Interstate 280 (Pennsylvania)
Part of the Interstate Highway System, it is designated as part of Interstate 76 (I-76) between the Ohio state line and Valley Forge, I-70 runs concurrent with I-76 between New Stanton and Breezewood, Interstate 276 (I-276) between Valley Forge and Bristol Township, and I-95 from Bristol Township to the New Jersey state line.
The turnpike's western terminus is located at the Ohio state line in Lawrence County, where the road continues west as the Ohio Turnpike. The eastern terminus is situated at the New Jersey state line at the Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge, which crosses the Delaware River in Bucks County. The road then continues east as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike.
The road uses an all-electronic tolling system; tolls may be paid using E-ZPass or toll by plate, which uses automatic license plate recognition. Historically, cash tolls were collected using a combination of the ticket system and a barrier toll system, but cash tolls were phased out between 2016 and 2020. The turnpike also offers 15 service plazas, providing food and fuel to travelers.
During the 1930s, the Pennsylvania Turnpike was designed to improve automobile transportation across the mountains of Pennsylvania, using seven tunnels built for the abandoned South Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1880s.
The road opened in 1940 between Irwin and Carlisle. It was one of the earlier long-distance limited-access highways in the United States and served as a precedent for additional limited-access toll roads and the Interstate Highway System. The Pennsylvania Turnpike was extended east to Valley Forge in 1950 and west to the Ohio state line in 1951. In 1954, the road was extended further east to the Delaware River, and construction began on the Northeast Extension of the turnpike. The mainline turnpike was finished in 1956 with the completion of the Delaware River Bridge.
During the 1960s, an additional tube was bored at four of the two-lane tunnels, while the other three tunnels were bypassed; these improvements made the entire length of the mainline turnpike four lanes wide. Improvements continue to be made to the road: rebuilding the roadway to modern standards, widening portions of the turnpike to six lanes, and adding interchanges. In 2018, an ongoing interchange project saw the redesignation of the easternmost three miles (4.8 km) of the road from I-276 to I-95. Though still considered part of the turnpike mainline, it is no longer signed with turnpike markers and uses I-95's mileposts and exit numbers.
Route description
The turnpike runs east to west across Pennsylvania, from the Ohio state line in Lawrence County east to the New Jersey state line in Bucks County. It passes through the Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia areas, along with farmland and woodland. The highway crosses the Appalachian Mountains in the central part of the state, passing through four tunnels. The PTC, created in 1937 to construct, finance, operate, and maintain the road, controls the highway. In 2015, the roadway had an annual average daily traffic count ranging from a high of 120,000 vehicles between the Norristown interchange and I-476 to a low of 12,000 vehicles between the Ohio state line and the interchange with I-79 and U.S. Route 19 (US 19).
As part of the Interstate Highway System, the turnpike is part of the National Highway System, a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway honoring those who have served in the United States Armed Forces; the Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania has placed Blue Star Memorial Highway markers at service plazas along the turnpike.
In addition to the east–west mainline, the PTC also operates the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-476), the Beaver Valley Expressway (I-376), the Mon–Fayette Expressway (Pennsylvania Route 43 or PA 43), the Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass (PA 66), and the Southern Beltway (PA 576).
Western Extension
The Pennsylvania Turnpike begins at the Ohio state line in Lawrence County, beyond which the highway continues west as the Ohio Turnpike. From the state line, the turnpike heads southeast as a four-lane freeway designated as I-76 through rural areas south of New Castle. A short distance from the Ohio state line, the eastbound lanes come to the all-electronic Gateway toll gantry. The highway then crosses into Beaver County, where it reaches its first interchange with I-376 (here, the part called Beaver Valley Expressway) in Big Beaver.
After this interchange, the turnpike passes under Norfolk Southern's Koppel Secondary rail line before it reaches the exit for PA 18 near Homewood. Past PA 18, the highway crosses CSX's Pittsburgh Subdivision rail line, the Beaver River, and Norfolk Southern's Youngstown Line on the Beaver River Bridge. The road then enters Butler County, where it comes to Cranberry Township. Here, an interchange serves I-79 and US 19. The turnpike continues through a mix of rural land and suburban residential development north of Pittsburgh into Allegheny County.
The road then approaches the Warrendale toll gantry, where the closed toll system begins, and continues southeast, passing over the P&W Subdivision rail line, which is owned by CSX and operated by the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad. East of this point, the turnpike has an interchange with PA 8 in Hampton Township. The turnpike then comes to the Allegheny Valley exit in Harmar Township, which provides access to PA 28 via Freeport Road. East of this interchange, the road heads south, with Canadian National's Bessemer Subdivision rail line parallel to the east of the road. The highway crosses Norfolk Southern's Conemaugh Line, the Allegheny River, and the Allegheny Valley Railroad's Allegheny Subdivision line on the six-lane Allegheny River Turnpike Bridge.
