Visited the US a couple of times and thought the roads were great compared to here in Ireland. Was just wondering, what exactly is a Turnpike, where did it get its name and is there one in every state?

akcl

A toll road, turnpike or tollpike is a road on which a toll authority collects a fee for use. Similarly there are toll bridges and toll tunnels. Other non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically gasoline tax funds. Tolls have been placed on roads at various times in history, often to generate funds for repayment of toll revenue bonds used to finance constructions and/or operation. Also, a turnpike is a type of toll road; sometimes, turnpikes carry the state name (such as Delaware Turnpike and the New Jersey Turnpike) or the name of a place or person (such as Indian Nation Turnpike or Will Rogers Turnpike). The term turnpike sees most usage in the eastern states. Mar 04 06, 8:15 AM

davejacobs

Originally the word turnpike meant a spiked barrier across a road for defence, especially against horsemen. In about 1745 in England the first 'turnpike roads' were made where the turnpike was the place where traffic had to stop and pay a toll to get past. The term turnpike was soon adopted for such a road itself. I don't know when the first turnpikes were created in the USA. Mar 04 06, 12:42 PM

lanfranco

Well, here's a site that looks at toll roads and their history in quite a few places: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toll_road Mar 04 06, 1:20 PM

almanac23

There if one in every state in US. Mar 04 06, 3:34 PM

Sambora777

There is not a turnpike in every state. I live in Wisconsin and we don't have any here. Mar 05 06, 9:37 AM

BungeeAZ

Turnpikes are not found in every state. Arizona does not have any toll roads. CT Turnpike, PA Turnpike, NJ Turnpike, FL Turnpike, etc. NY does not have a turnpike, but it does have toll roads such as the Thruway (87), and there used to be a toll on the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Hutchinson River Parkway. Those tolls were dismantled over 10 years ago. There are still tolls to cross the bridges covered by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) and the Port Authority of NY and NJ. Mar 05 06, 1:28 PM

milky54

well i cant tell you there is definately one in massachusetts...i hate the big dig. Mar 05 06, 1:46 PM