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The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system in the state of Pennsylvania , USA. The turnpike system encompasses 532 miles (855 km) in three distinct sections. Its main section, extending from the Ohio state line in the west to the New Jersey state line in the east, stretches 359 miles (578 km). Its Northeast Extension , extending from Valley Forge in the southeast to Wilkes-Barre and Scranton in the northeast, stretches 110 miles. Its various highway segments in western Pennsylvania cover 62 miles (100 km). The highway serves most of Pennsylvania's major urban areas, with the main east-west section serving the Pittsburgh , Harrisburg , and Philadelphia areas and its Northeastern Extension serving the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre areas. ROUTE NUMBERS The turnpike system (with the exception of the shorter segments in the western part of the state) is part of the U.S. Interstate Highway System. The turnpike is signed with the following route numbers:
EXIT LIST Until October 25 , 2000 , Exit Number s were numbered in sequence. On that day, mile-based exit numbers were added, and the old numbers were moved onto smaller "old exit" tabs. These have since been removed. This was done at the same time the Pennsylvania Department Of Transportation (PennDOT) did a similar upgrade on all of the state's Interstate Highways. TOLL SYSTEM The majority of the Turnpike system is operated as a Ticket System toll road, in which a driver receives a paper ticket on entry and pays on exit, with the amount pre-calculated based on entrance and exit points. Most of the system's access points are simple "trumpet" Interchanges , with a toll barrier located between the interchange itself and the local connector road. Between 1940 and 1997, the road had three "mainline" barrier plazas - one at Gateway (at the Pennsylvania/Ohio state line), connecting to the Ohio Turnpike , one at the Delaware River Bridge near Bristol , where the Turnpike crosses the Delaware River and connects with the New Jersey Turnpike , and one on the Northeastern Extension at Clarks Summit, where it connects with Interstate 81 near Scranton . In 1997, the new Mid-County exit, connecting Interstate 476 with the Turnpike, opened. It doubles as a mainline and interchange barrier. In 2002, the Gateway barrier was converted to an all-cash plaza, and a new mainline barrier, at Warrendale, was added. With the opening of the new Warrendale barrier, the Turnpike between Gateway and Warrendale is toll-free and gives motorists direct access to the James E. Ross Highway , Interstate 79 , and two local roads. A similar approach was used between the Wyoming Valley interchange and Clarks Summit on the Northeastern Extension, allowing for the construction of the Keyser Avenue interchange, along with a new coin-drop booth north of the exit. This will also be implemented when the Turnpike/ Interstate 95 exit is completed in Bristol, allowing I-95 to access the Turnpike with a high-speed interchange. E-ZPass is accepted at all toll booths, with one operating exit (Virginia Drive near Fort Washington ) and one proposed exit (Great Valley near Malvern ) being accessible to E-ZPass customers only. TURNPIKE HISTORY When the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940, it was the first long-distance rural freeway in the United States and was popularly known as the "tunnel highway" because of the seven mountain tunnels along its route. First section The turnpike was partially constructed on an unused railroad grade constructed for the aborted South Pennsylvania Railroad project, and six of its seven original tunnels (all tunnels with the exception of the Allegheny Mountain tunnel) were first bored for that railroad. Proposals to use the grade and tunnels for a toll road were made starting in late 1934 . The road would bypass the steep grades on Pennsylvania's existing major east-west highways - US 22 ( William Penn Highway ) and US 30 ( Lincoln Highway ) - and offer a high-speed four lane route free of cross traffic. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission was created by law on May 21 , 1937 , and construction began October 27 , 1938 with the removal of water from the unfinished tunnels. In October 1 , 1940 the first section of Turnpike opened, running from US 11 near Carlisle (southwest of Harrisburg) west to US 30 at Irwin (east of Pittsburgh). As built, the majority of the road was four lanes, but it narrowed to one lane in each direction for the seven tunnels (the South Pennsylvania had begun work on nine, but two - the Quemahoning Tunnel and Negro Mountain Tunnel - were bypassed by the Turnpike). Despite the existence of the railroad right-of-way, much of the new Turnpike was built on a new, straighter alignment, as engineering had progressed much since the days of the railroad. Unlike earlier U.S. freeways, mostly in the New York City area, which were restricted to cars, the Turnpike allowed all traffic. Like the German Autobahn on which it was loosely based, there was no enforced speed limit on most of the road--some cars could travel at 100 mph (160 km/h) and traverse the entire 110 mile (177 km) original segment in slightly over an hour. The