After crossing the Allegheny River, the turnpike returns to four lanes, passing through the Oakmont Country Club before coming to a bridge over Canadian National's Bessemer Subdivision. From here, the railroad tracks run along the west side of the road before splitting further to the west. The highway heads southeast to Monroeville, an eastern suburb of Pittsburgh; an interchange with the eastern terminus of I-376 and US 22 (Penn–Lincoln Parkway) provides access to Pittsburgh. East of Monroeville, the turnpike continues through eastern Allegheny County before crossing into Westmoreland County. Here, it heads south and passes over Norfolk Southern's Pittsburgh Line before it comes to the exit for US 30 near Irwin.
Original mainline
After the Irwin interchange, the Pennsylvania Turnpike widens to six lanes and heads into rural areas west of Greensburg. Curving southeast, it reaches New Stanton, where an interchange provides access to I-70, US 119, and the southern terminus of PA 66 (Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass). The road narrows back to four lanes at this interchange, and I-70 forms a concurrency with I-76 on the turnpike. After New Stanton, the road passes over the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad's Radebaugh Subdivision line and winds southeast to the exit for PA 31 in Donegal, which also provides access to PA 711. Continuing east past Donegal, the turnpike crosses Laurel Hill into Somerset County.
In this county, the road continues southeast to Somerset and an interchange with PA 601 accessing US 219 and Johnstown before it crosses over CSX's S&C Subdivision rail line. East of Somerset, the highway passes north of the Somerset Wind Farm before it reaches Allegheny Mountain, going under the mountain in the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel. Exiting the tunnel, the turnpike winds down the mountain at a three-percent grade, which is the steepest grade on the turnpike, and heads into Bedford County, passing through a valley. At Bedford, an exit for US 220 Business (US 220 Bus.) provides access to US 220 and the southern terminus of I-99; this exit also serves Altoona to the north.
East of Bedford the turnpike passes through The Narrows, a gap in Evitts Mountain. The turnpike, US 30, and the Raystown Branch Juniata River all pass through the 650-foot-wide (200 m) narrows. The road winds through a valley south of the river, before traversing Clear Ridge Cut near Everett. Further east, at Breezewood, I-70 leaves the turnpike at an interchange with US 30; this interchange is notably home to some of the only traffic lights on an Interstate Highway.
After Breezewood, I-76 continues along the turnpike, heading northeast across Rays Hill into Fulton County. The turnpike continues east across Sideling Hill, before reaching an interchange with US 522 in Fort Littleton. After this interchange, the highway parallels US 522 before curving east into Huntingdon County. The turnpike goes under Tuscarora Mountain through the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel, entering Franklin County. It then curves northeast into a valley to the exit for PA 75 in Willow Hill.
Again heading east, the road passes under Kittatinny Mountain through the Kittatinny Mountain Tunnel. Shortly after exiting the tunnel, the highway enters the Blue Mountain Tunnel under Blue Mountain. Leaving that tunnel, the turnpike heads northeast along the base of Blue Mountain to an exit for PA 997. East of this interchange, the road enters Cumberland County, heading east through the Cumberland Valley on a stretch known as "the straightaway". Further east, the turnpike reaches Carlisle and an interchange with US 11 providing access to I-81.
Philadelphia Extension
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Approaching Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania Turnpike heads east through a mixture of rural land and suburban development, passing over Norfolk Southern's Shippensburg Secondary rail line. In Upper Allen Township, the highway comes to the US 15 interchange accessing Gettysburg to the south and Harrisburg to the north. The road continues east and passes over Norfolk Southern's Lurgan Branch rail line before it heads into York County, where it reaches the interchange with I-83 serving Harrisburg, its western suburbs, and York to the south.
East of I-83, the turnpike widens to six lanes and crosses over Norfolk Southern's Port Road Branch rail line, the Susquehanna River, Amtrak's Keystone Corridor rail line, and Norfolk Southern's Royalton Branch rail line on the Susquehanna River Bridge. Now in Dauphin County, the road heads south of Harrisburg as a bypass.
In Lower Swatara Township the turnpike reaches an interchange with the southern end of I-283, serving Harrisburg and its eastern suburbs and providing access to PA 283; the PTC headquarters are located adjacent to this interchange. Here, the road narrows back to four lanes and runs through suburban development north of Middletown. The roadway passes over the Middletown and Hummelstown Railroad and the Swatara Creek before it continues into rural areas. The turnpike crosses a corner of Lebanon County before entering Lancaster County.
In Lancaster County, the highway passes through Pennsylvania Dutch Country and comes to an interchange with PA 72 accessing Lebanon to the north and Lancaster to the south. Further east, the turnpike passes over an East Penn Railroad line in Denver before it reaches an interchange with US 222 and PA 272 which serves the cities of Reading and Lancaster. The route continues into Berks County and comes to an interchange with the southern terminus of I-176 (a freeway to Reading) and PA 10 in Morgantown that also provides access to PA 23.
The turnpike then enters Chester County, running southeast to an exit for PA 100 north of Downingtown, where it heads into the western suburbs of Philadelphia. Continuing east, it reaches an interchange with PA 29 near Malvern. The highway crosses into Montgomery County and comes to the Valley Forge interchange in King of Prussia, where I-76 splits from the turnpike and heads southeast as the Schuylkill Expressway toward Philadelphia; this interchange also provides access to US 202 and US 422.
