When was pa turnpike built

Baker of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission for contributing the photographs in this article. Highway History. Note the snow removal so that the area could be used.

Although closed since , this stretch of pavement between tunnels is in good condition. A bird's-eye view of today's Pennylvania Turnpike and the stretch of old Turnpike. West portal of the Sideling Hill Tunnel. Unlike today, there was no established speed limit when the turnpike opened and motorists excitedly recounted their tales to others of traveling the highway at speeds up to 80 or 90 MPH.

I looked in the mirror and saw a white car following me. The white car pulled off, too. Towns including Breezewood, Bedford, and Somerset boomed after the opening of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Even with some negative consequences for a few towns, the turnpike proved to be a much needed and economic-stimulating project for Pennsylvania in the s. Talks of expanding the mile highway had to be put on hold until after World War II.

Then two years later it was expanded past Scranton to Clarks Summit. The Northeast Extension has become a heavily traveled road since the Pocono area has been a very popular vacation destination. To alleviate this problem, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Act 61 to allow the construction of a parallel Lehigh tunnel for southbound traffic.

This second tunnel was financed through toll hikes and opened for business on November 22, Both the northbound and southbound tunnels were fully operational by and the Northeast Extension remains a common road used to travel to the Poconos.

Today the PA Turnpike covers Currently there are 57 toll booths and 18 service plazas scattered throughout this huge highway system. Wishes to expand the turnpike again have been discussed since the s, spilling over into the 21st century. The most recurrent and controversial ideas has been to toll I across the northern third of the state. However, neither this idea nor any others have been confirmed or initiated at the present time. The planners of the Pennsylvania Turnpike did not originally intend to revolutionize transportation in the United States.

Initially, the plan was to create a mode of convenient transportation for motor bikers and truckers, yet they ended up creating a turnpike that benefited both the economy and transportation. Convenience of travel was immensely improved after the building of the Pennsylvania Turnpike because the benefits of having a concrete road with spacious lanes, loosely-controlled speed, and less time spent traveling great distances made driving easier and more practical.

All of these positive characteristics of the interstate highway we enjoy today are thanks to the pioneering design of the first segment of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Skip to main content. By Pauline Shieh, supplemented by Kim Parry. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission operates the road system that launched the American Superhighways. So the commission decided to pave over the median and place a steel guardrail down the middle which was finished in on the mainline, and on April 14, on the Northeast Extension. In , the 25th anniversary of the opening, the New York Times ran a story on the highway and commented on the fact that the toll rate had never increased since Other states such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio, whose toll highways had opened after the Turnpike, had to raise rates.

The most important project was the tunnel bypass program. The original Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel had just reopened in October after being refurbished. The final steps in the process, the reopening of the refurbished Kittatinny Mountain and Blue Mountain Tunnels, took place on March 18, Four twin tunnels had replaced the original seven two lane tunnels, and for the first time since the highway opened a traveler would not have to squeeze into a single lane to go through a tunnel.

To see what became of the bypassed tunnels, see the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Abandoned Sections page. The Turnpike needed to modernize to stay competitive with its new free route.

Even seasoned traffic specialists couldn't accurately predict the effect that the opening would have on revenue. It also said that vehicles would drop from 53 million to 49 million vehicles, but it exceeded that mark by five million in the fiscal year With the two-lane tunnels either bypassed or "twinned" on the main line, attention turned to the Northeast Extension's Lehigh Tunnel. The Turnpike Commission chose the tunnel option. These plans were a mere drop in the bucket compared to the greatest proposals of all, rivaling even the construction of the original Turnpike.

The "Engineering Report on Turnpike Improvements " envisioned a project that would add four more lanes to the current right of way of the original Turnpike. The "Dual-Dual" design would require a foot right of way, with a median of 64 feet between the car and truck lanes in the same direction and a minimum of 80 feet between the eastbound and westbound lanes. Ten miles of this highway would cost as much as the original mile-long Turnpike had cost in This "mega-Turnpike" would have an 80 mile per hour design speed, holographic road signs, and an electronic icy-road warning system.

