Canoe Creek and Turkey Lake Service Plaza Construction

Canoe Creek Service Plaza
Older Google image of the Canoe Creek Service Plaza, as seen on TurnpikeInfo.com from 2009 through 2011.

Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise continues with a multi-year construction project to renovate all service plazas across the turnpike, with the Canoe Creek Service Plaza becoming the latest addition to the list of plazas undergoing renovations. The Canoe Creek travel plaza is located at mile marker 229, just south of the Disney-Area exits in Osceola County. At this time, the gas station remains open, with some food in the convenience store. The only other food available at this time is from the Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant. The food court is undergoing a complete renovation that will not be completed for several months.

Further north, in the heart of the Orlando Metro Area, the Turkey Lake Service Plaza construction continues unabated, with final work on the new food court underway. However, some limited food service is available. Nathan’s Hot Dogs recently reopened, and there is a new convenience store and gas station operating at the travel plaza, located at mile marker 263, between the I-4 and East-West Expressway exits.

The upgrade to Florida Turnpike service plazas will cost about $162-million. It is expected traffic through the service plazas will be largely unaffected by the construction work. A clerk at the Canoe Creek Service Plaza told TurnpikeInfo.com Wednesday night, January 30, the traffic going through the plaza was moving, “pretty good,” and that no construction vehicles were blocking any access.

Gas Prices Rise On East Coast, Surge In Midwest And Rocky Mountains

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Weekly gas price survey

Average gas prices bounced up nearly three cents per gallon along the East Coast of the United States during the past week, according to this week’s fuel survey by the Energy Information Administration. Some states along the Lower Atlantic states saw only two cent, per average, increase. Drivers living in the Midwest and particularly the Rocky Mountain states saw they fill-up costs leap by as much as 10-cents per gallon, on average. The EIA weekly survey results were released January 28, 2013.

The overall rise in fuel prices across the  the United States comes on the heels of a spike in crude oil prices on the New York Mercantile Exchange late last week. Energy companies generally adjust the prices charged for refined fuels to offset an anticipated rise in crude, even when the delivery dates for crude oil are two and three months away.

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Weekly diesel fuel survey

The cost of diesel did not rise as much as regular gasoline during the past week; however, diesel still increased by an average of three cents per gallon, following a larger spike in prices last week. The continued increase in diesel costs will continue affecting the trucking industry, particularly smaller fleets and independent operators.

DOWNLOAD THE WEEKLY EIA GAS PRICE SURVEY

Gas Prices for January 21, 2013 Show Solid Declines, But …

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Gas price survey

Gasoline prices marked a solid decline over the past week, but those drivers enjoying the biggest declines were only to be found on the East Coast and Gulf Coast states. Drivers in the Rocky Mountain States and particularly in the Midwest saw a sharp spike in gas prices, according to the weekly gas price survey from the Energy Information Administration.

The survey showed declines in regular gasoline prices across all regions if the East Coast, which includes New England and the Atlantic states. New England states saw the smallest decline, while states across the lower Atlantic enjoyed a decline of more than 3¢ per gallon.

Conversely, Midwestern drivers found fuel prices surging by upwards of 7¢ per gallon. It was the sharpest increase in fuel prices seen for the Midwest since last August, prices even surpassed last summer’s average price per gallon across the Midwest.  However, prices in states from the Dakotas to Ohio remained below the national average.

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Diesel fuel prices

Meanwhile, for truckers and other drivers of diesel-fueled vehicles, prices in diesel fuel rose across nearly every region of the United States, while remaining nearly flat across New England and the Central Atlantic states. Overall, Diesel fuel prices remain anywhere from 6¢ to 11¢ per gallon higher than this time last year, except in the Rocky Mountain and West Coast states, where prices year over year have fallen.

DOWNLOAD THE WEEKLY EIA GAS PRICE SURVEY

Gas Prices for January 14, 2013: East Coast Gas Up, Diesel Prices Down

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Fuel price survey

Gas prices across most East Coast and Midwestern states nudged upward slightly during the past week, according to the latest fuel survey by the U.S. Energy Information Agency. The average U.S. price per gallon of Regular Unleaded was at just over $3.30 per gallon, according to the January 14 survey release, up from just under $3.30 last week. Fuel prices for the East Coast and New England were much higher, however, most drivers paying about $3.45 per gallon, a full 15¢ per gallon more than the U.S. Average.