Delaware River Extension
 Interstate 276 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Upper Merion Township–Bristol Township |
| Length | 29.78 mi (47.93 km) |
| Existed | 1964–present |
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Starting at the Valley Forge interchange, the turnpike is designated as I-276 and becomes a six-lane road serving as a suburban commuter highway. The road comes to a bridge over SEPTA's Norristown High Speed Line and runs parallel to Norfolk Southern's Dale Secondary rail line, which is located south of the road. The turnpike crosses Norfolk Southern's Harrisburg Line, the Schuylkill River, and SEPTA's Manayunk/Norristown Line on the Schuylkill River Bridge near Norristown. A short distance later, the road passes over the Schuylkill River Trail and Norfolk Southern's Morrisville Connecting Track on the Schuylkill River Bridge before the parallel Dale Secondary rail line heads further south from the road.
In Plymouth Meeting, an interchange with Germantown Pike provides access to Norristown before the roadway reaches the Mid-County Interchange. This interchange connects to I-476, which heads south as the Mid-County Expressway, locally known as the "Blue Route", and north as the Northeast Extension of the turnpike, connecting the mainline turnpike to the Lehigh Valley and the Pocono Mountains regions of Pennsylvania.
After the Mid-County Interchange, the mainline turnpike heads east through the northern suburbs of Philadelphia. In Fort Washington, the highway passes over SEPTA's Lansdale/Doylestown Line before it has an interchange with PA 309. At this point, the road becomes parallel to Norfolk Southern's Morrisville Line, which is located a short distance to the south of the road. One mile (1.6 km) later, the turnpike has a westbound exit and entrance for Virginia Drive. In Willow Grove, the highway reaches the PA 611 exit before passing over SEPTA's Warminster Line. The turnpike continues through more suburban areas, crossing into Bucks County and coming to a bridge over Norfolk Southern's Morrisville Line. Farther east, the roadway passes over SEPTA's West Trenton Line. In Bensalem Township, the highway comes to a bridge over CSX's Trenton Subdivision rail line before reaching an interchange with US 1, which provides access to Philadelphia.
The highway narrows back to four lanes before an eastbound exit and entrance with PA 132. A short distance later, the turnpike arrives at the eastern end of the closed toll system at the Neshaminy Falls toll gantry. After passing through more suburbs, the road reaches a partial interchange with I-95, where it crosses under I-295 with no access; this interchange has access from the westbound turnpike to southbound I-95 and from northbound I-95 to the eastbound turnpike. At this point, I-276 ends and the Pennsylvania Turnpike becomes part of I-95. Here, signage indicates the westbound turnpike as a left exit from southbound I-95, using I-95 milepost exit number 40. This is the only place where continuing on the mainline turnpike is signed as an exit.
After joining I-95, the remaining three miles (4.8 km) of road uses I-95's mileposts and exit numbers and is not directly signed as the Pennsylvania Turnpike, though it is still considered part of the mainline turnpike. Continuing east, the turnpike reaches its final interchange, providing access to US 13 near Bristol. Following this, the road passes over an East Penn Railroad line before it comes to the westbound all-electronic Delaware River Bridge toll gantry. After this, the highway crosses the Delaware Canal and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor rail line before heading across the Delaware River into New Jersey on the Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge. At this point, the Pennsylvania Turnpike ends, and I-95 continues east (north) as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike, which connects to the mainline of the New Jersey Turnpike.
Major bridges and tunnels
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The Pennsylvania Turnpike incorporates several major bridges and tunnels along its route. Four tunnels cross central Pennsylvania's Appalachian Mountains. The 6,070-foot (1,850 m) Allegheny Mountain Tunnel passes under Allegheny Mountain in Somerset County. The Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel runs beneath Tuscarora Mountain at the border of Huntingdon and Franklin counties, and is 5,236 feet (1,596 m) long. The Kittatinny Mountain and Blue Mountain tunnels are adjacent to each other in Franklin County and are 4,727 feet (1,441 m) and 4,339 feet (1,323 m) long, respectively. Formerly, the turnpike also traveled through the Laurel Hill Tunnel, Sideling Hill Tunnel, and Rays Hill Tunnel, though these were replaced in the 1960s after traffic levels rendered their nonstandard design obsolete.
Five bridges carry the turnpike over major rivers in the state. The 1,545-foot-long (471 m) Beaver River Bridge crosses the Beaver River in Beaver County, which is in the process of being replaced. The highway crosses the Allegheny River in Allegheny County on the 2,350-foot-long (720 m) Allegheny River Turnpike Bridge, which replaced a deck truss bridge of the same name from 1951. The toll road crosses the Susquehanna River between York and Dauphin counties on the 5,910-foot-long (1,800 m) Susquehanna River Bridge, which also replaced a deck truss bridge from the early 1950s. In Montgomery County, the turnpike crosses the Schuylkill River on the 1,224-foot-long (373 m) Schuylkill River Bridge, which was twinned in the 2000s. At the New Jersey state line in Bucks County, the highway is connected to the Pearl Harbor Memorial Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike by the 6,571-foot-long (2,003 m) Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge over the Delaware River.
