I-95 Tolls, and How I Try to Avoid Them

    By
    Ray K
    -
    36567
    I-95 Traffic | I-95 Exit Guide

    After completing my annual FL-NJ-FL foliage trip, I decided to built on The I-95 Exit Guide website and create a comprehensive guide to avoiding I-95 tolls.

    The listing below summarizes all I-95 tolls, for passenger cars only, between its northern end in Houlton, Maine, and its southern end, 1,908 miles away, in Miami, Florida. It is mostly derived from this website, https://www.i95exitguide.com/tolls/, but excludes E-ZPass, HOV (high-occupancy vehicles), senior discounts and other information shown on that website. The last page gives each state’s toll calculator for other vehicles.

    I’ve also added information on how you can pay. There is a move away from cash, so check for recent changes. Note that Florida’s SunPass toll system does not work with E-ZPass, and vice-versa. Texas’s EZTag does not work with E-ZPass.

    A marvelous website is tollguru.com. Enter your destinations, gas mileage, type of vehicle, and gas prices, and it will figure how to minimize tolls. Small usage charge.

    Tolls in bold italics can be completely (or, in Maine, partially) avoided.

    • Maine
      • Maine Turnpike (I-95) – York to Augusta
        • Northbound: $7.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)
        • Southbound: $7.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)
    • New Hampshire
      • Blue Star Turnpike (I-95), Portsmouth to NH/MA State Line
        • Northbound: $2.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)*
        • Southbound: $2.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)*
    • Massachusetts
      • There are no tolls on I-95 in Massachusetts
    • Rhode Island
      • There are no tolls on I-95 in Rhode Island
    • Connecticut
      • There are no tolls on I-95 in Connecticut
    • New York
      • New England Thruway (I-95), Bronx to CT. Turnpike
        • Northbound: $1.75 (E-ZPass or TBM)**
        • Southbound: None
      • George Washington Bridge (I-95), Ft. Lee, NJ to Manhattan, NY
        • Northbound: $15.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)
        • Southbound: None
    • New Jersey
      • Delaware Turnpike to the George Washington Bridge via PA I-95, PA Tpk (I-276,) NJ Turnpike
        • Northbound: $11.80 (E-ZPass or Cash)
        • Southbound: $11.80 (E-ZPass or Cash)
        • or…
      • Deepwater, NJ to the George Washington Bridge via NJ I-295 and NJ Turnpike (Exit 4)
        • Northbound: $11.20 (E-ZPass or Cash)
        • Southbound: $11.20 (E-ZPass or Cash)
        • or…
      • Deepwater, NJ to George Washington Bridge via entire length of NJ Turnpike
        • Northbound: $13.85 (E-ZPass or Cash)
        • Southbound: $13.85 (E-ZPass or Cash)
    • Pennsylvania
      • Delaware River-Turnpike Toll Bridge (between PA and NJ)
        • Northbound: No Tolls
        • Southbound: $7.20 (E-ZPass or Cash)**
    • Delaware
      • Delaware Memorial Bridge (I-295), Newcastle DE to Deepwater, NJ
        • Northbound: No Tolls
        • Southbound: $4.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)
      • Delaware Turnpike (I-95), Wilmington, DE to DE/MD state line
        • Northbound: $4.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)*
        • Southbound: $4.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)*
    • Maryland
      • JFK Memorial Highway (I-95), Baltimore to MD/DE state line
        • Northbound: $8.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)
        • Southbound: No Tolls
      • Baltimore: Ft. McHenry Tunnel (I-95)
        • Northbound: $4.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)
        • Southbound: $4.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)
        • or…
      • Baltimore Harbor Tunnel (I-895)
        • Northbound: $4.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)
        • Southbound: $4.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)
        • or…
      • Francis Scott Key Bridge (I-695)
        • Northbound: $4.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)
        • Southbound: $4.00 (E-ZPass or Cash)
    • Virginia
      • There are no tolls on I-95 in Virginia
    • North Carolina
      • There are no tolls on I-95 in North Carolina
    • South Carolina
      • There are no tolls on I-95 in South Carolina
    • Georgia
      • There are no tolls on I-95 in Georgia
    • Florida
      • There are no tolls on I-95 in Florida