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Diesel price survey

Diesel prices, however, nudged down slightly, a good sign for truckers who typically spend well over $4.00 per gallon for fuel, even though diesel is well known to be much more plentiful and easier to refine than gasoline. The East Coast average for a gallon of diesel fuel was just over $4.00 per gallon, with New England states enduring the highest prices for diesel, at $4.17 per gallon.

Download A PDF of the Weekly Survey

Ohio Turnpike: New Light Fixtures Close Emergency Lanes

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Ohio Turnpike Construction Update

Construction workers are laying foundations for new light poles along the shoulder of Ohio’s Turnpike, in Lorain County. As a result, the emergency lanes will be closed for about a half-mile stretch of Ohio’s Turnpike, between mile marker 142 and mile marker 143, until Friday, January 10. The closure will affect the eastbound lanes only.

The closures could potentially slow exit traffic approaching the I-80 / I-90 Junction, particularly during peak travel times.

Gasoline Prices Nudge Upward On East Coast

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Gas price survey

Gas prices at most stations along the east coast of the U.S. increased between 2¢ and 5¢ per gallon for the week ending January 6, 2013, according to the latest survey from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Gas prices in the Lower Atlantic states and along the Gulf Coasts increased between 5¢ and 6¢ per gallon.

However, diesel fuel prices largely bucked the trend of increasing gas prices, except in the Central Atlantic states, where prices went up by about 2-cents.

The EIA is a branch of the U.S. Department of Energy, and they conduct their survey each week, releasing the figures they have gathered every Monday.
Download the current survey report.

Illinois' Jane Addams Memorial Tollway Construction Update

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Illinois construction update for Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
The Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, which is I-90 west of Chicago, will continue to see emergency lane closures between IL 47 (State Road 47) and Powers Road, and from Powers to Sandalwood. The shoulders for eastbound and westbound traffic will be affected through the end of March, as they have been since the start of the Summer Travel Season in 2012.
The lane closures are part of an Illinois Tollway construction project to add a new interchange at the IL 47 junction, which will help traffic flow for traffic around Elgin, West Dundee and the Whisper Creek Golf Club.
All travel lanes will be open during the construction period, which ends March 31. However, some intermittent lane closures are possible as unexpected construction issues arise.

New Jersey Turnpike

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Northbound travel affected

The Grover Cleveland Service Plaza, located in the Woodbridge Township for northbound drivers on the New Jersey Turnpike, will not be able to offer food service to travelers until further notice. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority announced the food service suspension Monday afternoon, January 7, but did not provide an immediate explanation.

The Thomas Edison Service Plaza, which serves the southbound traffic, is still providing food services at this time.

To get an update of the service plaza food service at the Grover Cleveland Service Plaza, contact the HMSHost contractor at (732) 634-2923.

Indiana Toll Road: Weekly Construction Schedule for January 7 – 13, 2013

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Indiana Toll Road construction schedule

The Indiana Toll Road has released its construction schedule for the week of January 7th through the 13th, with a slew of un-started projects on the list. Most construction matters on the current weekly list are simple survey work and exit lane restrictions.  These will typically impact truckers with wider loads.

However, some crack sealing and repair will lead to lane closures, particularly in the westbound lanes between mile markers 90 to 100, and again from mile markers 120 to 130. Some eastbound crack repair is likely as well. Most closures and lane restrictions are set to happen between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM.

The attached Mill & Fill Schedule shows the list of projects and corresponding days for the week.

Pennsylvania Turnpike: Trucker Alert for Kittatinny and Blue Mountain Tunnels

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Lane restrictions for Kittatinny and Blue Mtn. Tunnels

Truckers and bus drivers must now use the left lane through the twin tunnels on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, until further notice. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission issued it’s alert January 2, 2013 in which it restricted commercial traffic to the left lanes between mile markers 195 and 202. The restriction currently affects only the eastbound travel lanes.

The lane restrictions will remain in effect indefinitely; there is no word from PennDOT or the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission of whether the westbound lanes may also be affected.

The right lane of travel will remain open for regular cars and pick-up trucks, as well as other non-commercial traffic traveling through the tunnels. This restriction is near the Blue Mountain Exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Drivers are asked to carefully monitor highway radio at 1640 AM. Additional updates are being sent to news media, including TurnpikeInfo.com, regarding these lane restrictions.

See the tunnels: Kittatinny and Blue Mountain Tunnels: The Twin Tunnels