Tolls
The Pennsylvania Turnpike uses all-electronic tolling, with tolls payable by toll by plate (which uses automatic license plate recognition to take a photo of the vehicle's license plate and mail a bill to the vehicle owner) or E-ZPass. Between the Warrendale and Neshaminy Falls toll plazas on the mainline, as well as on the Northeast Extension from Mid-County to Wyoming Valley, tolls are based on distance traveled. An eastbound mainline toll gantry is located at Gateway near the Ohio state line and a westbound mainline toll gantry is located at the Delaware River Bridge near the New Jersey state line, both charging a flat toll. There is no toll between Gateway and Warrendale and between Neshaminy Falls and the Delaware River Bridge.
As of 2024, it costs a passenger vehicle $95.50 to travel the length of the mainline turnpike between Warrendale and Neshaminy Falls using toll by plate, and $47.30 using E-ZPass; the eastbound Gateway toll gantry costs $15.20 with toll by plate and $7.50 with E-ZPass for passenger vehicles while the westbound Delaware River Bridge toll gantry costs $9.70 using toll by plate and $7.30 using E-ZPass. Since 2009, the turnpike has raised tolls once a year, starting on January 1, to provide funding for increasing annual payments to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), as mandated by Act 44.
The turnpike commission paid PennDOT $450 million annually, of which $200 million went to non-turnpike highway projects across the state and $250 million went to funding mass transit. As part of Act 89 signed in 2013, the annual payments to PennDOT will end after 2022, 35 years earlier than the original proposal under Act 44. But it is not known if the annual toll increases will continue after 2022. Act 89 has also redirected the entire $450 million annual payments to PennDOT toward funding mass transit. With the annual rise in tolls, traffic has been shifting from the turnpike to local roads.
Until March 2020, the Pennsylvania Turnpike used the ticket system of tolling between the Warrendale and Neshaminy Falls toll plazas, as well as on the Northeast Extension from Mid-County to Wyoming Valley. When entering the turnpike, motorists received a ticket listing the toll for each exit; the ticket was surrendered when exiting, and the applicable toll was paid. If the ticket was lost, motorists were charged the maximum toll for that exit. Cash, credit cards, and E-ZPass were accepted at traditional toll plazas.
In 2010, McCormick Taylor and Wilbur Smith Associates were hired to conduct a feasibility study on converting the road to all-electronic tolls. On March 6, 2012, the turnpike commission announced that it was implementing this plan. The turnpike commission projected that it would save $65 million annually on labor costs by eliminating toll collectors. On January 3, 2016, all-electronic tolling was introduced in the westbound direction at the Delaware River Bridge mainline toll plaza, while the eastern terminus of the ticket system was moved from the Delaware River Bridge to Neshaminy Falls. On October 27, 2019, all-electronic tolling was implemented at the eastbound Gateway mainline toll plaza. All-electronic tolling was originally scheduled to be implemented on the entire length of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the later part of 2021.
In March 2020, the turnpike made the switch early as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The all-electronic tolling system on the turnpike will initially use toll booths at exits until mainline toll gantries between interchanges are constructed.
Mainline toll gantries are planned to be in operation by 2025 east of the Reading interchange and by the later part of 2026 along the western portion of the turnpike.
As of 2020, about 86 percent of vehicles along the Pennsylvania Turnpike use E-ZPass for payment of tolls.
Act 44 toll increases
The turnpike commission raised tolls by 25 percent on January 4, 2009, to provide funds to PennDOT for road and mass-transit projects, as mandated by Act 44. This toll hike brought the rate to travel the turnpike to $0.074 per mile ($0.046/km) (equivalent to $0.1 per mile ($0.062/km) in 2023). At this point, an annual toll increase was planned.
A three-percent toll increase went into effect January 3, 2010, bringing the rate to $0.077 per mile ($0.048/km) (equivalent to $0.11/mi ($0.068/km) in 2023). The cash toll increased 10 percent on January 2, 2011, and E-ZPass tolls increased three percent. The new toll rate was $0.085 per mile ($0.053/km) (equivalent to $0.11/mi ($0.068/km) in 2023) using cash and $0.079 per mile ($0.049/km) (equivalent to $0.11/mi ($0.068/km) in 2023) using E-ZPass.
As part of this toll hike, the turnpike commission initially planned to omit the toll amount from new tickets, and Pennsylvania Auditor Jack Wagner wondered if the commission was trying to hide the increase. The commission later decided to include the tolls on new tickets.
Cash tolls increased 10 percent on January 1, 2012, while E-ZPass tolls were unchanged from the previous year. With this increase, the cash toll rate increased to $0.093 per mile ($0.058/km) (equivalent to $0.12/mi ($0.075/km) in 2023). Tolls for both cash and E-ZPass customers increased in January of each of the next eight years. In 2025, tolls will increase 5 percent, but tolls will change to be based on distance traveled as opposed to a flat rate. As a result, some drivers will see decreases in their tolls. Tolls are expected to increase annually until at least 2050.