From Irwin to the Allegheny Tunnel and from Carlisle to the Blue Mountain Tunnel, the Turnpike would utilize the original highway, with two to five mile bypasses here and there to straighten out the alignment, new interchanges at Bedford and Donegal, and the Midway service plaza would be closed and a new one constructed five miles to the east.

At the tunnels, the new highway would traverse bypasses, or more parallel tunnels. The most striking of this project would have been the abandonment of the eight mile climb to the Allegheny Tunnel. The highway would be routed over nearby ridge tops. Cars would take a bypass over the mountain, while trucks would still utilize the tunnel.

Finally, the proposal stated that a 10 lane roadway would be needed for the New Stanton to Breezewood corridor. The report admitted that the improvements were "principally non-revenue producing, although they must be made to meet the present and future needs of the system. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Unions were introduced to the Turnpike when new legislation went into effect.

By early , the Teamsters Union became the bargaining agent for both field and central office employees. In , the commissioner's consulting engineer complemented both sides on the "transition from a non-union to a union facility with no interruption in service to the Turnpike patron. The job protection provided to the Turnpike employee is a major achievement and benefit to both sides. An employee no longer must worry about his position during election years and the commission will retain staff in whom time and money have been invested for training.

It wasn't I that claimed a significant drop in usage, it was the first Arab oil embargo of Many motorists did not want to be stranded without an open gas station nearby, so many opted to stay home. Vehicle volume dropped from 57 million in to 55 million in and Not until did the total rise back to 57 million.

During this time period, a federally mandated speed limit of 55 was imposed, and was enforced on the Turnpike beginning on December 2, The Turnpike continued to see improvements, although not to the extreme of the ten lane highway envisioned in the plan.

On April 10, , the new Reading-Lancaster Interchange opened. On August 1, , the PTC decided to increase passenger car toll rates from 1. With the fuel embargo easing, the commission also looked to construct truck climbing lanes at three locations: the east approach to the Allegheny Tunnel, the Jacobs Creek area west of Donegal, and the Indian Creek area west of the Laurel Hill bypass.

Work began just as the second oil crisis hit the United States. Traffic dropped from a then record of 66 million vehicles in to 62 million in The toll increase had helped to keep revenue steady.

Pennsylvania was cast into the national spotlight in March , when an accident occurred at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant only five miles south of the Susquehanna River Bridge. The reactor had just come online in December , and was the same design as the reactors of the Shippingport Nuclear Power Plant near Beaver.

The problem was a loss of coolant from a worker shutting off both auxiliary feedwater valves at once. Upon a call to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at AM that day, a team of inspectors from the King of Prussia office sped down the Turnpike to Harrisburg, van lights flashing. On March 29, radioactive gas was vented to the surrounding area at AM. Upon the release, Governor Richard Thornburgh warned the populace to stay indoors and added, "I am advising pregnant women and preschool-age children to leave the area within a five-mile radius of the Three Mile Island facility until further notice.

We have also ordered the closing of any schools within this area. I repeat that this and other contingency measures are based on my belief that an excess of caution is best. Current readings are no higher than they were yesterday. On April 9, Thornburgh lifted the advisory he announced on March 30, and the crisis was over with only a partial meltdown of the reactor's core. For more, see the Three Mile Island page.

Before the decade, much like disco, came to an end, the Turnpike showed up in pop music. A rock band out of Harrisburg named themselves "The Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Or when that new channel called MTV came on and showed something called "music videos" all day. Well, just as times changed in society, they also changed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Gone the way of bell bottoms and eight-track tapes also went the familiar Howard Johnson's restaurants that were fixtures at the service plazas since the Turnpike opened.

The s were a time when people had to eat and eat quickly. Some of the plazas offered a fast food and a sit-down restaurant. Drive thru windows were added at some locations.

