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Old 02-09-2017, 10:21 PM   #1
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Toll roads & fees (Michigan - Montana)

This questions comes as the result of me stumbling across a similar question in another forum.

I live in Canada and will be driving back home to Alberta in the summer, crossing through Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and South Dakota before re-surfacing through Montana.

I know there are toll roads in Illinois and possibly other states as I travel west but from what I can see there are no longer toll booths on the Illinois freeways that would enable me to pay a toll fee. I know there used to be many years ago because I've done the drive from Chicago to the Quad Cities and know there used to be toll booths I had to stop and pay at. What alternatives are there that would enable me to use the toll roads without setting off alarms and getting pulled over for not paying? I don't really want to rack up fines and equally I don't really want to use the back roads for the entire journey.

Thanks
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Old 02-09-2017, 10:31 PM   #2
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Toll at the "Big Mac" on 75! Chicago you better have all kinds of $$! Youroo!!
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Old 02-09-2017, 10:34 PM   #3
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Curious, why are you going thru Illinois, Indiana, South Dakota, and Iowa? Have actual destination stops on that route?

I'd think north thru Michigan then west might be a nicer route. I've read a couple of posts about taking that route to get west. I think they kind of favored using US-2. Overall, a good mostly lightly traveled road. Saw a video that was a bunch of short takes of a guy who used Rt 2 to go from Seattle to Maine (including a jaunt thru Ontario) Just sayin...
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Old 02-09-2017, 10:35 PM   #4
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I live 1/2 way between detroit and chicago. only tolls in michigan would be the bridge to get in. Are roads are in great shape (insert sarcasm)

Indiana/Illinois has some tolls and awful traffic through Chicago. After that I dont think there are many tolls.
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Old 02-09-2017, 10:41 PM   #5
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We live in the Chicago area. Most of the Illinois toll plazas have a cash option. The cash price is twice the electronic toll price. If you go through an electronic toll station without a transponder, you can write down the number of the toll station and pay the toll online within 30 days. The tollways in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York all use the same EZPASS or IPASS transponder.
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Old 02-09-2017, 10:41 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SailorSam20500 View Post
Curious, why are you going thru Illinois, Indiana, South Dakota, and Iowa? Have actual destination stops on that route?

I'd think north thru Michigan then west might be a nicer route. I've read a couple of posts about taking that route to get west. I think they kind of favored using US-2. Overall, a good mostly lightly traveled road. Saw a video that was a bunch of short takes of a guy who used Rt 2 to go from Seattle to Maine (including a jaunt thru Ontario) Just sayin...
We're travelling back from Ontario, getting the end caps replaced at the Cedar Creek factory in Elkhart, stopping to see friends in the QC and then thought we'd catch Mount Rushmore and the Devils Tower in SD and WY.
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Old 02-09-2017, 10:46 PM   #7
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We live in the Chicago area. Most of the Illinois toll plazas have a cash option. The cash price is twice the electronic toll price. If you go through an electronic toll station without a transponder, you can write down the number of the toll station and pay the toll online within 30 days. The tollways in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York all use the same EZPASS or IPASS transponder.
I was looking to drive west on I80 from Elkhart, through Illinois to the QC. Thanks for this info about writing down the toll station #'s.
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Old 02-10-2017, 10:03 AM   #8
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I was looking to drive west on I80 from Elkhart, through Illinois to the QC. Thanks for this info about writing down the toll station #'s.
There is only one toll both on I80 when you exit I294 out of IN going west bound. After that it is an interstate road with no tolls at all. I would stay off of I80 in IN as this is a toll road, you can take I90 and I94 out of MI and IN to IL. Then when you enter IL this will become a toll road but the first toll both for you will be when you exit.

I travel this way all of the time when I go east to MI or IN.
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Old 02-10-2017, 10:12 AM   #9
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You'd think some smart politician would run on a platform that added "We'll standardize automated toll booth payments across the country..............."

