Cashless Toll roads.
 

Hi,
I am planning to rent a car at Boston International airport. My driving will be limited to Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and maybe Maine. I've heard that there are cashless toll roads in the area. I'd like to avoid those roads when possible. Is there any list of cashless toll roads in the New England states? If I happen to take this kind of road how can I pay the fee?

Thanks. Lev.

It is billed to the car rental and billed back to you. The rental company will explain your options. Hard to avoid.

Gosh, I've lived in NE and driven in all those states for years and have not run into a toll highway where cash was not a possibility if always an inconvenience.

I would love to know more because obviously no one gets everywhere.

Can anyone elucidate?

Don't know if NE stands for Nebraska or New England. But in Florida, Ill, and CO where I have driven recently am running into non-cash toll roads everywhere. Simple - the locals or frequent users have some type of an RF device that records the passage of the vehicle and automatically charges your prepaid account. If you don't have one of those devices, then it is a photo of your license plate and a bill later. Depending on your point of view there is a discount for using the RF device or a surcharge for not using it.

It is the wave of the future.

The only non-manned toll booth that I know of right now, is going South into Boston on the Tobin Bridge. There is no toll going North on the Tobin.

There are easy ways to avoid the bridge if coming to Boston so if you could provide more detail on your itinerary and we could be more helpful.

New Hampshire and Maine still have manned toll booths, as does the Mass. Pike. I don't know about Connecticut, but I haven't heard of any.

Thank you cw. I will be driving from Boston International airport to Hadley - a town in Western Massachusetts.

Be sure to understand the rental company's charges for using cashless toll device. The rental car company may charge for using their toll pass daily even if you only pass through one toll booth on one day.

Earlier this year I rented a car in Florida and crossed one toll bridge that had a cash option lane. I used the cash option lane. Later I received a charge on my credit card for 5 days of tollpass use. I had to telephone the third party company that provides the devices and challenge the charge. It wasn't because I had gone over a bridge that used the pass device. The person said the device was used once in Orlando when I was in Ft Myers. My receipt had the make/model/license of my car, which did not match her records. It took about 1 week for the charges to be refunded. The other renter was going to have to pay for 5 days of the device with only one use.

is it really worth giving a tourist directions to avoid a non manned toll booth? But times are changing quickly. The frustration, time and confusion is certainly not worth the dollar or two surcharge for not having a transponder for a short time visitor. IMHO

We don't have a transponder because we are seldom on toll roads. But we get our bills from the Henry Hudson toll which was simpler then approaching the city on another road or roads.

Time to get a transponder Ackislander.

I've had an EZ Pass for years. I just wondered if this particular cancer was spreading north.

Some of my friends have gotten multiple EZ passes as states introduce discounts for their own citizens. A friend in state R pays 80 cents to cross a particular bridge with an instate transponder and $4 when he uses his EZ Pass from state N. Since both transponders are free, why not?

The road from the airport to Hadley is all the Mass Pike , which still has tickets.

Yes, from Logan airport in Boston to Hadley is the Mass Pike (I-90) which has the option to pay in cash (or use EZpass if you have the transponder). Then you'll go north on I-91 which is toll free (and then Rt 9 to Hadley, which is not a highway).

I hope you are going to see some of the area besides Hadley.

Thank you Isabel. I agree, the 5 colleges area is a boring place. :-) No, we will visit our relatives in Hadley, Hartford, CT and have some time driving around Western MA, VT and NH. The most important thing for me - I do not need to rent so called "PlatePass" fron a rental company since I will not be driving on Cashless Toll highways. I found a good website on the Internet with all tall roads by state. The Cashless Toll highways are marked with a '*':
https://platepass.com/locations/

Lev.

That's a good website Lev. You'll pay a cash $3.50 toll leaving Logan going through the Ted Williams tunnel to I-90, the Mass. Pike. When you return to Logan fron NH, it's easy to avoid the Tobin Bridge by coming down 93, or 95 to Rt. 1 to Rt. 60 to 1A to the airport.