An analysis by Australian insurance company Budget Direct found the Pennsylvania Turnpike to be the world's most expensive toll. Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo disputed Budget Direct's claim, saying that the analysis looked at all of the turnpike's toll roads together, noting "Nobody would ever go south towards Pittsburgh, east towards Philadelphia, then north towards Scranton. That's a 400-plus mile trip," and that Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls are comparable to other toll roads when examined on a per mile basis.
Services
Emergency assistance and information
Motorists needing assistance may dial *11 on mobile phones. First-responder service is available to all turnpike users via the GEICO Safety Patrol program. The free program checks for disabled motorists, debris, and accidents along the road and provides assistance 24 hours daily year-round. Each patrol vehicle covers a 20-to-25-mile (32 to 40 km) stretch of the turnpike. Towing service is available from authorized service stations near the highway, and Pennsylvania State Police Troop T patrols the turnpike. The troop's headquarters is in Highspire; its turnpike substations are grouped into two sections: the western section has substations in Gibsonia, New Stanton, Somerset, and Everett while the eastern section has substations in Newville, Bowmansville, and King of Prussia (the eastern section also has a substation at Pocono on the Northeast Extension). The PTC broadcasts road, traffic, and weather conditions over highway advisory radio transmitters at each exit on 1640 kHz AM, with a range of approximately two miles (3.2 km). The 511PA travel information service provides alerts, an interactive map, weather information, and traffic cameras to motorists. There are variable-message signs located along the roadway that provide information to motorists such as accidents, construction, weather, and traffic congestion.
Service plazas
The Pennsylvania Turnpike has 15 service plazas on the main highway throughout the state, as well as two on the Northeast Extension. Each plaza has multiple fast-food restaurants, a Sunoco gas station, and a 7-Eleven convenience store. Other amenities include ATMs, E-ZPass sales, free cellphone charging, Pennsylvania Lottery sales, picnic areas, restrooms, tourist information, Travel Board information centers, and Wi-Fi. The King of Prussia plaza has a welcome center, and the New Stanton and Sideling Hill plazas feature seasonal farmers' markets. A few plazas offer E85 while New Stanton offers compressed natural gas; all of them offer conventional gasoline and diesel fuel. Select service plazas have electric vehicle charging stations. The Sunoco and 7-Eleven locations as well as the Subway at North Midway are operated by 7-Eleven itself while the remaining restaurants and general upkeep of the service plazas are operated by Applegreen.
As early as 1946, many of the service plazas were expanded in order to accommodate booming popularity.
With the opening of the extensions from 1950 to 1956, new service plazas were also constructed along them. In comparison to the original ones, they were larger, and were more spaced out than those on the original.
In 1957, the Laurel Hill and New Baltimore Plazas were closed. In their place, the Somerset Plaza was later completed.
In 1968, the Sideling Hill plaza, which serves both westbound and eastbound traffic, was opened, replacing the Cove Valley plaza, which served only westbound traffic and needed to demolished due to the bypassing of the Rays Hill and Sideling Hill tunnels.
In 1978, as the Howard Johnson's exclusive contract to provide food service was ending, the turnpike commission considered bids for competitors to provide food service. That year, Aramark was awarded a contract for food service at two plazas, ending the Howard Johnson's monopoly. The highway became the first toll road in the country to offer more than one fast-food chain at its service plazas. At this time, gas stations along the turnpike were operated by Gulf Oil, Exxon, and ARCO.
The Denver, Pleasant Valley, and Mechanicsburg plazas were closed in 1980. That same year, Hardee's opened restaurants at the service plazas to compete with Howard Johnson's. With this, the turnpike became the first road in the world to offer fast food at its service plazas.
The eastbound Path Valley plaza closed in 1983 due to a lack of business since it was located only 15 miles (24 km) east of the newer, more accessible Sideling Hill plaza. That same year, Burger King and McDonald's opened on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. This marked a transition from sit-down to fast-food dining on the turnpike by popular demand.
With Marriott Corporation purchasing the remaining Howard Johnson's restaurants in 1987, replacement came to the final of the Howard Johnsons with new restaurants such as Roy Rogers and Bob's Big Boy.
In 1990, the Brandywine (now Peter J. Camiel) plaza was reconstructed, the first such major project in the turnpike's history. That same year, Gulf Oil LP replaced the Exxon stations on the turnpike.
In 1993, Sunoco took over operation of the gas stations, outbidding Shell US. With this, various improvements were made, such as adding credit card-activated pumps, fax machines, ATMs, and informational lodging boards.
In 1995, a farmers market was introduced to the Sideling Hill service plaza.
In 2002, the Butler plaza was closed to make way for the Warrendale Toll Plaza.
In 2004, an expansion of the Somerset Service Plaza was completed, months ahead of schedule.
The eastbound only Hempfield and South Neshaminy plazas were closed in 2007 for a six lane widening and new slip ramp, respectively. The eastbound Zelienople plaza closed in 2008 due to a lack of business since it was located on the stretch of the turnpike from Ohio to Warrendale which had been toll free since 2003. The westbound North Neshaminy plaza shut down in 2010 to allow for a future reconstruction.
