpike headquarters in Berea last week when Gov.-elect John Kasich said privatizing the 241-mile toll road is on the table. At an Ohio Farm Bureau convention Friday, Kasich said he knows there are companies with cash that would be interested.

 

But don't expect such a thing to happen anytime soon

 

Full story at: http://www.cleveland.com/tipoff/index.ssf/2010/12/ohio_is_not_likely_to_sell_the.html

I'm not gonna hold my breath waiting for Republicans to admonish Kasich for proposing to use 1 time quick fix gimmicks to balance the budget.

70-mph limit mulled for Ohio Turnpike

Aim is to get trucks off secondary roads

 

By DAVID PATCH

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

Ohio Turnpike traffic could speed up just a bit come spring: the Ohio Turnpike Commission is to vote Monday on a proposal to increase the toll road's speed limit from 65 mph to 70 for all vehicles.

 

Getting trucks off parallel secondary roads such as State Rt. 2 and U.S. 20 is the idea, said Pioneer, Ohio, Mayor Edward Kidston, the turnpike commission member who has placed the proposal on the board's agenda. Pioneer is on U.S. 20 in western Williams County, just north of the turnpike.

 

Eliminating the turnpike's split speed limit, under which trucks and private buses were restricted to 55 mph while other vehicles could go 65, in 2004 was effective at luring truckers to the toll road, "and I'm hoping we can get another 15 to 20 percent of them off" the side roads by going to 70, Mr. Kidston said Friday.

 

Full story at: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101218/NEWS16/101219449

 

 

Speed limit will rise to 70 on Ohio Turnpike

Monday, December 20, 2010  12:58 PM

 

Associated Press

BEREA, Ohio -- The speed limit on the Ohio Turnpike will rise next year, from 65 mph to 70 mph.

 

Spokeswoman Lauren Hakos says members of the Turnpike Commission voted 4-1 today to approve the increase, which applies to all vehicles. It takes effect April 1 along the 241-mile turnpike.

 

Full story at:

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/12/20/ohio-turnpike-speed-limit-increasing.html?sid=101

We need more toll roads more than we need faster toll roads.

Ironic, when there's concern over rising fuel prices and peak oil. With large vans, SUVs, and heavy-duty pickups, even diesels, the drop in mileage at 70mph compared with 55-60mph is very significant. Some operators of big rigs used to justify speeding by saying that their trucks ran more efficiently at higher speeds, but I came to doubt the truth in that when many truckers slowed down as fuel prices spiked a couple of years ago.

Ohio Turnpike plans road, service plaza upgrades with record toll receipts

Published: Monday, January 03, 2011, 5:00 AM

By Tom Breckenridge, The Plain Dealer

 

BEREA, Ohio -- Record toll revenues will allow the Ohio Turnpike Commission to start replacing sections of roadway built when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president.

 

About five miles of original pavement near Sandusky will be replaced in 2011, at a cost of $14 million, turnpike officials said recently.

 

It's among a handful of road and service plaza upgrades the turnpike will launch this year, at an estimated cost of $74 million (pdf).

 

Read more at: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro//print.html

Gov. Kasich offers hypothetical idea of leasing Ohio Turnpike

By JAY MILLER

3:14 pm, February 3, 2011

 

On his sixth visit to Cleveland since his election in November, Gov. John Kasich said his plan is to “restructure everything” about state government to improve Ohio's ability to create jobs.

 

In a 20-minute extemporaneous presentation to a group of more than 100 business leaders at a Greater Cleveland Partnership luncheon today, he threw out ideas — hypothetical ideas for now, he said — of leasing the Ohio Turnpike and lowering the tax on the sale of stock to keep wealthy Ohioans from fleeing to low-tax states.

 

And, as he always does, he said he would not raise taxes and that government needs to work “at the speed of business.”

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20110203/FREE/110209929

Gov. John Kasich wants $3 billion deal to lease the Ohio Turnpike

Published: Thursday, February 10, 2011, 6:30 PM    Updated: Thursday, February 10, 2011, 6:51 PM

By Reginald Fields, The Plain Dealer

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Gov. John Kasich said he wants at least $3 billion for leasing out the Ohio Turnpike, which he calls an under-utilized state asset.

 

The governor has talked for months about potentially privatizing the turnpike, much like Indiana has done, to create new revenue for the cash-strapped state.

 

On Thursday, while speaking to the Ohio Newspaper Association in Columbus, the Republican leader put a price tag on the 241-mile toll road.

 

"Wouldn't it be fantastic if I could take another country in Ohio called the turnpike, if I could privatize it and generate as much as $2.5 billion, potentially? We'll see," Kasich said. "If we can't get it, we probably won't do it."

 

Full story at: http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/02/gov_john_kasich_wants_3_billio.html

I have mixed feelings about this. To me, all infrastructure (roads, rails, airports, ports, etc) should be either all publicly owned or all privately owned to offer a fair, more-competitive fixed-cost structure. But I'm not convinced that the infrastructure ownership be private. Yes, I understand this would be a lease, but the lease term of the Indiana Turnpike was for 75 years and the Chicago Skyway was for 99 years. To me, that's about as close as ownership you can get without selling. For humans, that's a lifetime. For politics, that's geologic time.

Ohio Turnpike lease would yield big cash for the state, but could mean higher tolls, planning group says

Published: Tuesday, March 08, 2011, 8:00 AM    Updated: Tuesday, March 08, 2011, 9:56 AM

By Tom Breckenridge, The Plain Dealer

 

Gov. John Kasich's idea of leasing the Ohio Turnpike would generate big bucks for the state, but would likely lead to higher tolls and traffic headaches for communities whose roads would see more toll-dodging truckers.

 

Those are findings in a "very preliminary" review of Kasich's idea, done by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, a five-county planning group.

 

The NOACA review "suggests that leasing the Ohio Turnpike appears to have few positive merits and quite a few likely negative outcomes."

 

Read more at: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/03/leasing_the_ohio_turnpike_woul.html

^I do not like the idea of leasing the turnpike.  In fact, there are so many things wrong with that idea that I don't think I could ever list them all.  Let's just start with the basics.  Northern Ohio residents paid for the construction of the turnpike through tolls as agreed upon when it was initially constructed.  For Kasich to sell that Northern Ohio asset to benefit the rest of the state (which likely paid little or nothing for the turnpike) is a big slap in the face to Northern Ohioans, IMO.  He is going to basically take all the equity people from the Northern part of the state invested in this road and transfer it to the rest of the state while continuing to charge a use fee to those same Ohioans he just robbed. 

 

Tolls would likely be raised, jobs would be lost, road quality could be worsened in the name of profit, logistics companies flee the turnpike and Northern Ohio in general.  I like nothing about this idea and hope it goes away quickly.