Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a major roadway in the state of Pennsylvania linking the greater Philadelphia area in the southeastern portion of the state to Pittsburgh and the Ohio border to the west. It is part of America's interstate highway system. Major portions of it are signed as Interstate 70, Interstate 76, Interstate 276, and Interstate 476. It links on the west to the Ohio Turnpike and on the east to the New Jersey Turnpike.
History
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is considered by some to be America's first limited access superhighway. It was loosely based on the concept of the German Autobahn superhighway network. The highway opened to traffic on October 1, 1940, and like the Autobahn, there was originally no enforced speed limit. The highway was originally 160 miles (257 km) long and linked Irwin, Pennsylvania and Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Much of the grade for the highway was originally surveyed as one of two potential railroad grades across the Allegheny Mountains by Colonel Charles Schattler of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1840s. One of the routes was used by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to link Pittsburgh and Philadelphia by rail in 1850. The other, a more southern alignment, one was never utilized until 1883, when the New York Central Railroad, the Pennsylvania Railroad's chief rival, decided to challenge the PRR by building a second route through the Allegheny Mountains to reach the lucrative Pittsburgh freight market. The rail bed was only about 60% complete by 1885, when the South Pennsylvania Railroad project was abandoned due to massive cost overruns.
In the 1930s, the still-abandoned rail right-of-way, including several completed tunnels, was acquired by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. The new highway followed the general routing of the abandoned railroad through the rugged Allegheny Mountains. Built as a toll road, it was constructed in 20 months, and opened in 1940.
It was the first modern toll road controlled-access highway in the United States for use by all vehicles. Although it was preceded by the similar parkway system in the New York City metropolitan area, those roads were designated solely for non-commercial use. The Pennsylvania Turnpike was the model followed by other states that constructed turnpikes after World War II. One of the lessons learned from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, derived from its right-of-way being completely straight (especially between the Blue Mountain and Carlisle exits, which is over 20 miles) for long stretches, which, although acceptable for trains, causes highway hypnosis in motor vehicle drivers. Hence, subsequent highways were designed to incorporate slight curves to provide variety.
Expansion, modernization
Later extensions to Ohio, New Jersey, and Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania in the Poconos were built to make the Turnpike part of the northeastern toll road system, which, when complete, made it possible to drive from Maine to Chicago, Illinois without stopping at a traffic light. By 1950, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission had plans to build a 1,000-mile Pennsylvania Turnpike network, but they were dropped in favor of building the Interstate Highway System. These planned highways were later incorporated into the majority of the Interstates built in Pennsylvania, including Interstate 79, Interstate 80, and the non-tolled section of Interstate 476 between Interstate 95 in Chester and the current junction with the Northeast Extension. By the early 1960s, there were seven tunnels on the mainline, and one, the Lehigh Tunnel, on the Northeast Extension. Three tunnels (Laurel Hill, Rays Hill, and Sideling Hill) were bypassed with new construction by 1970. All three tunnels are still in existence. The four remaining mainline tunnels were "twinned", creating a second tunnel identical in to the first in design, construction methods (dynamite and wooden supports) and length. After the second tunnel was completed at each location, the original tunnel was temporarily closed for rehabilitation.
The Lehigh Tunnel, "twinned" in the early 1990's, is the only tunnel built by the Turnpike Commission using the New Austrian Tunneling Method, which used a special machine resembling a large electric razor blade, guided by lasers, with the "holed-out" area reinforced with shotcrete, a slurry mixture that eliminated the need for wooden supports. Because of the new construction, the new tube, which is round, contrasts sharply with the original tube, which is rectangular. The Allegheny Tunnels, the longest tunnel complex on the entire Turnpike system, along with being the oldest, will be upgraded with a replacement tunnel system, or with a five-lane tube (with truck/bus/trailer-only climbing lanes) to be slated to open after 2010.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike currently extends 359 miles from the borough of Bristol, Pennsylvania on the Delaware River to its western terminus at the Ohio border in Lawrence County, where it connects to the Ohio Turnpike. In addition, there is a 110 mile long Northeast Extension linking greater Philadelphia with Interstate 81 near Clarks Summit. There are also 62 miles of other extensions in the western portion of the state with more planned to be completed in the first decade of the 21st century.
These extensions, mostly serving the Pittsburgh Area, are known as the James E. Ross Highway (PA Turnpike 60), the Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass (PA Turnpike 66), the James J. Manderino Highway (PA Turnpike 43), and the Pittsburgh Southern Beltway (PA Turnpike 576). The first two were completed by 1994, while the James J. Manderino Highway, a West Virginia-to-Pittsburgh route, is still under construction. Only the Pittsburgh Southern Beltway has yet to go beyond the first excavation spots in southeastern Pittsburgh.