phenomenon of Highway Hypnosis began to afflict motorists on some of the long, straight segments--especially on the 21 mile (34 km) section of Turnpike between the Blue Mountain Tunnel and the eastern terminus at Carlisle. Planned expansions With the success of the original 110 mile (177 km) segment, the turnpike commission planned to expand the original Turnpike to a cross-state route, connecting Philadelphia with Pittsburgh with a high-speed route. This was shelved with the onset of World War II , but with the war's end, the turnpike commission resumed construction. Philadelphia Extension The Philadelphia Extension took the Turnpike east to King Of Prussia near Philadelphia and Valley Forge . The first phase of that expansion made the highway slightly longer, stretching it to US 15 near Harrisburg . That section opened on February 1 , and the rest of the expansion, east to King of Prussia, opened on November 20 , 1950 . At that time the old mainline toll booth and interchange at Carlisle was closed, and the Middlesex interchange, at the old east end at US 11 , was reconfigured and renamed as the Carlisle interchange. The original eastern end of the Philadelphia Extension ended at what is now the present-day interchange with Interstate 76 and U.S. Highway 202 . Western Extension The first piece of the Western Extension, from Irwin to US 22 east of Pittsburgh, opened August 7 , 1951 . The remainder opened to traffic on December 26 , 1951 , taking the highway west almost to the Ohio state line. Traffic was diverted onto the two-lane Burkey Road just west of the western barrier toll for almost three years until a connection with the Ohio Turnpike connection opened. The interchange with Pennsylvania Route 18 at Homewood was not completed until March 1 , 1952 . The turnpike connected with Youngstown, Ohio, after the first section of the Ohio Turnpike opened on December 1 , 1954 . Delaware River Extension The Delaware River Extension opened on August 23 , 1954 to Pennsylvania Route 611 at Willow Grove , and the intermediate Fort Washington interchange with PA 309 opening September 20 . Extensions opened October 27 to US 1 near Trevose and November 17 to US 13 near Bristol . The final piece opened on May 23 , 1956 with the completion of the Delaware River-Turnpike Toll Bridge , which connected to a short spur of the New Jersey Turnpike . Northeastern Extension The Northeastern Extension of the Turnpike, from the Mid-County Interchange northwest of Philadelphia north to Interstate 81 near Scranton , opened in stages from November 23 , 1955 to November 7 , 1957 . This was the last segment of the Turnpike system to be built until the late 1980s. Western expansions Western extensions, that mostly serve the Pittsburgh Area were constructed from the 1990s until the present. The James E. Ross Highway and the Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass were completed by 1994, and the James J. Manderino Highway, a West Virginia-to-Pittsburgh route, (Mon/Fayette Expressway) is approximately 50% completed with the last major link to Pittsburgh under design. The first section of the Pittsburgh Southern Beltway (from the Mon/Fayette Expressway to the Pittsburgh International Airport) is nearing completion. Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) for the two remaining sections are in preparation Competing highways The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission originally proposed a statewide system of additional toll highways, but these plans were rendered unnecessary with the inception of the U.S. Interstate Highway system in 1954. A toll-free east-west competitor - Interstate 80 - opened on August 29 , 1970 across northern Pennsylvania, forming a route that was more direct for New York-Chicago traffic. Teamsters strike On , and tolls being collected again on December 1 , 2004 . THE "TUNNEL HIGHWAY" ]] After it opened as the nation's first superhighway, the Pennsylvania Turnpike was popularly known as the "Tunnel Highway." Postcards and other souvenirs promoted this name because, immediately after opening, the original stretch of the turnpike sported seven tunnels through Pennsylvania's Appalachian Mountains. These tunnels, in order of east to west, bored through Blue Mountain, Kittattiny Mountain, Tuscarora Mountain, Sideling Hill, Ray's Hill, Alleghany Mountain, and Laurel Hill. 1960s Tunnel Modernization While the highway was built as a four-lane, limited-access highway, the seven tunnels each held only two travel lanes. Traffic was squeezed from four lanes to two at each tunnel portal, and traffic proceeded through each tunnel without being divided from oncoming traffic. By the 1960s, this situation was creating long delays at each tunnel bottleneck. To alleviate this overcrowding, the turnpike commission studied ways to either expand or bypass each tunnel. The result of this project was the "twinning" (construction of a second, parallel, two-lane tunnel) of four tunnels, and outright bypass and closure of the other three. The tunnels through the Blue Mountain, Kittattiny, Tuscarora, and Allegheny mountains were expanded through the construction of new tunnels identical to the original tunnels in design, construction methods (dynamite and wooden supports), and