In 2013, free Wi-Fi was introduced at all of the service plazas.
In 2006, the PTC and HMSHost started a system-wide project in which all service plazas would be reconstructed or extensively renovated, starting with the Oakmont Plum plaza, which closed in 2006 and reopened in 2007. This was followed by the reconstruction of the North Somerset and Sideling Hill plazas (2007–2008); New Stanton (2008–2009); King of Prussia (2009–2010); Lawn and Bowmansville (2010–2011); South Somerset, Blue Mountain, and Cumberland Valley (2011–2012); South Midway and Highspire (2012–2013); Peter J. Camiel (2013–2014); and Valley Forge and North Midway (2014–2015).
The Art Sparks program was launched in 2017 as a partnership between the turnpike commission and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts to install public art created by local students in the Arts in Education residency program in service plazas along the turnpike over the next five years. The public art consists of a mural reflecting the area where the service plaza is located. The first Art Sparks mural debuted at the Lawn service plaza in May 2017.
In April 2019, the Sunoco/A-Plus locations began to be converted to 7-Eleven locations, as part of a larger deal that saw 7-Eleven take over Sunoco's company-owned convenience stores along the East Coast and Texas; Sunoco continues to supply fuel to the locations.
History
Before the turnpike
Before the turnpike, there were other forms of transportation across the Appalachians. Native Americans traveled across the mountains along wilderness trails; later, European settlers followed wagon roads to cross the state. The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike opened between Lancaster and Philadelphia in 1794, the first successful turnpike in the United States. The road was paved with logs, an improvement on the dirt Native American trails. In 1834, the Main Line of Public Works opened as a system of canals, railroads, and cable railways across Pennsylvania to compete with the Erie Canal in New York.
The Pennsylvania Railroad was completed between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in 1854. During the 1880s, the South Pennsylvania Railroad was proposed to compete with the Pennsylvania. It received the backing of William Henry Vanderbilt, head of the New York Central Railroad (the Pennsylvania's chief rival). Andrew Carnegie also provided financial support, since he was unhappy with rates charged by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Construction began on the rival line in 1883 but stopped when the railroads reached an agreement in 1885. After construction halted, the only vestiges of the South Pennsylvania were nine tunnels, some roadbed, and piers for a bridge over the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg.
As a result of the challenge of crossing the Pennsylvania mountains by automobile, William Sutherland of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association and Victor Lecoq of the Pennsylvania State Planning Commission proposed a toll highway in 1934. This highway would be a four-lane limited-access road modeled after the German Autobahn routes and Connecticut's Merritt Parkway. The turnpike could also serve as a defense road, and construction costs could be reduced by using the abandoned tunnels of the South Pennsylvania Railroad project.
In 1935, Sutherland and Lecoq introduced their turnpike idea to state legislator Cliff Patterson, who proposed a feasibility study on April 23, 1935. The proposal passed, and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) explored the possibility of building the road. Its study estimated a cost of between $60 and $70 million (equivalent to between $1.05 billion and $1.22 billion in 2023) to build the turnpike. Patterson introduced Bill 211 to the legislature, calling for the establishment of the PTC. The bill was signed into law by Governor George Howard Earle III on May 21, 1937, and, on June 4, the first commissioners were appointed. The highway was planned to run from US 30 in Irwin (east of Pittsburgh) east to US 11 in Middlesex (west of Harrisburg), a length of about 162 miles (261 km). It would pass through nine tunnels along the way.
The road was planned to have four lanes, with a median and no grade steeper than three percent. Access to the highway would be controlled by entrance and exit ramps. There would be no at-grade intersections, driveways, traffic lights, crosswalks, or at-grade railroad crossings. Curves would be wide and road signage large. The right-of-way for the turnpike would be 200 feet (61 m); the road would be 24 feet (7.3 m) wide, with 10-foot (3.0 m) shoulders and a 10-foot (3.0 m) median. Through the tunnels, the road would have two lanes, a 14-foot (4.3 m) clearance, and a 23-foot-wide (7.0 m) roadway. The turnpike's design would be uniform for its entire length.
In February 1938, the commission began investigating proposals for $55 million in bonds to be issued for construction of the turnpike. A month later, Van Ingen and Company purchased $60 million (equivalent to $1.02 billion in 2023) in bonds that they would offer to the public. President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved a $24-million (equivalent to $408 million in 2023) grant from the WPA in April 1938 for construction of the road; the commonwealth also contributed $29 million (equivalent to $492 million in 2023) toward the project.
The WPA grant received final approval, but plans were still made to sell bonds; the first issue was planned for about $20 million (equivalent to $340 million in 2023). The reduced bond issue was due to the grant from the WPA.
In June, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) announced they would lend the commission sufficient funds to build the road. The RFC loan totaled $32 million (equivalent to $543 million in 2023), with a $26 million (equivalent to $442 million in 2023) grant from the Public Works Administration (PWA), providing $58 million (equivalent to $985 million in 2023) for the turnpike's construction; highway tolls would repay the RFC.