While the choices at service plazas were increasing, the number of ones along the Turnpike was decreasing. All three were located on the westbound side just west of the Reading Interchange, west of the Gettysburg Pike Interchange, and between the Irwin and Pittsburgh Interchanges respectively.

Path Valley Service Plaza, located on the eastbound side east of the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel, was closed in the early s.

The mile straightaway east of the Blue Mountain Tunnel. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Improvements were also being made to the highway itself. Truck climbing lanes were added at three locations and were completed on December 2, The largest of these was located at the the eastern approach to the Allegheny Tunnel, which involved relocating 2.

The original four-lane highway was converted into a three lane westbound right-of-way. At the same time, a two-lane eastbound right of way was constructed a short distance away. The next improvement came to the toll collection system. Studies began in on a new system that would utilize a smaller two by five inch ticket, replacing the old three by seven inch tickets, and be computerized. The system went into effect on July 22, The tickets have a magnetic strip that is encoded with fare and other information, and are dispensed automatically when entering a toll plaza.

The system also weighs trucks entering and leaving and calculates a fare through a terminal in the booth how much toll is owed. Another improvement came in the introduction of a system of call boxes. In December of , call boxes were installed at every mile between the New Stanton Interchange and the eastern portal of the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel. These can provide service, police, or medical help with the push of one of four buttons.

The system expanded to include the entire Turnpike System on November 22, Other changes took place on traveled parts of the Turnpike.

In , the PTC approved the use of the abandoned This section includes the Ray's Hill and Sideling Hill Tunnels, which has become the topic of some of the web pages listed below. Sideling Hill Tunnel is used for nighttime reflectivity tests, and elsewhere a portion of the shoulder is used to test SNAP Sonic Nap Alert Pattern , a indented rumble strip that runs along the side of the roadway to alert people when they are driving off the lane.

More recently, this section has been used to test sign reflectivity and sizing for under the direction of the Federal Highway Administration inside and outside of the Sideling Hill Tunnel and testing the effectiveness of traffic barriers on curves, curbs, and slopes over hillsides. The western end, behind the motels in Breezewood, has been utilized by the FHWA and the National Traffic Safety Board to conduct accident investigation training with low speed skid tests utilizing tractor-trailers.

An auto manufacturer has conducted heatlamp tests inside and outside of the tunnels. Lead paint removal technology was tested on the underside of one of the overpasses, and the FHWA a laser-based vehicle control system. Troop T, the Pennsylvania State Police detachment that patrols the Turnpike, tested a "road nail" system that can be stretched across the highway to stop a speeding vehicle and then pulled away to let the police cruisers by safely.

Even the Pennsylvania Film Bureau is getting into the act, by offering the alignment to Hollywood for movie production. So far, the STAR facility has only been used in a truck suspension video to advertise their product's reliability on a rough highway. As for the Laurel Hill Tunnel, well, it has taken a less dramatic role. The Turnpike maintenance department uses it to store road salt and other materials.

The most significant change in the s came with the passage and enactment of Act This law enabled a new era in construction and expansion within the Pennsylvania Turnpike System. With this new act, the PTC could pursue new projects, some of which had been on planning boards for years.

Passenger car rates rose from 2. For more on the extensions to the system or ones that were planned, see the Pennsylvania Turnpike section of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes page. With the rising traffic volume, these projects became even more important. From when the volume was 63 million vehicles to The average daily traffic count of , in was 75 times the level predicted for the original Middlesex to Irwin section before it opened.

The milestone of traffic volume was reached on October 31, when William Snow was chosen as the Turnpike's two billionth traveler. PTC officials gave him gifts, tourist attraction passes and vacation vouchers.

Observers pointed out that officials could not waive his 40 cent toll. Since the popularity of the Poconos had increased, so did the traffic that resulted in 22, vehicles a day during August: the busiest time of the year. On February 14, , ground was broken on the second tunnel. A new method to constructing this tunnel was implemented. The other tunnels were constructed by blasting rock loose, then clearing the debris and erecting a steel superstructure inside the tunnel which was repeated many times until the tunnel was completed.

