Travel tips in Denver and Boulder area

There have been a lot of threads about this lately and they seem to follow a common trajectory:

OP: "I just got a bill in the mail for the Denver toll and I can't believe how much it was. Everyone else beware."

Everyone else: "We can't believe you didn't know it was a toll road. Seriously."

The responses pile on the OP pretty hard until the OP either flames out or disappears (fight or flight).

It's all very predictable.

As a semi-impartial observer who doesn't live in Denver but flew in and out of DIA a zillion times while our kids were in collage up in Laramie, I can attest that it was confusing at first as an outsider. Yes, the signs show that it's a toll road, but there's no toll plaza and I can't recall seeing a rate chart that would indicate the premium that RVers would pay by the axle. On the other hand, it was only a surprise once. After that, we knew that the mailman was our toll collector and we would pay the fee eventually.

Since this thread is already turning on the OP, I'm going to save us the fight or flight that will come later in Act III and just close the thread.

OP - Sorry about the tolls and the responses here. You're now a member of the Out of State Toll Club and it won't be a surprise next time. Welcome to the club.

Presuming you took the segment between I-70 and I-25, since you said it was $40. IF you'd gone the entire length around it would have been $65.40 for 4 axles one way.

There are plenty of signs prior to getting on E-470 that indicate it's a toll road. And upon entry there is a sign that indicates the rate as well as at each of the toll plaza/plate readers (used to be you had to stop at the booths and pay unless you had the express pass). Alternative is to stay on the respective E/W or N/S interstate to where they intersect and go in the direction you want. And be in stop and go -- key word stop -- traffic and construction on I-70.

Bionic Man wrote:
But I really don't understand how you could NOT know it is a toll road? It is very well marked (bright yellow at the bottom of the sign) before you get on the road.

And the lack of traffic and how nice it is compared to a nasty crowded freeway.

E470 is expensive. But I really don't understand how you could NOT know it is a toll road? It is very well marked (bright yellow at the bottom of the sign) before you get on the road. And there are large signs regarding the fees at each area where they take a photo of your plate.

Same experience here. I was driving and neither one of us ever saw anything indicating it was a toll road. We were too busy surviving the traffic to notice anything smaller than a vehicle. Got a bill for $26 (4 axles.)

Wileythe5th wrote:
Traveler Beware! Toll roads ahead!

Highway robbery! I would like share a travel warning to anyone going to the Denver area. Highway E470 is a toll road. They do not collect the fees at toll gates. They mail you a bill . We received our bill 6 weeks after visiting Denver. We were shocked at the nearly $40 charge for only traveling about 30 miles! We were charged by the axle. In our case it was 4.

It is a private highway and when you get to the plate reader it tells you the fees for the first 2 axles and for additional axles, you should have gotten off, I personally will not drive on there with my TT, just sayin. Her is a previous thread on the same thing

https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/29761760/gotomsg/29761814.cfm#29761814

If you think that toll road is bad,drive through Illinois they really get you.

This is the trend...no toll booths...bill in the mail. The states are cooperating.