Tolls on interstates tick me off. Hard to call them a "Freeway"....
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Old 02-10-2017, 01:51 PM   #10
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You're suggesting they use logic? That would be different
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Old 02-10-2017, 01:52 PM   #11
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Re Toll Roads & Fees (Michigan - Montana)

I live in Billings Montana. There are no toll roads in; Montana, North and South Dakota. Custer State Park in SD and the National Parks all have entrance fees. Mt Rushmore SD has a "Parking Fee" in their garage.
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Old 02-10-2017, 02:31 PM   #12
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Get a EZPass from MASS DOT no fees
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Old 02-10-2017, 03:44 PM   #13
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Don't know where you're at now, but after missing a toll booth driving through Chicago and getting dinged with crazy fines, I finally went and got an ezpass. You can get them at any Tops Supermarket or any toll plaza and they have a reciprocal agreement with iPass and I believe some other toll systems...
There is a Tops right over the border in Niagara Falls.
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Old 02-10-2017, 04:37 PM   #14
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I'm thinking you could probably order an EZ Pass on line. Makes driving the tollways much easier.
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Old 02-10-2017, 04:39 PM   #15
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Hello Cochrane neighbour.


I drove from via toll roads pulling our trailer from NY state to Chicago this past year and with our daily driver to/from Ottawa along I90 below Lake Erie. With the DD it cost about $50.00 in tolls and a little under $100.00 pulling the trailer. From Michigan through Illinois it will be much cheaper.

I would recommend getting an EZ Pass ahead of time (we got ours at a plaza where it took 24 hours to activate) which made it a breeze thru the toll booths. Cost $25.00 and comes loaded with $25.00 in tolls.

https://www.e-zpassny.com/en/home/index.shtml

We stayed for a few days in Elkhart and stayed at the Elkhart Campground on the north side of I90. The RV museum was kinda neat to see.
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Old 02-10-2017, 06:07 PM   #16
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Toll at the "Big Mac" on 75! Chicago you better have all kinds of $$! Youroo!!
How much are we talking about? East coast toll seem reasonable.
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Old 02-10-2017, 06:52 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by BandJCarm View Post
You'd think some smart politician would run on a platform that added "We'll standardize automated toll booth payments across the country..............."

Tolls on interstates tick me off. Hard to call them a "Freeway"....
Smart politician - that's an oxymoron. Take away the smart and I am pretty sure it is just a moron.
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Old 02-11-2017, 09:03 AM   #18
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I live 1/2 way between detroit and chicago. only tolls in michigan would be the bridge to get in. Are roads are in great shape (insert sarcasm)

Indiana/Illinois has some tolls and awful traffic through Chicago. After that I dont think there are many tolls.
Right On Kimber45,,, I hate driving thru Chicago,,, and I lived in SoCal for almost 20 years !!! Now we live about 8 miles south of you !!!
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Old 02-11-2017, 09:29 AM   #19
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You'd think some smart politician would run on a platform that added "We'll standardize automated toll booth payments across the country..............."

Tolls on interstates tick me off. Hard to call them a "Freeway"....
They do, it's called motor vehicle tax, fuel tax and licensing tax! They are just double dipping. The toll systems are self supporting, meaning that the system pays for itself. Get rid of the system and it is not required. And has anyone ever questioned where all the money from interest that is stored in the toll system till you use it? That's a lot of interest that isn't accounted for!!!
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Old 02-11-2017, 09:29 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by Fluffywhitedogs View Post
Don't know where you're at now, but after missing a toll booth driving through Chicago and getting dinged with crazy fines, I finally went and got an ezpass. You can get them at any Tops Supermarket or any toll plaza and they have a reciprocal agreement with iPass and I believe some other toll systems...
There is a Tops right over the border in Niagara Falls.
I am wondering how these passes work with tow vehicle plus 5th wheel. I asked at a NY State kiosk if we could buy a pass and they said it was for passenger vehicles only. They gave me a piece of paper about the pass and it was even more confusing. How does this work for NY, Indiana and Ohio?
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