The total Turnpike system, including the completed extensions, is now 528 miles (850 km) long, and carried 162.3 million vehicles in fiscal year 2000-01. Today, the Turnpike is part of the interstate highway system, signed as Interstate 70; Interstate 76; Interstate 276; with Interstate 476 being assigned to the Northeast Extension of the Turnpike. When the interchange between Interstate 276 and Interstate 95 (which currently cross each other near Bristol, Pennsylvania without any direct traffic interchange between them) is completed in 2009, the portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike east of that interchange will be signed as Interstate 95, completing the "missing link" of the Interstate between Trenton, New Jersey and Somerset, New Jersey. There are talks of granting Interstate Highway status to PA Turnpike 60 and the unbuilt PA Turnpike 576 once infrastructure improvements are completed and Federal Highway Administration is approved. If approved, PA Turnpike 60, as well as the PA Route 60 expressway will become part of Interstate 376 and PA Turnpike 576, which is designed to Interstate Highway standards, will become Interstate 576. No plans are currently in the works for PA Turnpike 43, which could become a three-digit Interstate for either I-68 or I-76.
Turnpike Exits
There are a total of 42 exits on the original Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Northeast Extension, with an additional 26 on the Western Expansions. Until 2001, all exit numbers on the Turnpike and Northeast Extension were numbered sequentially from 1 to 39, with two exits, at New Castle and Mid-County, receiving an "A" designation after the number, which went from west to east on the Turnpike and south to north on the Northeast Extension. Also, all exits on the Turnpike and Northeast Extension have interchange names, while the Western Expansions use the nearest town designations. The follwing reflects the present day configuration of the Turnpike:
PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE
- GATEWAY TOLL PLAZA (Formerly Exit-2)
- 10-New Castle (PA Turnpike 60)
- 13-Beaver Valley
- 28-Cranburry (Direct interchange to Interstate 79)
- WARRENDALE TOLL PLAZA (Milepost 33)
- 39-Butler Valley
- 48-Allegheney Valley
- 57-Pittsburgh (Interstate 376 West)
- 67-Irwin
- 75-New Stanton (Interstate 70 West & PA Turnpike 66)
- 91-Donegal
- 110-Somerset
- 146-Bedford (Access to Interstate 99 via U.S. Business Route 220)
- 161-Breezewood (I-70 East)
- 180-Fort Littleton
- 189-Willow Hill
- 201-Blue Mountain
- 226-Carlisle (Access to Interstate 81 via U.S. Highway 11)
- 236-Gettysburg Pike
- 242-Harrisburg West (Interstate 83)
- 247-Harrisburg East (Interstate 283 North)
- 266-Lebanon-Lancaster
- 286-Reading
- 298-Morgantown (Interstate 176 North)
- 312-Downingtown
- FUTURE E-Z PASS "SLIP RAMP" to Great Valley
- 326-Valley Forge (Interstate 76 East)
- 333-Norristown
- JCT. NORTHEAST EXTENSION (Interstate 476)
- 339-Fort Washington
- 340-Virginia Drive (E-Z PASS SLIP RAMP--WESTBOUND ONLY)
- 343-Willow Grove
- 351-Philadelphia
- FUTURE NESHAMINY TOLL PLAZA (Future end of ticket system)
- FUTURE INTERCHANGE 355 WITH I-95 (to the south) AND I-295 (currently the portion of I-95 north of the Turnpike) BEGIN I-95 CONCURRENCY; END I-276
- 358-Delaware Valley (the toll plaza at this exit will probably be eliminated or changed to flat rate coin toll)
- 359-Delaware River Bridge (To New Jersey Turnpike) (the current last toll barrier is right before the bridge; it will be converted to a flat rate toll, as opposed to serving as the end of the ticket system)
NORTHEAST EXTENSION
- 20-Mid-County (Interstate 476 South, aka "Blue Route")
- JCT. PA TURNPIKE (Interstate 276)
- 31-Lansdale
- 44-Quakertown
- 56-Lehigh Valley (To Interstate 78 via U.S. Highway 22)
- 74-Mahoning Valley
- 95-Pocono (Interstate 80)
- 105-Wilkes-Barre
- WYOMING VALLEY TOLL PLAZA
- 115-Wyoming Valley
- KEYSER AVENUE TOLL PLAZA
- 122-Keyser Avenue
- CLARKS SUMMIT TOLL PLAZA
- 131-Clarks Summit (Interstate 81)
Planned Extensions of The 1950s
The extensions were originally planned by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission after World War II as part of the original 1,000-mile Turnpike network. They were dropped in the mid-1950s in favor of the Interstate Highway System. The network included the following:
- Chester Extension--now Interstate 476 or the Blue Route between Chester and the Northeast Extension
- Erie North-South Extension--now Interstate 79, this would connect with the New York State Thruway.
