Nice. Just the Northbound and Southbound info I needed.

Anonymous wrote:I strongly advice you add extra $$ to your EZ Pass now. I did not, and ended up getting a ticket on my way back from NYC as I did not realize (till I went through) that I had blown through my $$. Typically, I use only the Dulles Toll Rd. so the $35 I usually keep on there lasts a long time.

Just do the auto replenishment option.

As of 28 April 2014:

NORTHBOUND:
Baltimore Harbor Tunnel or Ft McHenry Tunnel: $4.00 (Can be avoided by using I-695 and going around the city)
JFK Highway (Near Delaware Stateline): $8.00
Delaware Turnpike: $4.00
Delaware Memorial Bridge: Zero
New Jersey Turnpike: $13.85 ($10.40 if using EZ Pass/off-peak hours)
Holland/Lincoln Tunnels: $13.00 ($11.00 EZ Pass Peak Hours/ $9.00 EZ Pass Off-Peak)

South bound:
Identical except no toll for the JFK Highway and $4.00 for the Delaware Memorial Bridge

I strongly advice you add extra $$ to your EZ Pass now. I did not, and ended up getting a ticket on my way back from NYC as I did not realize (till I went through) that I had blown through my $$. Typically, I use only the Dulles Toll Rd. so the $35 I usually keep on there lasts a long time.

$60 RT from DC to NYC via I-95, NJ Turnpike and Lincoln Tunnel --- with EZ Pass and mostly NON PEAK Hours

(Left NOVA at 630am; arrived NYC fews blocks from Lincoln Tunnel at 11:30)

Less tolls on way back.

Note -- peak hours Lincoln Tunnel on Saturday start at 11 am so depart before then.

You can google each segment of tolls and go to each states' transportation website for accuracy -- MD I-95, Baltimore Tunnel, Delaware I-95 and Memorial Bridge; NJ Turnpike actually calculates it for you; Lincoln Tunnel.

While buses typically cost $40 RT per person, it can take longer - just from the perspective of driving/getting to bus area and waiting. Also, I have taken the bus (on 2 separate ocassions) with a small child and it can be challenging for a child to sit quietly that long (think of it like a plane ride) without kicking other riders' seat backs. And most of the other riders are asleep and quiet. So there is that aspect. '

Originally we planned to stop off briefly in Philly (for 1-2 hours) to see the Liberty Bell which we could not do with a bus ride -- but we were too tired from sightseeing in NYC.

Also note that parking in NYC will likely run $50 per 24 hours.

For 2 of us to drive -- 4 1/2 - 5 hours --- and 2 days parking and gas --- $190

2 of us to ride the bus and transporation to get to the bus $100 ---- 6 1/2 hours - 7hours

So $90 and mileage on my car to gain approx 1.5 hours in travel time per day and to have more control over when leave/depart etc.

The more people going, the more sense driving makes as opposed to the bus.

Not sure where the $21 is coming from. In VA, there's a security deposit of $25-but they waive that if you link your account to a credit card. There's an upfront charge of $35, but that money gets used for tolls, and you'll be spending that much on this trip alone. There's no fees unless you want to pay for detailed monthly statements.

I know other states charge maintenance fees, but not all of them. We hardly ever drive through tolls and it's still worth it for once or twice a year. Especially since a lot of the turnpikes now have overhead readers and you don't even have to slow down.

Anonymous wrote:I looked up the E-ZPass option. Looks like the cost is $21 per transponder. I don't travel toll roads enough to justify this expense (I'll need 3 of them because we're a group going). Guess I"ll have to deal with the lines.

Three cars or three people? In our family, we have one EZPass and don't actually mount it since we use it infrequently. Then I just hold it up to the windshield when we're going through the tool booth, in whatever car we're driving that day. Likewise, I've brought it along when driving with my parents and used it with their car.

Also you can avoid alot of them if you go to Harrisburg and then cut accross I-78 to Newark and then cross over.

I looked up the E-ZPass option. Looks like the cost is $21 per transponder. I don't travel toll roads enough to justify this expense (I'll need 3 of them because we're a group going). Guess I"ll have to deal with the lines.

Anonymous wrote:There are some tolls where the cost is less for EZ pass. For example, the NYC bridge/tunnel tolls are $12 cash and $7.50 or $9.50 with ez pass (depending on peak/nonpeak hours).

Agree. Especially right around the NYC area, there is a not insignificant discount for using EZPASS.

11/06/10 11/05/10 MdTA JFK 11/05 19:16 STANDARD 2 $5.00
11/06/10 11/05/10 NJTP 1 11/05 20:01 13 11/05 21:35 STANDARD 1 $4.50
11/06/10 11/05/10 MdTA FMT 11/05 18:19 STANDARD 2 $2.00
11/07/10 11/06/10 MdTA FMT 11/06 22:55 STANDARD 2 $2.00
11/07/10 11/06/10 MTAB&T VNB 11/06 20:14 STANDARD 1 $11.00
11/07/10 11/06/10 NJTP 13 11/06 20:24 1 11/06 21:45 STANDARD 1 $5.95
11/07/10 11/05/10 DelDOT D95 11/05 19:43 STANDARD 2 $4.00
11/07/10 11/06/10 DelDOT D95 11/06 22:08 STANDARD 2 $4.00
11/08/10 11/06/10 DRBA DR 11/06 21:51 STANDARD 1 $3.00
11/09/10 11/05/10 PANYNJ GB 11/05 21:38 STANDARD 1 $6.00

That's directly from my EZPass statement, going from DC to Brooklyn and back via the route recommended by my GPS. This was a year ago, and I'm sure some tolls have gone up, but it's fairly close. Ignore the first column as that's the date when it posted to the account.

The math I did in the past is that for 3 people, driving is cheaper when you look at fuel costs + tolls, and sometimes for 2 people. For 1 person, the bus works out less.

There are some tolls where the cost is less for EZ pass. For example, the NYC bridge/tunnel tolls are $12 cash and $7.50 or $9.50 with ez pass (depending on peak/nonpeak hours).

Also headed to New York for one day (yikes) next month. It's a Saturday, so that's gonna be the real issue for me...not sure how traffic is going up to New York on a Saturday in December. We shall see. Not sure what EZPass is all about, but I will look it up if it will save time.

Anonymous wrote:$18 each way + or -

We do that trip very often.

WHAT? Where in NYC are you going? I'd only believe $18 if you stop in New Jersey.

OP - I've tried ways of reducing the costs (i.e. taking alternate routes that have cheaper tolls). The cheapest I did it was back in 2007 for one-way $25 to get to downtown NYC. These days we travel to Long Island, min $50 for both ways. They've increased tolls considerably on that route in the last year.

Anonymous wrote:OP here, we do have an EZ Pass but that doesn't change the cost, right?

nope but it will save A LOT of time