Delaware waives northbound tolls to ease delays
The Delaware of Department of Transportation has waived collection of tolls on the Delaware Turnpike in order to ease mounting congestion at its Newark Toll Plaza.
Michael Williams, a spokesman for the department, said the decision was made at about 3:15 p.m. to waive northbound tolls until 11 p.m. He said it was the first time in his 15 years with the agency that tolls had been waived.
Shortly before the decision was made, the Maryland Department of Transportation reported that traffic had backed up for about 5.8 miles before the toll plaza, where a construction project has closed three of its usual nine northbound lanes.
The southbound lanes of the plaza were not affected by the waiver.
Comments
Mike, doesn't MD still have tolls at the Susquehanna Bridge on I-95 north?
If so, what's the status of these tolls?
COMMENT: It has tolls on the northboound Kennedy highway, just north of the Tydings Bridge. That toll, now $5, is unlikely to ever go away.
Posted by: Mark | November 24, 2010 6:12 PM
Finally a good decision by the Delaware authority. I swear they hate Marylanders. Please update if they do the right thing by waiving them today to.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Colleen T. | November 25, 2010 6:05 AM
Mike,
I have always been amazed that one can travel from Baltimore to Miami without paying a dime in tolls, about 1200 miles, and about $15 to go to Long Island/NYNY, about 200 miles. Why? This is all one needs to know when considering where to retire or live. Soon the only people left in the NE will be those who can't leave.
COMMENT: it's history. The NE states started building turnpikes before the interstate highway act began financing freeways. Before that tolls were the mechanism for paying for highways. People forget but before the 70s the South was a transport backwater.
Posted by: Bud Schultheis | November 25, 2010 10:45 AM
On our way north yesterday morning we got stuck briefly at the Harbor Tunnel for a tunnel closure. Do you know if they were doing rolling closures for traffic flow or if something happened?
Posted by: Colleen T. | November 26, 2010 7:49 AM