    *If you are issued a violation for not paying, for whatever reason, you can pay online.
    **TBP is Toll By Plate. https://www.nocashzone.com/; TBM is toll by mail

    Avoiding Northbound Tolls

    Baltimore, Maryland

    There are four routes to choose from in getting from one side of Baltimore to the other. All but one involves paying a $4.00 toll, either way. Before driving extra miles to avoid a toll, consider your car’s cost per mile. If it gets 25 miles per gallon, and gas costs $2.50 a gallon, that’s 10 cents/mile just for the gas. The toll-free route, I-695 West, is 15 miles longer than the shortest. In this example, to avoid the $4.00 toll you’ll spend $1.50 on gas and drive at least 15 minutes more. Is it worth it? Only you can say. Also depends on number of axles (example: car with trailer).

    The distances shown below, from wikipedia.com, are between I-95 Exits 46 and 64. Exit 46 is where I-895 intersects; Exit 64 is where all the alternative routes have branched off or rejoined I-95.

    1. Use I-895 to I-95 on opposite side of Baltimore using Baltimore Harbor Tunnel; 15 miles, $4.00.
    2. Stay on I-95 and use Ft. McHenry Tunnel; 18 miles, $4.00.
    3. Use I-695 East Beltway to join I-95 on opposite side of Baltimore using Key Bridge; 27 miles, $4.00.
    4. Use I-695 West Beltway to join I-95 on opposite side of Baltimore; 30 miles, no toll.

    Baltimore Harbor Tunnel – How to Get Around It (going through Baltimore city).

    Take I-95N to Exit 53, I-395. Go past Camden Yards on left and turn right onto W. Pratt St. which becomes E. Pratt St. at Light St. Go past the National Aquarium (on right) and the Inner Harbor, and then turn right onto S President St. Immediately turn left onto Eastern Ave. Take Eastern Ave. all the way, 3/4 mile, to I-95 North, bypassing the tunnel and toll. NOTE: Very heavy traffic at noon even on Saturday.

    Maryland

    JFK Memorial Highway. There is no practical way to avoid this toll.

    Delaware

    Delaware Memorial Bridge (I-295), Newcastle, DE to Deepwater, NJ. There is no toll northbound. This route takes you off I-95 and onto NJ I-295.

    Delaware Turnpike (I-95N), also called JFK Memorial Highway in DE. Take Exit 109B onto MD279N/Newark. At bottom of ramp, turn right onto Elkton Rd, which becomes Rte 2 in DE. Continue 2.0 miles and turn right at the 4 East/896 South sign, which is Christina Pkwy. Continue 1.4 miles, to the first major intersection, and turn right onto S College Ave. You will see signs for I-95 north (and south). Save $4.00.

    Avoiding I-95 Tolls | I-95 Exit Guide

    New Jersey

    There are three methods between Delaware Turnpike and the George Washington Bridge

    • Method 1: Use I-95 through Pennsylvania, PA Turnpike (I-276), Delaware River-Turnpike Toll Bridge (no toll eastbound), NJ Turnpike Extension (Exit 6A) and NJ Turnpike (I-95). NJ Turnpike Extension to George Washington Bridge, $11.80.
    • Method 2: Deepwater, NJ to George Washington Bridge via NJ I-295. Exit 36, and Entrance 4 on NJ Turnpike. $11.20.
    • Method 3: Deepwater NJ to George Washington Bridge via entire length of NJ Turnpike. $13.85.

    The best you can do is Method 2; toll is $11.20. A shortage of connections between I-295 and the Turnpike prevents you from using free I-295 a longer distance before switching to the Turnpike. The Turnpike becomes I-95 north of Exit 6.

