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drive from Toronto to Port Galveston on Cruise by last week of August 2018


northyork999
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we would like try driving from Toronto to Port Galveston for cruise August 26 2018. we will stay one night at Louisville to see a family friend there. From Louisville to Port Galveston is about 1600Km. we try to leave Louisville in the morning and arrive Port Galveston next day around lunch time.

 

had any one drive this route and give me any suggestion regarding the road condition of Arkansas? which place could be the bottle neck and should avoid. thanks!

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Out of Louisville,

How early do you plan on leaving Louisville?

Do you plan to drive through the night with minimal stops?

What is your planned route out of Louisville to Galveston.

Edited by skrufy
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There are three ways to get to Galveston, we never use I-45. A road atlas and google maps will help you plan your route and check on congestion. Bing maps are a big help to plan mileage and how far you want to drive each day.

Then, I enter the waypoints, in segments to be sure it goes the way I want to go, into a Garmin gps.

Atlas, Garmin, and Google maps on the iPhone are my friends while on the road.

Never had a problem in Arkansas, or anywhere along the route you are likely to be following.

 

 

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we would like try driving from Toronto to Port Galveston for cruise August 26 2018. we will stay one night at Louisville to see a family friend there. From Louisville to Port Galveston is about 1600Km. we try to leave Louisville in the morning and arrive Port Galveston next day around lunch time.

 

 

 

had any one drive this route and give me any suggestion regarding the road condition of Arkansas? which place could be the bottle neck and should avoid. thanks!

 

 

 

Why are you worried about Arkansas specifically?

 

 

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we would like try driving from Toronto to Port Galveston for cruise August 26 2018. we will stay one night at Louisville to see a family friend there. From Louisville to Port Galveston is about 1600Km. we try to leave Louisville in the morning and arrive Port Galveston next day around lunch time.

 

 

 

had any one drive this route and give me any suggestion regarding the road condition of Arkansas? which place could be the bottle neck and should avoid. thanks!

 

 

 

We live just NE of Houston. From the Texas/ Arkansas border at Texarkana we would recommend taking US 59/ I-69 South all the way to just South of Humble, Texas. From there connect to the Sam Houston Tollway (eastbound) to I-45 South of Houston. Then on to the Port of Galveston. The SRT is a tollroad and, if you come to an unmanned booth, they take a pic of your license plate and mail you a statement.

 

Safe travels and enjoy your cruise.

 

 

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We live just NE of Houston. From the Texas/ Arkansas border at Texarkana we would recommend taking US 59/ I-69 South all the way to just South of Humble, Texas. From there connect to the Sam Houston Tollway (eastbound) to I-45 South of Houston. Then on to the Port of Galveston. The SRT is a tollroad and, if you come to an unmanned booth, they take a pic of your license plate and mail you a statement.

 

Safe travels and enjoy your cruise.

 

 

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I would recommend staying off of the (SHT) Sam Houston Tollway if at all possible. There are no toll booths and they will definitely photograph your plate and send you a statement along with a hefty fine if you do not have EZ Tag or a rental car with a toll agreement.

 

Just stay on 59/69 all the way to I-45 and you should be fine. It will take you right downtown in Houston where you can see all the buildings up close. Just try to avoid rush hour in the morning.

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I would recommend staying off of the (SHT) Sam Houston Tollway if at all possible. There are no toll booths and they will definitely photograph your plate and send you a statement along with a hefty fine if you do not have EZ Tag or a rental car with a toll agreement.

 

Just stay on 59/69 all the way to I-45 and you should be fine. It will take you right downtown in Houston where you can see all the buildings up close. Just try to avoid rush hour in the morning.

 

Agree 100%. No need in spending the money on the toll road. I go back in Houston since before the Gulf Freeway was started to Galveston (1954), if that gives me any credibility!!:cool::cool::cool:

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I would recommend staying off of the (SHT) Sam Houston Tollway if at all possible. There are no toll booths and they will definitely photograph your plate and send you a statement along with a hefty fine if you do not have EZ Tag or a rental car with a toll agreement.

 

 

 

Just stay on 59/69 all the way to I-45 and you should be fine. It will take you right downtown in Houston where you can see all the buildings up close. Just try to avoid rush hour in the morning.

 

 

 

Not true about the fine. You only incur the fine if you do not pay the mailed statement by the due date.

 

 

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Use google maps and/or WAZE on your phone to scan your route ahead and enter GPS routes in segments as suggested above. Your co-pilot can help spot any traffic problems ahead and plan alternate routes if they will be better than waiting it out. I set my car GPS to the final destination and use a phone in segments to manage a piece at a time. If your GPS supports it, I like to use the target time setting so it shows me how much slack time I have that can be used for meals and bathroom stops.

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Not true about the fine. You only incur the fine if you do not pay the mailed statement by the due date.

 

Please don’t give out incorrect information about the Beltway Toll Road system. They DO NOT mail out statements, much of the system is EZ-Tag only with reciprocity for other Texas tags. Some have reported Oklahoma tags worked.

 

Here is the exact quote from HCTRA:

Failure to pay a toll at the time of the transaction is a violation and you may be cited by law enforcement! Failure to pay a toll may also result in additional fees and penalties.

 

The other option is an EZ-Tag Express account that can be set up in advance and a $25 in-advance payment.

 

Our county constables sit at the toll readers and get a alarm when someone runs the toll plaza without a reader. Without one of the tags or Express account described above the driver is issued a citation.

 

Here’s the link to contact HCTRA if you mistakenly run one of the plazas:

 

https://www.hctra.org/MissedAToll

 

.

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Please don’t give out incorrect information about the Beltway Toll Road system. They DO NOT mail out statements, much of the system is EZ-Tag only with reciprocity for other Texas tags. Some have reported Oklahoma tags worked.

 

Here is the exact quote from HCTRA:

Failure to pay a toll at the time of the transaction is a violation and you may be cited by law enforcement! Failure to pay a toll may also result in additional fees and penalties.

 

The other option is an EZ-Tag Express account that can be set up in advance and a $25 in-advance payment.

 

Our county constables sit at the toll readers and get a alarm when someone runs the toll plaza without a reader. Without one of the tags or Express account described above the driver is issued a citation.

 

Here’s the link to contact HCTRA if you mistakenly run one of the plazas:

 

https://www.hctra.org/MissedAToll

 

.

Yes, they do mail out statements with fee and fine. I received one. Purchased car with easy tag; not sure if it was active. Drove Beltway and used Easy Tag lane. Fine was waived when I called and set up account..

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Yes, they do mail out statements with fee and fine. I received one. Purchased car with easy tag; not sure if it was active. Drove Beltway and used Easy Tag lane. Fine was waived when I called and set up account..

 

Appreciate I responded to the “mail out a statement” comment. They don’t do just that as you found out. You also set up an account. Someone from out of state won’t have that need.

 

Harris County is remarkably tourist unfriendly that way. It’s been debated at commissioners court for years. Their reasons are poor collection rates.

 

The fines are steep and not always waived, hence I respectfully reply when someone says use the tollway and they will just mail you a bill.

 

While it’s a small sample, I recently replaced a tag and while waiting in line I witnessed several fines being negotiated. The driver seldom won.

 

Bike ride on the Seawall early Saturday, come join us!

 

.

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Appreciate I responded to the “mail out a statement” comment. They don’t do just that as you found out. You also set up an account. Someone from out of state won’t have that need.

 

Bike ride on the Seawall early Saturday, come join us!

 

.

 

Thank you for the clarification.

 

Up early, but would end up in ER riding a bike. I'll stick to my convertible; but thank you for the invite:) :)

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