It has been used in Europe since the s, it had been utilized in two light rail projects: the Mount Lebanon Transit Tunnels in Pittsburgh and Washington Metro system. With the technique, after each blasting of rock, the ceiling and sides are stabilized by being sprayed by shotcrete. The 4,foot-long tunnel was bored 94 feet west of the existing tube and was "holed through" on June 12, The men, working three shifts, 24 hours a day, six days a week had tunneled 3, feet through the north side of the Blue Mountain and and feet through the south side.

It opened to traffic in November , and eliminated the last two lane section of the Turnpike. When it opened, the original tube was closed for refurbishing. The new oval-shaped tunnel left ; and the original tunnel right. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Polyvinyl chloride lining prevents water seepage, a problem that the original tunnel suffered from. This project included the largest contract awarded by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. The interchange is the largest in the system and the first additional interchange on the mainline to be constructed since completion of the Scranton Interchange, now named Clarks Summit, on the Northeast Extension in The interchange has the largest toll plaza with 17 lanes for entering and exiting traffic and eight ramps comprising 4.

The Mid-County and Norristown Interchanges are connected via a fiber optic cable which permits data sharing between the toll plazas and the main office in Harrisburg. This included construction of the toll plaza, utility building, roadway, structures, signing, and lighting.

Mid-County Interchange under construction. The old Northeast Extension interchange bridge is in the foreground. Thomas M. The new 17 lane toll plaza. The ramps on the edges of the picture are for the Germantown Pike interchange. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Workers pouring concrete for the deck of the new southbound bridge. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Since the construction took place in a highly developed area of suburban Philadelphia where there are many active roadways, maintaining a smooth traffic flow posed a challenge.

To prevent problems, the project was divided into phases and stages. The purposes of this was to maintain at least four lanes of traffic on the mainline Turnpike and to provide access to the Northeast Extension while the ramps are under construction. Solution cavities posed an even greater problem to the construction.

These are formed when groundwater has worn away earth between limestone rocks, thus creating an underground cavern. This paid for extra excavation and concrete work.

On December 15, , the first interchange on the Turnpike to have "fly over" ramps opened to traffic. Grout being pumped into underground voids. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Tandem toll booths two toll booths on a single lane at an interchange were implemented at the Valley Forge Interchange in and Willow Grove Interchange in With two collectors on a lane, traffic can move through the toll plaza more quickly.

On March 10, , work began on a 17 mile stretch between the Philadelphia Interchange and the Northeast Extension interchange. The project was completed on November 23, ; however, improvements to the Fort Washington, Willow Grove, and Philadelphia Interchanges preceded the widening. Work also began on an eastbound truck climbing lane on the western end of the Turnpike.

It was constructed just east of the Beaver River bridge. Construction began in and the lane opened in PennDOT began construction on sections near California, but stopped work because of lack of funds.

On June 8, , ground was broken and construction resumed in the corridor after 12 years. Other sections are under construction or proposed. Standard Oil, the predecessor to Exxon, had a hand in gasoline sales on the Turnpike since it opened in Every service plaza from New Stanton to Plainfield switched to Gulf, and eventually all 22 to Sunoco in Credit card-activated pumps, as well as fax machines, ATMs, and informational lodging boards which allow travelers to make reservations were installed at the service plazas.

Compressed natural gas and quick-charging battery stations for electric cars was planned to be added at the King of Prussia and South Somerset service plazas in , but the PTC deemed public interest to be too low to justify the cost.

Granite milepost at the Irwin Interchange that was placed in to signify the original western terminus when the Turnpike opened 50 years before. The inscription from Anthony S.

Mammarella reads, "Pick a season, who needs a reason, to ramble our state, with scenery so great, and happily trod, o'er field made by God. The first was for the James E. PA Turnpike 60 , as it is numbered, opened on November 20, With the completion of the call box system across the entire system in , another feature was added that incorporated a growing technology.