    New York

    There is no easy way to avoid George Washington Bridge and New England Thruway tolls, but depending on your destination, the Tappan Zee Bridge might work for you. If using Palisades Interstate Parkway to reach the Tappan, be aware that it’s limited to passenger cars and motorcycles. On the east side of the Tappan, use I-287 (Cross Bronx Expressway) to get back on I-95 near Port Chester, NY. $5.00 cash toll vs. $15.00 for the George Washington Bridge and $1.75 for New England Thruway; extra distance is 15 miles. http://www.njpalisades.org/parkway.html.

    Connecticut

    There are no tolls on I-95 in Connecticut.

    Rhode Island

    There are no tolls on I-95 in Rhode Island.

    Massachusetts

    There are no tolls on I-95 in Massachusetts.

    New Hampshire

    Blue Star Turnpike. Too roundabout to avoid a simple $2.00 toll for 16.2 miles, even though it’s a high 12.4 cents per mile. You can consider parallel US-1.

    Maine

    Maine Turnpike (I-95). The toll between the entrance at the NH border and Exit 44 for I-295N is $4.00 of the $7.00 end-to-end toll. I-295 merges again with I-95/Turnpike at Exit 103. From there to Augusta is $1.00. So using I-295 saves $2.00, and is shorter by 5 miles and 6 minutes.

    Avoiding Southbound Tolls

    Maine

    Maine Turnpike (I-95). The toll between entrance in Augusta (Exit 109) and Exit 103 for I-295S is $1.00. I-295 merges again with I-95/Turnpike at Exit 44. There are no southbound tolls to the NH border. So using I-295 saves $6.00, and is shorter by 5 miles and 6 minutes.

    New Hampshire

    New Hampshire – Blue Star Turnpike. Too roundabout to avoid a simple $2.00 toll for 16.2 miles, even though it’s a high 12.4 cents per mile. You can consider parallel US-1.

    Massachusetts

    There are no tolls on I-95 in Massachusetts.

    Rhode Island

    There are no tolls on I-95 in Rhode Island.

    Connecticut

    There are no tolls on I-95 in Connecticut.

    New York

    There are no southbound tolls on New England Thruway or George Washington Bridge.

    New Jersey

    New Jersey (See Discussion in Northbound, above.) Assuming Option 2, to go from George Washington Bridge to Deepwater NJ to via NJ Turnpike, use Exit 4 and then entrance 36 to I-295S. Turnpike toll, $11.20. Avoids $4.00 toll on Delaware Memorial Bridge OR $7.20 Delaware River-Turnpike Toll Bridge by not going into Pennsylvania.

    Delaware Memorial Bridge (I-295). Can’t be reasonably avoided. Entering PA via NJ Turnpike Extension costs $7.20.

    Delaware

    Delaware Turnpike, also called also JFK Memorial Highway in DE. At Exit 1B, take 896 North, which is South College Ave, towards the University of Delaware. Just past the West 4 sign, turn left onto Christina Pkwy (west) and stay on for about 1.4 miles. (University of DE will be to your right). At the signals just after the End 4 sign, turn left onto Elkton Road and follow signs for I-95S. Save $4.00 for a 5-minute detour!

    Avoiding I-95 Tolls | I-95 Exit Guide

    Maryland

    JFK Memorial Highway. MD/DE state line to Baltimore. No toll.

    Baltimore (see Discussion under Northbound, above)

    Baltimore Harbor Tunnel – How to Get Around It (going through Baltimore city).Take I-95S to Exit 59, Eastern Ave. At end of ramp, turn right. Go 3.7 miles and turn right on S. President St. and then take first possible left onto E Lombard St, which becomes W Lombard St as it crosses Light St. Take Lombard, 3/4 mile, to South Howard St., and turn left. Follow the signs to I-395S and I-95S, past the toll. NOTE: Very heavy traffic at noon even on Saturday.

    North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida. No tolls.

    Toll Calculators

    Use the following websites to calculate tolls for vehicles other than 2-axle passenger cars.

    Ray K
    Ray K

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