Did you know that there are over five thousand miles of toll roads in the US?

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, America experienced a tolling boom that saw thousands of miles of toll roadways built across the country.

Nowadays, if you drive just about anywhere - you’ve probably become quite familiar with toll roads.
Some of you more than others – depending on where you live and how often you drive. If you live in Florida, for example, you have probably become very accustomed to toll roads (or turnpikes – as some call them).

Tolls roads are generally a faster, more efficient route – they help ease congestion, are better maintained, and are safer to drive on than freeways.

Toll roads currently exist across 38 states. But they aren’t evenly distributed across the country.

Some states may have one or two toll roads while others can have up to twenty or thirty. Typically, you’ll find more toll roads in those states that, well…have a lot more people (and traffic!) – like New York and California.

Let’s look at five toll-heavy states and some of their major toll roads and toll bridges

With around 122 million tourists visiting each year, it’s no surprise that Florida toll roads cover more distance than any other state. Florida currently has over 719 miles of toll roads crisscrossing its peninsula. Orange County in central Florida owns a good portion of these with 153 miles of tollways.

Major Florida Toll roads and bridges:

Open since 1957, the Ronald Reagan Turnpike is Florida’s longest toll road, running 310 miles from North to South. Starting from U.S. Route 1 in Florida City, this toll road runs all the way through to Miami.

The road has appropriately been named “The Less Stressway’.

Given its name from the surrounding swamps that Florida alligators call home, Alligator Alley is an 80-mile stretch of road that cuts a direct line across the state from Naples to Fort Lauderdale, Fl.

Spanning Lower Tampa Bay, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a 4-mile cable-stayed bridge connecting St. Petersburg to Terra Ceia. It’s estimated that a whopping 59,000 vehicles use this bridge every day.


Florida is home to over 23 toll roads and bridges. So, make sure you plan ahead if you’re planning to road trip the state.

The Empire State has no shortage of toll roads. With over 30 toll roads, driving can get quite complicated in NYC especially. This makes sense, given that New York claimed top spot for having the worst traffic in 2021.

New York is also home to some of the most expensive tolls in the country, so you’ll want to make sure you factor these into your travel costs.

Here are a few major toll roads to look out for in New York:

Built in the 1950s, the New York Thruway is one of the longest toll roads in the nation, stretching for over 500 miles. The mainline of the Thruway connects NYC to Buffalo. About 1/3 of vehicles that use this tollway are from out of state.

Note: The Thruway became totally cashless in 2020.

I-95 New York is part of the longer Interstate Highway System and cuts across the metro NYC area. The NYC section of the roadway extends for almost 24 miles from the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River to the Connecticut state line.

Once the most expensive toll in the United States, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge connects Brooklyn to Staten Island. The toll has since been reduced and will cost a 2-axle vehicle somewhere between $6 and $10.

California had more than 30 million registered motor vehicles in 2019 (more than any other state). In addition, it has several major toll roads, most of which pass through LA and Orange County, which are some of the most congested areas in the state.

Major toll roads in California:

The SR-73 is a state highway in CA that runs from San Juan Capistrano through to the San Joaquin Hills. The entire length of the road is in Orange County. Some sections of this road are toll-free. The first 3 miles are free from its northernmost point, heading southbound (this section is known as the Corona Del Mar Freeway). The SR-73 becomes a toll road after the Jamboree/MacArthur ramp.

One of the most famous toll roads in the country, 17-Mile Drive hugs the Pacific coastline as it winds through Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove in Monterey. This toll way accepts cash only and costs $11.25 per vehicle (and can be reimbursed with a purchase at participating restaurants!).

California’s SR 241 is a state highway that runs through Orange County, CA. This route begins near Las Flores and ends at SR-91 in Santa Ana Canyon. The route provides stunning views of the Santa Ana Mountains. This tolled roadway is almost 25 miles long and passes 12 different cities and regions.

This is just a snapshot – there are many other tollways and express lanes throughout the state of California, as well as several tolled bridges.

That’s where Uproad comes in. With Uproad, you can still drive in the fast lanes, where usually only toll tags or transponders are accepted (Florida – EPASS/SunPass; New York – E-Z Pass; California – FasTrak; Texas – EZ Tag/TxTag; Illinois – I-Pass).

As you can see, if you’re planning a trip across multiple states you could end up with multiple transponders. What a hassle!

To make life easier, why not download the Uproad App instead?

Uproad makes it super simple to pay tolls across 19 states (and more roads added all the time!). Uproad allows you to use toll roads, skip cash lanes, and pay tolls as you go automatically.

Uproad gives you peace of mind in knowing that you’ll never miss a toll payment again. So download Uproad and hit the road!