Lev, it isn't often that somebody pays back the community that quickly!

What a great contribution that site is!

Thank you.

I am very glad I contributed a little bit to the community. :-)
We will arrive to Boston airport around 6 PM. Now we are thinking of renting a car and drive up North to Beverly to visit our friend, have a good dinner, stay overnight at his place and slowly drive to Western Massachusetts. We can arrive to Hadley sometime in the evening. How would you recommend to organize the day that includes scenic drives, short hikes, etc.?

Lev.

Hey, I didn't say the 5 college area was boring! I said Hadley was boring. Amherst, Northampton and the towns north and west are great.

If you have never been to Old Sturbridge Village then that's a good place in the center of the state. And if you are not in a hurry, the drive to Hadley from Sturbridge along Rt 9 through the Brookfield area and Quabbin Reservoir is lovely and much nicer than staying on the Pike and I-91. Lots of hikes around the reservoir. On Rt 148 between Sturbridge and Rt 9 there is a place right on the road to rent kayaks - there's a kind of river between two lakes. I haven't done it but driving by there it's looks really nice.

If you are starting from north of Boston than Rt 2 is nicer than going down to the Pike but I wouldn't call Rt 2 itself really scenic. You could stop in Concord, and there are several historic things around there to do. Or if you are going Rt 2 then once you get to western mass you could stop in Deerfield on your way down to Hadley. Historic Deerfield is a smaller version of Old Sturbridge - but mostly houses, not crafts and farming like Sturbridge has. And if you did do that then you'd take Rt 116 from Deerfield down to Hadley and you'd pass Mt. Sugarloaf. It's not a mountain, it's a hill, but there's a nice hike up it and a park at the top with great views of the Conn. River.

Find Massachusetts State Route 2 on your map.

It passes through historic Concord, site of the battle between the Minutemen and the British; near Walden Pond, site of Thoreau's cabin; and contains the homes of Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, and Herman Melville.

Going west, it skirts Leominster, an historic mill town, now somewhat faded, and ultimately becomes the scenic Mohawk Trail across the higher elevations of Western Massachusetts. Many pleasant towns.

Turn south to Hadley at I-91. Stop at Old Deerfield for a walk and cup of coffee, though it is better to buy a ticket and see some of the houses and the museum-storage facility.

If I were staying in Hadley, I would try to return to the Mohawk Trail for some sightseeing.

The descent into North Adams is thrilling. Change gears, save your brakes. North Adams is the home of MASSMOCA, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. Vast pieces in a vast setting.

The next town west is Williamstown, home of Williams College and its art museum and of the Clark Museum, which has a world-class collection and very fine visiting exhibits.

South of Williamstown are the Berkshires, an area with charming small towns and many, many cultural attractions. One of the most interesting is Hancock Shaker Village. Many interesting hikes in this area, all degrees of difficulty except nothing really hard. I could go on . . . .

Thank you Isabel and Ackislander. I will definitely follow your advice. We will be in Western Massachusetts for at least 4 full days. Being in North Adams- Williamstown area would you recommend drive to Mt Greylock and down to Lanesborough and Pittsfeld? Also what would you recommend to see in addition to what you have described above in you posts?
We already visited Hartford,CT. I heard that there is a nice drive from New Milford,CT up #202 to Lake Waramaug park, Mt Tom State Park up to Litchfield. But it seems that this area is too far from Northampton-Hadley-Amherst area...

Rte 2 is an excellent idea. Stop at one of the produce and apple farm stands on the road and buy some apples for car snacks - they are really good this year and some really crisp ones are just coming to market.

Do not speed on Rte 2 - it is a popular speed trap area.

Driving up Mt Greylock is a good idea.

I would look further south than Pittsfield an Lanesborough.

Lenox, Stockbridge, and Great Barrington are all nice towns with good access to historic houses and hikes in addition to food and shopping.

Google BishBash Falls (or is it BashBish Falls?) and Bartholomews Cobble for popular hikes.