By calling the number, travelers have access to the same services they can receive by using a call box. The Keyser Avenue Interchange was added in the early s.

Construction began in February on the interchange that served as the final exit on the Northeast Extension while the Wyoming Valley mainline toll plaza was built and the Scranton Interchange underwent reconstruction. The interchange was designed by Gannett Flemming, Inc. The interchange completely opened in As mentioned above, work also began on the mainline north of the Wyoming Valley Interchange.

This is now where the ticket system ends, because from that point north the highway is a coin drop system as on the toll highways in Southwest Pennsylvania. In November , this section of the Turnpike reopened to traffic. The winter of played havoc with the entire highway system of Pennsylvania, not just the Turnpike. The weekend of March , , the "storm of the century" hit the Commonwealth and, for the first time in decades severe weather managed to close the the highway.

National Guard Humvees rescued stranded motorists on the eastern approach to the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel, while on the western side snow drifts were as deep as 20 feet in some places. Those with a lead foot received a welcomed gift on July 13, , when Pennsylvania raised the maximum speed limit on 1, miles of expressways including most of the Turnpike, as well as the Mon-Fayette Expressway, James E. Ross Highway, and Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass.

History was made again on the Turnpike on July 18, when the first electric vehicle completed a drive from end to end. He added, "It's becoming a family tradition. West Penn Power In , the Turnpike Commission lobbied to have the Interstate designation extended up the Northeast Extension to Scranton and the change officially occurred on November 1 of that year.

Construction on another extension, PA Turnpike 66 , began in The rest of the highway opened on December 9, The PTC held an open house, which I attended, where you could walk down the highway while some chose to ride bicycles. The Southern Beltway , another extension near Pittsburgh, is partially under construction. Many people ask why the Turnpike does not connect to some major Interstates such as I Well, the PTC is coming around on that topic.

Until the late s, I followed the US 13 alignment in the area. It would have provided a direct connection to the Turnpike, but because of environmental reasons the Interstate could not be built north of the Turnpike. After cancellation of the Somerset Freeway in New Jersey, the Turnpike Commission was tasked in with creating a connector. The original plan would have taken homes and cut through Delhaas Woods to build the connecting ramps, but the plan had changed by to only require the taking of 10 homes and sparing the woods entirely.

Stage One involved building a high-speed interchange between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 95, a new mainline toll plaza, and widening the Turnpike from Exit to the Delaware River. Stage Two will involve constructing a parallel span across the Delaware River south of the existing span. The following were the plans for the new toll plaza, interchange, and bridge: Modified Toll Plaza West will be built west of I to allow free-flowing traffic between the Turnpike and I The plaza will consist of 18 lanes and be located behind the Philadelphia Park Racetrack.

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Delaware River Bridge South will be located 75 to feet south of the existing bridge and feature three lanes for carrying New Jersey-bound traffic.

The current span will be rehabilitated and be reconfigured for three lanes for westbound traffic. The current Delaware River Bridge toll plaza will be modified as a westbound-only facility. On January 3, , the new Open Road Tolling facility became the first on the system to be equipped for toll-by-plate technology.

Tolls were suspended at the former Delaware River Bridge Toll Plaza as well as at Exit , with demolition of both toll plazas occurring during the summer of Work began in September on reconstructing and widening the Turnpike from west of the Interstate 95 overpass to west of the Delaware River Bridge Toll Plaza. Also included will be installation of stormwater-management facilities, erosion and sedimentation control measures, and the construction of sound and retaining walls.

Work on this phase concluded on September 21, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new interchange, with the ramps connecting Interstate 95 and the Turnpike opening on September The ramps marked the completion of the original Interstate System plan, and marked the first time drivers utilizing Interstate 95 between New York and Philadelphia could do so unimpeded.

