Planning the cost for a road trip includes money for food, gas, lodging and, the often forgotten,toll roads. While gas prices vary slightly from state to state and gas and lodging can be determined before leaving home, tolls often show up as a surprise. There is no reason for this. there are several online resources that address these costs directly. The US department of transportation offers
. several toll road resources. One of which is an interstate toll calculator.Interstate toll calculators are very helpful tools for calculating interstate toll charges. Especially, since interstate toll charges vary considerably state to state. The most useful calculator, offered by the US Department of transportation, includes the toll charges for every federal toll road in service or currently under construction. Calculations for a cross state trip will also include additional costs for state you are exiting and the state you are entering.Once the website is reached there are several pages that cover every possible toll road from southern California to Maine. Once a trip is planned and the toll amount is calculated it is time to check into plans like the EZ Pass. With plans like this there are discounts for certain stretches of toll road in different areas of the country. EZ Pass is available on the east coast and offers discounts up to 50 percent depending on the vehicle that is being driven and the number of trips taken through toll facilities.Of course websites are not always up to date so it is important to double check tolls in high traffic areas like the I-95 corridor around Washington D.C. and I-80 and I-90 through Pennsylvania and Maryland. Tolls and toll roads can be shut down for any number of reasons so it is best to check the itinerary before setting out. More reference links: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/tollpage/t1part3.htm http://www.mta.info/bandt/ezpass/e-zpass-toll-calculator.html