- Gettysburg Extension--now the U.S. Highway 15 Gettysburg Bypass
- Northeast Extension (Clarks Summit to New York State Line)--now Interstate 81. This would also connect with the New York State Thruway in Rochester.
- Philadelphia Loop Connection--now Interstate 95 between Interstate 76 at the Walt Whitman Bridge and Interstate 276
- Sharon Lateral Connection--now Interstate 80
Current Events
Today, the Turnpike is controlled by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, handles over 172 million vehicles per year, and employs nearly 2,200 people.
On November 24, 2004, two thousand Teamsters Union employees of the Pennsylvania Turnpike went on strike, after contract negotiations failed. This was the day before Thanksgiving, usually one of the busiest traffic days in the United States. [1] To keep the turnpike open, tolls were waived for the remainder of the day. Starting on November 25, flat-rate passenger tolls of $2 and commercial tolls of $15 were collected by management staff of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. [2] This represented a substantial discount for most travelers, who would normally have to pay about $20 to travel along the full length of the main east-west route. The strike only lasted seven days, with an agreement reached on November 30, and tolls being collected again on December 1, 2004.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is currently reconfiguring and expanding the Turnpike to meet modern traffic needs. Parts of the original Irwin-Carlisle section is being rebuilt with new roadbeds (using the original concrete and later macadam paving), and long-duration "Superpave" macadam asphalt (Similar to a process used on I-95 in Delaware between U.S. Highway 202 and the Pennsylvania State Line in 2000).
Between Valley Forge and the Northeast Extension, the highway is being expanded from four lanes to six, and with the completion of the entire I-95/Turnpike exit (along with the building of the paralleling Turnpike Connector Bridge), the entire Delaware River Extension will have six lanes.
Other projects include the conversion of the Gateway Toll Plaza from a traditional toll booth to an all-cash plaza with high-speed lanes, for E-Z Pass tag users, and the relocation of the ticket system at a new toll plaza in Warrendale. "Slip Ramps," for E-Z Pass tagholders, have been built near Fort Washington (Virginia Drive), with another planned for the Great Valley Corporate Center near Malvern. A similar six-lane expansion has also been planned for the Northeast Extension between its junction in Norristown to Lansdale, and on the mainline turnpike between Valley Forge and the planned Great Valley slip ramps.
On Memorial Day Weekend, 2005, the Pennsylvania Turnpike system became the first highway system in Pennsylvania to have a 65 mph speed limit on the entire length (except for the tunnels and serpentine mountain climbing areas) of both the mainline turnpike and the Northeast Extension.
Interchange with Interstate 95 Project
There is a gap in Interstate 95 in New Jersey, where local opposition groups managed to stop construction of the Somerset Freeway through the area. Heading northbound from Pennsylvania into Ewing Township (by Trenton, New Jersey), Interstate 95 abruptly ends at its intersection with US 1. From there, the highway is then signed as Interstate 295, and turns south. To continue on Interstate 95 northbound, one must travel south on Interstate 295 then east on Interstate 195 (or use a non-freeway section of US 1) in order to reach the northern section of the New Jersey Turnpike, which is signed as Interstate 95.
A project [3] is currently planned to install a high speed interchange between the two highways. Also, a new toll building will be added west of the interchange to collect the tickets used on the turnpike. East of the interchange, the turnpike will be renumbered Interstate 95 and an additional bridge will be built over the Delaware River to the New Jersey Turnpike extension, which is already designated Interstate 95. A flat-rate toll will be added before the bridge. This completes I-95 from Miami, FL to Houlton, ME. Construction is expected to start in late 2006 or early 2007 and will cost approximately 500 million dollars.
Some highway mavens think that this will be an inadequate solution, and want the Somerset Freeway built; others want the entire main trunk of the New Jersey Turnpike designated as I-95, as that is where most of the traffic goes anyway; however, this would bypass Philadelphia.
Interstate 70 Portion
Shunpiking the Interstate 70 portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike via Interstate 68 and Interstate 79 is actually shorter than using the Pennsylvania Turnpike. From Hancock, Maryland to Washington, Pennsylvania, using the Turnpike, the route is 155 miles, while the Shunpiking route from Hancock, Maryland to Washington, Pennsylvania via Morgantown, West Virginia is 151.8 miles. The speed limit (70 mph.) also is higher on the Shunpiking route.