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission An unusual financing scheme to complete the interchange came to light in April Federal law permits the dealmakers to go immediately to China, or elsewhere, to begin recruiting investors, but they can not accept funds until approval. Despite some success around the country with these type of partnerships, the Immigrant Investor Program has drawn criticism for lax oversight and dubious projects that have not produced domestic jobs nor permanent green cards for foreign investors.

One of the other major Interstate connections that is discussed a lot is the Interstate 70 interchange at Breezewood. It is one of the rare places on the Interstate System that you encounter a traffic signal on the highway itself.

Two provisions of Section of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of proved unlucky in regards to a direct connection. Section b stated that funds could be used for approaches to any tolled alignment as long as a toll-free highway option was available to drivers. Section c stated that funds could be used to build an interchange between a free Interstate and an toll Interstate, as long as the state highway agency, toll authority, and Bureau of Public Roads entered into an agreement to stop collecting tolls once the bonds were retired.

The Turnpike Commission showed no desire to stop collecting tolls, and not only decided to balk at using the Federal-aid funds for the connection, but decided against using its own revenue for an interchange. Summers, PTC's Director of Operations said, "We are willing to share whatever we legally can, of course, in making such direct connections; and we are doing so on some of them. However, where new interchanges would not afford an increase, great increase in revenue, we do not feel that these matters should be thrust upon the turnpike commission.

With the Turnpike Commission unwilling to use its own money for an interchange, the Department of Highways used the Federal-aid funds to extend I north from the Turnpike to US 30 which followed the stipulation of Section b. The situation will not be rectified any time soon since the owners of the numerous gas stations, restaurants, and motels that line US 30 said their businesses would be forced to close their doors with an Interstate-Turnpike direct connection. Michael Dawida, a Pittsburgh area state senator, who had been involved in an accident at the intersection, announced his intention on July 26, to introduce a bill to be put forward in the state senate that would close the gap as well as studying building a direct connection at Interstate 81 in Carlisle.

He said at a new conference, "Anyone who has sat in that traffic, waiting five minutes to travel one mile, knows just how frustrating it can be — and how dangerous. The reason, as the state senator explained, lies in the political pressure exerted by Breezewood merchants as is in located in the district formerly represented by US Representative Bud Shuster the chair of the House Transportation Committee.

State Senate Pro Tempore Robert Jubelier, who represented Breezewood, did not like the idea and felt Dawida should have consulted him before announcing the bill.

My constituents are always complaining about the tie-ups there when they try to get into Pittsburgh," Jubelier said. Senator Dawida eventually dropped his push for a direct interchange. The debacle that is Breezewood. Later that year, work began on the sections from mileposts 76 to 85 and mileposts to Sign at milepost 99 advising drivers they are entering the first section to be rebuilt. Larger shoulders allowed easier access for emergency vehicles. Environmental awareness expanded. The original concrete from highway reconstruction was recycled to provide a base for the new highway.

Funding for the PA Turnpike and all Pennsylvania transportation funding needed to be re-evaluated and restructured. With the success of the pilot programs, it was announced that the entire system would convert to AET in October As began, the country was aware of a new virus making its way to the United States. By March, the rapid transmission of a novel coronavirus, or COVID, led health and government officials to take unprecedented steps to slow the spread.

As states realized the magnitude of the COVID pandemic many, including Pennsylvania, issued a Stay at Home Order directing all residents to shelter at home and limit movements outside of their homes beyond essential needs.

Many businesses were closed and employees who could work from home were instructed to do so. Toll Collectors were now at risk of being exposed to the virus while performing their jobs. The original intent was to honor the AET conversion planned for October and return to a cash system collection system after the pandemic.

No one could have known the magnitude of the epidemic. It was evident that returning to a cash collection system was too risky. Several factors influenced the landmark decision. With drivers now accustomed to traveling through Toll Points without stopping, going back to a cash system would be dangerous for drivers and toll collectors.

As Pennsylvania residents began to look forward to the Stay at Home restrictions being lifted in a phased approach, it was reported that the virus might return later in Through Eight Decades.