Road & Tunnel Restrictions near MD

We live/work out of northwest NJ-but also have commercial space in elkridge-having a truck gps helps me to avoid the roads I need to but I do drive some vehicles that are allowed on the pkwys.

I generally am an interstate guy if hauling the fiver through md-generally down 81, 83, or 95...and there seems to be no problem on the eastern shore since it's 301, 13, 50 and local roads. NJ generally controls use on the garden state pkwy by registered weight-but the less commercial you look the better-NY is strict no trucks at all-in your neck of the woods it seems grey to me except around Washington-the parkways in southern md and va seem to be strictly 4 door type passenger car traffic-much like ny.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around why we drive on parkways and park on driveways.

SuperDutyFiver wrote:
Do they hassle large RVs on any of the parkways? the interpretations of a lot of the rules get's dicey when you get in to registered weight and bus rules and everything seems to me to overlap sometimes?

I haven't driven on any of the "parkways"- I've kept to the interstates (beltway, I-95 and others) and haven't had anyone of authority raise their eyebrow at me pulling a 42' fifth wheel.

I say "parkways" as there are roads that are part of the National Park Service like the one we talked about- the B/W Parkway:
http://www.nps.gov/bawa/index.htm

Interesting that you mention that, as their site has an alert:

Commercial Vehicles and trucks are prohibited on the parkway

Commercial Vehicles and trucks are prohibited on the parkway. The United States Park Police will issue tickets.

I now wonder if I'd be able to drive on there! I'm going to have to contact them...

SuperDutyFiver wrote:
I commute in what many consider the worst commuters mess that there is-NY metro just goes on and on...but, I seem to feel like I see 'wilder' things more regularly when working in the Wash/Balt area! I ended up on B/W pkwy pulling a 20' trailer once a few years back and felt pretty uncomfortable and was relieved to get away from it.

I lived and worked in northern New Jersey for a year right out of school. There were 2 drives in particular that I'll never forget and hope to never experience again:

1) Not understanding that the Express Lanes on I-80 take you the whole way to the George Washington Bridge with no exits earlier. I was already late for an appointment to take a real estate exam and that didn't help. To compound things, it was a toll bridge and I had exactly $0.00 in cash. I found a dinky little exit ramp off to the side that dumped me in an area where nothing was written in English. Even the ATM, I had to press a button for English when I finally found one.

2) When I first moved there, I commuted weekly to/from Pennsylvania to my aunt's house where I was staying. Going home on I-78, it was raining BUCKET LOADS. Like hard to see ahead of you rain. And every car on the road was doing between 75 and 80 like it were a sunshiney day. If I slowed down to 70, the guy behind me road my tail so close. Pretty nerve wracking for a small town guy of 18 years old!

Anyway... :)

ependydad wrote:

SuperDutyFiver wrote:
Most of the parkways around DC and Balt are honestly not safe for RV passage-low bridges, narrow lanes, no shoulders, and KRAZY drivers are the norm! ;)

LOL- that's my home turf! Very rarely do I go anywhere where I don't get to enjoy one or the other on my way to "there". Otherwise, it's up I-95 which is just as fun!

I haven't encountered any passage-low bridges, though I've heard about them on the Baltimore/Washington Parkway. I generally avoid that road anyway- I've hit traffic on it almost every time I've ever been on it. :(

I commute in what many consider the worst commuters mess that there is-NY metro just goes on and on...but, I seem to feel like I see 'wilder' things more regularly when working in the Wash/Balt area! I ended up on B/W pkwy pulling a 20' trailer once a few years back and felt pretty uncomfortable and was relieved to get away from it.

Do they hassle large RVs on any of the parkways? the interpretations of a lot of the rules get's dicey when you get in to registered weight and bus rules and everything seems to me to overlap sometimes?

WyoTraveler wrote:
down load the "Low Clearance Locator" app.

An app? Hmm- I'll have to look for it.

I have a shiny new GPS (the new Garmin RV-specific one) and have been wondering which low clearance database to get for it.

SuperDutyFiver wrote:
Most of the parkways around DC and Balt are honestly not safe for RV passage-low bridges, narrow lanes, no shoulders, and KRAZY drivers are the norm! ;)

LOL- that's my home turf! Very rarely do I go anywhere where I don't get to enjoy one or the other on my way to "there". Otherwise, it's up I-95 which is just as fun!

I haven't encountered any passage-low bridges, though I've heard about them on the Baltimore/Washington Parkway. I generally avoid that road anyway- I've hit traffic on it almost every time I've ever been on it. :(

down load the "Low Clearance Locator" app.

Delaware Memorial is good to go-sometimes the NJ Turnpike will place a 'car pulled trailer ban' when it's super windy-but you get over the bridge into NJ before the issue-I think they used to do it more often-and would actually turn you around at the toll plaza-5th wheels were excluded as were larger trailers hauled by trucks.

The tunnels restrict 'bottles'-the interpretation of that word has been debated and many feel that a permanent frame mounted DOT tank is acceptable for passage-I emailed them once years ago and did not get a response.

Most of the parkways around DC and Balt are honestly not safe for RV passage-low bridges, narrow lanes, no shoulders, and KRAZY drivers are the norm! ;)