In October 1938, the turnpike commission agreed with the RFC and PWA that the RFC would purchase $35 million (equivalent to $594 million in 2023) in bonds, in addition to the PWA grant. That month, a banking syndicate purchased the entire bond amount from the RFC. The previous month, a proposal was rejected that would have constructed a railroad from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg using the former South Pennsylvania Railroad right-of-way that had been designated for the turnpike.
The highway opened in 1940 between Irwin and Carlisle as the first long-distance controlled-access highway in the United States. Following its completion, other toll roads and the Interstate Highway System were built. The highway was extended east to Valley Forge in 1950 and west to the Ohio state line in 1951. It was routed east to the New Jersey state line (the Delaware River) in 1954; the Delaware River Bridge opened two years later, completing the turnpike.
Design
To build the turnpike, boring of the former railroad tunnels had to be completed. Since the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel bore was in poor condition, a new bore was drilled 85 feet (26 m) to the south. The commission considered bypassing the Rays Hill and Sideling Hill tunnels, but the cost of a bypass was considered too high. Crews used steam shovels to widen the tunnels' portals, and temporary railroad tracks transported construction equipment in and out. Concrete was used in lining the tunnel portals. The tunnels included ventilation ducts, drainage structures, sidewalks, lighting, telephone, and signal systems. Lighting was installed along the roadway approaching the tunnel portals.
The tunnels bored through the seven mountains totaled 4.5 miles (7.2 km). The tunnels were Laurel Hill Tunnel, Allegheny Mountain Tunnel, Rays Hill Tunnel, Sideling Hill Tunnel, Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel, Kittatinny Mountain Tunnel, and Blue Mountain Tunnel, and the road became known as the "tunnel highway".
Many bridge designs were used for roads over the highway, including the concrete arch bridge, the through plate girder bridge, and the concrete T-beam bridge. Bridges used to carry the turnpike over other roads and streams included a concrete arch viaduct in New Stanton. At 600 feet (180 m), the New Stanton viaduct was the longest bridge along the original section of the turnpike. Other turnpike bridges included plate girder bridges such as the bridge over Dunnings Creek in the Bedford Narrows. Smaller concrete T-beam bridges were also built. A total of 307 bridges were constructed along the original section of the turnpike.
Eleven interchanges were built along the turnpike, most of which were trumpet interchanges in which all ramps merge at the toll booths. Only the New Stanton, Carlisle, and Middlesex interchanges did not follow this design, of which only the New Station interchange was intended to be permanent. Lighting was installed approaching interchanges, along with acceleration and deceleration lanes. The road also featured guardrails, consisting of steel panels attached to I-beams. Large exit signs were used and road signs had cat's-eye reflectors to increase visibility at night. Billboards were prohibited. In September 1940, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission ruled that trucks and buses would be allowed to use the highway.
Since the first section of the highway was built through a rural part of the state, food and gasoline were not readily available to motorists. Because of this, the commission decided to provide service plazas at 30-mile (48 km) intervals. The plazas would be constructed of native fieldstone, resembling Colonial-era architecture. In 1940, Standard Oil of Pennsylvania was awarded a contract for 10 Esso service stations along the turnpike. Eight of the service plazas would consist of service stations and a restaurant, while the plazas at the halfway point (in Bedford) would be larger. The South Midway service plaza (the largest) contained a dining room, lunch counter, lounge, and lodging for truckers; a tunnel connected it to the smaller North Midway plaza. The remaining service plazas were smaller, with a lunch counter. Food service at the plazas was provided by Howard Johnson's. After World War II, the food facilities were enlarged; service stations sold gasoline, repaired cars, and provided towing service.
Construction and opening
Before the first-section groundbreaking, in 1937, the turnpike commission sent workers to assess the former railroad tunnels. In September of that year, a contract was awarded to drain water from the tunnels. After this, workers cleared rock slides and vegetation from the tunnel portals before evaluating the nine tunnels' condition. It was decided that six of the nine former South Pennsylvania Railroad tunnels could be used for the roadway. The Allegheny Mountain Tunnel was in too poor a condition for use, and the Quemahoning and Negro Mountain tunnels would be bypassed with rock cuts through the mountains. The Quemahoning Tunnel had been completed and used by the Pittsburgh, Westmoreland and Somerset Railroad.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike groundbreaking was held on October 27, 1938, near Carlisle; Commission Chair Walter A. Jones thrust the first shovel into the earth. Turnpike construction was on a tight schedule because completion of the road was originally planned by May 1, 1940. After the groundbreaking, contracts for finishing the former South Pennsylvania Railroad tunnels, grading the turnpike's right-of-way, constructing bridges, and paving were awarded. By July 1939, the entire length of the turnpike was under contract.
