Md. toll authority warns of Delaware delays
The Maryland Transportation Authority is warning motorists on Interstate 95 that they could face long lines at Delaware's Newark Toll Plaza this Tuesday and Wednesday because of work the the Delaware Department is doing at the toll collection point.
Meanwhile, the Maryland agency is also warning the U.S. 40 bridge over the Susquehanna River will not be a good alternative for holiday traffic because it is operating with only one lane open in each direction during preservattion work.
According to the authority, the northbound lines at the Delaware toll plaza could extend as far as Harford County -- about a 20-mile stretch. Motorists can contact the Delaware Department of Transportation for information on conditions at the plaza.
The prospects for the holiday are so poor that even Delaware is urging travelers to avoid paying $4 for a one-way ride on its toll roads. Here's what the Delaware department has to say:
Due to the on-going I-95 Newark Toll Plaza Reconstruction, reduced toll lane access and altered traffic patterns will greatly impact Thanksgiving Holiday travelers. These factors, combined with the anticipated increase of holiday traffic, will result in serious backups and travel delays, starting as early as Tuesday morning, Nov. 23 and lasting through Monday evening, Nov. 29. Travelers should consider using alternative routes, using alternative modes of travel or traveling during hours with lower traffic volumes.
If traffic is backed up to Harford there are few good alternatives if your destination is New Jersey or New York. If you are heading for the Philadelphia area, it would make sense to take Routes 155 and 161 to pick up U.S. 1 south of the Conowingo Dam (thus avoiding the Maryland I-95 toll as well) and take it northeast into Pennsylvania. If you cross the Susquehanna on I-95 and then run into a backup, consider bailing out at southbound 222 or 272 and picking up eastbound U.S. 40 until you're back in Delaware. Then you can get back on the Delaware Turnpike if you choose, without paying a toll for the privilege of being delayed.
With traffic potentially this bad, it might not pay to wait until you come to Route 279 to take one of the popular Delaware bypasses. You might end up waiting a long time just to reach the off ramp.
Categories: Maryland toll facilities, On the roads
Comments
The backup for the Delaware toll could begin 1-2 miles before the Maryland toll?
Jeez.
Well, at least this construction and the high speed EZ-Pass lanes might reduce the daily 2-4 mile jam at that devilish toll plaza.
Posted by: Jed | November 18, 2010 3:44 PM
Seriously, I have always found it to be grossly unfair the DE is allowed to charge $3 both ways for its 11 miles of I-95, while MD gives you 109 miles for an average of $4.50 ($2 for the tunnel and $5 for the Tydings bridge 1 way). Then to add insult to injury, DE seems to never be able to collect its tolls with any speed whatsoever. Its obvioius the DE toll exists only to impose a tax on people traveling through the state rather than to pay for roads. I would love to see Congress intervene.
COMMENT: It's $4 for Delaware's I-95 tolls.
Posted by: Josh | November 18, 2010 4:20 PM
Thanks for the info! I will be doing a one day trip to Philly next Friday and was not expecting such a delay. I will use the alternative routes stated and hopefully GPS will pick up these routes into Philly. This will be my first time driving there since moving to the B'More metro.
Posted by: Virginia-IN-Baltimore | November 18, 2010 4:22 PM
Remember when the MTA lifted tolls on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge? I think it was for Memorial Day. Why does Delaware insist on collecting tolls on Wednesday when it knows what will ensue. 20 miles of backup is also a public safety hazard when ambulances and fire trucks have to navigate through traffic which stretches from the shoulder to a jersey barrier.
Posted by: Lost in Mount Vernon | November 18, 2010 5:09 PM
The entire I-95 stretch through Delaware is a complete joke and an absolute disgrace! It is the worst stretch of I-95 on the entire east coast and it is criminal that they are allowed to charge you $4.00 each way for the privilege of sitting in 5-10 mile backups on a regular basis. How the federal government allows DE to hold the rest of the east coast hostage while they collect their TAX is just beyond me. Oh that's right, DE is Bidenland. Need I say anymore?
Posted by: outtahere | November 18, 2010 5:31 PM
I always find it impressive that, for only 11 miles of road, Delaware seems to *always* be doing construction on *something*, during the last 9 years that I've been driving through it regularly. It was nice when they were busy with the rest stop, at least then they weren't impeding traffic to do it...Is this some kind of toll-funded stimulus package to create road construction jobs?
What I would like to see them do, on their next construction binge, is create a barrier separating the dedicated EZ-pass lane from the others (along with appropriate signage to direct people away from it). Then drivers with EZPass wouldn't have to be part of the traffic jam while we wait for someone to find an opening in the other lane and get out of our way.
Posted by: MarkT | November 19, 2010 8:49 AM
Going north, I always use the "secret" five-booth auxiliary plaza accessed via the right lanes, which is just beyond the "main" plaza on the left. For whatever reason, people avoid the one on the right like the plague. I think the design makes people think it doesn't lead to the same place, and/or they think that that the main plaza is faster because it has the dedicated E-ZPass booths.
Since the construction, the one on the left is even worse: it now funnels down to only one lane beyond the plaza, while the one on the right still funnels down to two. Do the math: 8 streams merging into one, or 5 merging into 2...take your pick...
Posted by: Traffic Engineer | November 19, 2010 9:52 AM