length. After the second tunnels were completed at each location, the original tunnels were temporarily closed for rehabilitations that included upgrades in forced air ventliation and lighting systems. The Sideling Hill , Rays Hill , and Laurel Hill tunnels were closed and bypassed. The adjacent Sideling Hill and Rays Hill tunnels were replaced with one stretch of highway that climbed over those mountains, while the Laurel Hill Tunnel was bypassed with a long rock cut through the mountain. The three bypassed tunnels are still in existence. The 13-mile stretch that contained the Sideling Hill and Rays Hill Tunnels are now part of a popular tourist attraction known as the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike , which most of it was sold to Southern Alleghenies Conservancy in 2001. The Laurel Hill stretch, which is much shorter at about 2 miles, is still owned by the PTC and tresspassing is prohibited. Lehigh Tunnel The Northeastern Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike contains the Lehigh Tunnel, a 4,461-foot tunnel through Blue Mountain. The tunnel was named "Lehigh Tunnel" so as not to cause confusion with the existing Blue Mountain tunnel on the mainline. The tunnel was originally to be named for Turnpike Commission chairman Thomas J. Evans, but this was changed due to his . With this method, tunnels are built using a special machine resembling a large electric razor blade, guided by lasers. The tunneled area is reinforced with Shotcrete , a slurry mixture, as it is bored, eliminating the need for wooden supports. Because of the new construction, the new tube, which is round, contrasts sharply with the original rectangular tube, which was carved by the older dyamite blasting method. Allegheny Tunnel modernization The Allegheny Mountain Tunnel, the longest tunnel complex on the entire Turnpike system, and the only tunnel not to have been originally bored for the aborted Southeast Pennsylvania Railroad project, is currently the most problematic tunnel for the turnpike. In 1996, the turnpike commission began a study on how to address this tunnel, which was suffering from a low traffic capacity and deterioration. The study recommended that a bypass be blasted through the adjacent mountain, but a high pricetag and opposition from landowners and environmental groups shelved this project. The commission is currently realigning the approach roads to the tunnel while examining more acceptable ways to address the capacity and age-related issues of the tunnels. ABORTED EXTENSIONS AND EXPANSIONS Soon after the mainline was built, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission proposed a number of extensions as part of a 1,000 mile (1,600 km) Turnpike network. These plans were dropped in the mid-1950s in favor of the Interstate Highway System . The proposed network included the following:
Although the extensions were dropped, the commission also looked into a major expansion project in the early 1970s in which the east-west mainline would be expanded into a "dual-dual" eight-lane highway similar to that of the New Jersey Turnpike between Jamesburg and Newark . With the dual-dual configuration, the inner two lanes would be car-only lanes while the outer lanes would be for trucks, buses, and trailers. The dual-dual would have required major realignments, similar to that of the Sideling Hill relocation, but most of the original infrastructure would have remained intact in most places. This plan was dropped by 1976, but since 1980, most of the original plan was implemented on a smaller scale. Truck climbing lanes were built on the Allegheney Ridge, and the roadway was expanded to six lanes between the Norristown and Philadelphia exits. The six-lane configuration was planned or in the process of being constructed between the proposed Great Valley Slip Ramp and Norristown, between Philadelphia and the New Jersey Turnpike, and on the Northeast Extension between Mid-County and Lansdale. SHUNPIKING Interstate 70 Portion Shunpiking the Interstate 70 portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike via Interstate 68 and Interstate 79 is acctually shorter than using the 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 is also higher on the Shunpiking route as West Virginia has a speed limit of 70 mph. 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. 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. This is the first time since the mandated 55 mph (88 km/h) speed limit was implemented in 1974 that a motorist can cross the entire state of Pennsylvania at 65 mph (105 km/h) without having to travel at lower speeds for extended periods. Interchange with Interstate 95 project Interstate 95 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike now cross each other without an interchange. This is related to (but not because of) 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 U.S. Route 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 {Link without Title} 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 implemented at the Delaware River Bridge barrier toll, where currently tickets are collected. This will complete 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. SEE ALSO
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