What is a Turnpike?
In what year did New Jersey build its first turnpike? (Pages 138-139) A turnpike was a highway that charged each user a toll. Every few miles, the road was closed off by a gate, called a “pike.” When a traveler paid the toll, the pike was “turned” (opened). New Jersey began building its first turnpike in 1801. 13. What were plank roads made from? Why were they a big improvement over earlier roads? (Pages 138-139) The plank road was made of thick planks laid on logs. The wooden surfaces were quite smooth to travel on until the planks began to rot. 14. For what purpose were canals built in New Jersey? (Pages 140-141) Canals are man-made rivers connecting important towns and large bodies of water, Water travel was not possible everywhere in New Jersey. The only way to transport a large amount of freight was by water. 15. New Jersey’s two canals during the nineteenth century were the Delaware and Raritan Canal and the Morris Canal. (Pages 140-141) 16. Which of New Jersey’s two canals was m
A turnpike is a toll road; in other words people had to pay to use the road. At intervals along the road there were tollhouses. These were strategically placed to avoid efforts to bypass the tollhouse. They were at places where the valley narrowed, where there was only one way to cross a stream, or simply at regular intervals where a person was willing to be a toll collector. Someone was always in the tollhouse to collect fees. Travelers were forced to stop because there was a long pole, or pike across the road. The pike was situated on a base post that allowed the toll house keeper to pivot or turn the pike to allow passage after the toll was paid. Hence the name Turnpike. The purpose of collecting fees was to pay for maintenance on the road. As it turned out, the money collected did not cover this cost, especially when a storm washed out part of a road, or a bridge needed to be replaced. • WHAT WERE THE FEES TO USE THE ROAD? People, wagons, and animals all had different tolls, and th
A turnpike is a road or highway on which drivers may travel for a fee. On a turnpike, an authority collects a toll from drivers as they enter the road, exit it, or while they’re traveling on it. Turnpikes, or toll roads, exist around the world. In the United States, they are most heavily concentrated in the eastern portion of the country. Toll amounts vary with each turnpike; in some places, tolls vary according to vehicle class as well. A turnpike typically has either a barrier toll plaza or entry/exit system. On a turnpike with a barrier toll system, drivers must stop their vehicles at certain points on the highway for the purpose of paying tolls. The advantage of this type of toll system is that it doesn’t require the expense of building tollbooths at every exit point. On the other hand, barrier toll systems are more prone to traffic congestion. Furthermore, it is easier for drivers to evade tolls with barrier turnpike systems; they can simply drive around the tollbooths. With entry