The first work to begin on the road was grading its right-of-way, which involved a great deal of earthwork due to the mountainous terrain. Building the highway required the acquisition of homes, farms, and a coal mine by eminent domain. A tunnel was originally planned across Clear Ridge near Everett, but the turnpike commission decided to build a cut into the ridge. Building the cut involved bulldozers excavating the mountain and explosives blasting the rock. Concrete culverts were built to carry streams and roads under the highway in the valley floor. The Clear Ridge cut was 153 feet (47 m) deep (the deepest highway cut at the time) and was known as "Little Panama" after the Panama Canal. West of Clear Ridge, cuts and fills were built for the turnpike to pass along the southern edge of Earlston.
Considerable work was also involved in building the roadway up the three-percent grade at the east end of Allegheny Mountain, the steepest grade the turnpike traversed. The base of Evitts Mountain was blasted to carry the turnpike across Bedford Narrows along with US 30, the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River, and a Pennsylvania Railroad branch line. In New Baltimore, the turnpike commission had to purchase land from St. John's Church (which contained a cemetery); as part of the agreement, stairways were built on either side of the turnpike to provide access to the church.
Paving began on August 31, 1939. The roadway would have a concrete surface, and concrete was poured directly onto the earth with no gravel roadbed. Concrete batch plants were set up along the road to aid in paving. Interchange ramps were paved with asphalt. The paving operations led to a delay in the projected opening of the highway; by October 1939, the completion date was pushed back from May 1 to June 29, 1940, since paving could not be done during the winter. The commission rushed the paving, attempting to increase the distance paved from one to five miles (1.6 to 8.0 km) a day.
Completion was postponed to July 4, before being again postponed to late summer 1940 when rain delayed paving operations. Paving concluded by the end of the summer, and, on September 30, the turnpike commission announced that the road would open on October 1, 1940. Since the turnpike was opened on short notice, no ribbon-cutting ceremony was held.
On August 26, 1940, a preview of the highway was organized by Commission Chair Jones. It began the previous night with a banquet at The Hotel Hershey and proceeded west along the turnpike, stopping at the Clear Ridge cut before lunch at the Midway service plaza. The preview ended with dinner and entertainment at the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh. That month, a military motorcade traveled portions of the turnpike.
The roadway took 770,000 short tons (700 kt) of sand, 1,200,000 short tons (1,100 kt) of stone, 50,000 short tons (45 kt) of steel, and more than 300,000 short tons (270 kt) of cement to complete. It was built at a cost of $370,000 per mile ($230,000/km) (equivalent to $6.3 million per mile ($2.5 million/km) in 2023). A total of 18,000 men worked on the turnpike; 19 died during its construction.
When the highway was under construction in 1939, its proposed toll was $1.50 (equivalent to $26.00 in 2023) for a one-way car trip; a round trip would cost $2.00 (equivalent to $34.00 in 2023). Trucks would pay $10.00 (equivalent to $172.00 in 2023) one way. Varying tolls would be charged for motorists who did not travel the length of the turnpike. Upon its opening in 1940, automobile tolls were set at $1.50 (equivalent to $26.00 in 2023) one way and $2.25 (equivalent to $38.00 in 2023) round trip. The tolls were to be used to pay off bonds to build the road and were to be removed when the bonds were paid. However, tolls continue to be charged to finance improvements to the turnpike system. The toll rate was about $0.01 per mile ($0.0062/km) (equivalent to $0.17 per mile ($0.11/km) in 2023) when the turnpike opened. The ticket system was used to pay for tolls. This toll rate remained the same for the turnpike's first 25 years; other toll roads (such as the New York State Thruway and the Ohio, Connecticut, and Massachusetts turnpikes) had a higher rate.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened at midnight on October 1, 1940, between Irwin and Carlisle; the day before the opening, motorists lined up at the Irwin and Carlisle interchanges. Homer D. Romberger, a feed and tallow driver from Carlisle, became the first motorist to enter the turnpike at Carlisle, and Carl A. Boe of McKeesport became the first motorist to enter at Irwin. Boe was flagged down by Frank Lorey and Dick Gangle, the first hitchhikers along the turnpike. On October 6 (the first Sunday after the turnpike's opening), traffic was heavy, with congestion at toll plazas, tunnels, and service plazas.
During its first 15 days of operation, the road saw over 150,000 vehicles. By the end of its first year, the road earned $3 million (equivalent to $51.1 million in 2023) in revenue from five million motorists, exceeding the $2.67 million (equivalent to $45.5 million in 2023) needed for operation and bond payments. With the onset of World War II, revenue declined due to tire and gas rationing; after the war, traffic again increased.
When it opened, the turnpike became the first long-distance limited-access road in the United States. It provided a direct link between the Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states and cut travel time between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg from nearly 6 to about 2.5 hours. The road was given the nicknames "dream highway" and "the World's Greatest Highway" by the turnpike commission and was also known as "the Granddaddy of the Pikes". Postcards and other souvenirs promoted the original stretch's seven tunnels through the Appalachians.
The highway was considered a yardstick by which limited-access highway construction would be measured. Commission Chair Jones called for more limited-access roads to be built across the country for defense purposes, and the turnpike was a model for a proposed national network of highways planned during World War II. The Pennsylvania Turnpike led to the construction of other toll roads, such as the New Jersey Turnpike and (eventually) the Interstate Highway System. It has been designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
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