PA Turnpike News

[jeffandnicole]

Since we're talking about it, way down on page 50 of 52 of the latest NJTA Meeting Minutes: http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/documents/BM_Minutes_2017-02-28.pdf , the NJTA will spend up to $1 million on approximately 396 Display 'Kits', the displays being the new LED message signs for the toll lanes...which is approximately $2,500 per message display.  Also, these are just retro kits to replace the existing message signs. For the NJTA, the wiring, posts, foundations, etc are already installed.  For the PTC, they would probably have to install all of this.   If the same were to be done for the PA Turnpike, costs may be quite a bit higher due to them not having the same equipment already installed. 

The NJTA uses these displays for both EZ Pass and Cash customers. 

[roadman]

The PA/NJ Turnpike Bridge is opening tonight! http://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/Turnpike-bridge-over-the-Delaware-will-reopen-tonight-cracked-truss-repaired.html?mobi=true

“Everyone feels very sure it’s going to be able to support weight,” DeFebo said.

Somehow that statement lacks something in reassurance.  You go first, buddy.

Getting caught up on my reading of Pennsylvania Turnpike press releases, and noted this in the blurb about the Delaware River Bridge re-opening:

"The repaired truss member is now much sturdier than the original because of the splice,"  Heigel explained.

Let's hope that statement isn't actually true, or we can expect the bridge to be closed again within a year because of failure of a different truss section (like happened with the old Charles River Crossing in Boston in the mid-1980s)

[sbeaver44]

Between Exits 242 and 247, the current setup is 2 lanes each way with Trucks/Buses only allowed in the left lane due to the work zone...does this reverse the normal left lane passing/right lane travel rule?

[Bitmapped]

Between Exits 242 and 247, the current setup is 2 lanes each way with Trucks/Buses only allowed in the left lane due to the work zone...does this reverse the normal left lane passing/right lane travel rule?

This setup is common when traffic is rerouted onto right shoulders. Most states build shoulders thinner than travel lanes, so they want heavier vehicles to stay in the lane that was built better.

[qguy]

This was discussed previously in this thread. Check up-thread for a good explanation. (Hint:It has to do with both the durability and undulating nature of the shoulder.)

[jeffandnicole]

This was discussed previously in this thread. Check up-thread for a good explanation. (Hint:It has to do with both the durability and undulating nature of the shoulder.)

There's 71 pages In this topic. If you're going to tell someone to look upthread, you're gonna have to be more specific.

[vdeane]

Between Exits 242 and 247, the current setup is 2 lanes each way with Trucks/Buses only allowed in the left lane due to the work zone...does this reverse the normal left lane passing/right lane travel rule?

This setup is common when traffic is rerouted onto right shoulders. Most states build shoulders thinner than travel lanes, so they want heavier vehicles to stay in the lane that was built better.

This was discussed previously in this thread. Check up-thread for a good explanation. (Hint:It has to do with both the durability and undulating nature of the shoulder.)

How does either of these posts address the question of whether one should pass on the left or the right in these work zones?

Between Exits 242 and 247, the current setup is 2 lanes each way with Trucks/Buses only allowed in the left lane due to the work zone...does this reverse the normal left lane passing/right lane travel rule?

I would treat it that way, though I had the misfortune of being stuck behind someone who clearly believed the opposite (to the point of slowing down when the truck in the left lane did to avoid passing it) when I was last on the Turnpike.

[jeffandnicole]

Generally, most state laws allow passing in any lane.  If you could only pass to the left, and the guy in the left lane was doing 50 mph in a 70 zone, that would suck for everyone as no one could legally pass the slowpoke if passing to the right wasn't permitted.

I think some people are also freaked out by those PA Turnpike construction zones, and didn't want to get stuck between the truck and the guardrail/concrete barrier.

[SignBridge]

Believe it or not Connecticut used to have a law prohibiting passing on the right. It was conspicuously posted on the Merritt Parkway when you crossed into Connecticut from New York. As young driver circa 1971, I actually asked a Connecticut trooper about it and he said if you were behind a slow moving car in the left lane, to just blow your horn at him until he moves to the right. But that, yes you could not pass on the right in Connecticut. Don't know when that law was abolished, but from about 1988 on, I never saw those signs again.

[storm2k]

Since we're talking about it, way down on page 50 of 52 of the latest NJTA Meeting Minutes: http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/documents/BM_Minutes_2017-02-28.pdf , the NJTA will spend up to $1 million on approximately 396 Display 'Kits', the displays being the new LED message signs for the toll lanes...which is approximately $2,500 per message display.  Also, these are just retro kits to replace the existing message signs. For the NJTA, the wiring, posts, foundations, etc are already installed.  For the PTC, they would probably have to install all of this.   If the same were to be done for the PA Turnpike, costs may be quite a bit higher due to them not having the same equipment already installed. 

The NJTA uses these displays for both EZ Pass and Cash customers. 

They're just replacing the flipdot displays inside the existing housings that are at every toll booth. They use orange LED's which are compatible with the existing control systems to display the messages. According to this article, the original manufacturer stopped making the parts in 2007 so they could not be fixed anymore, so they're being updated.

[qguy]

This was discussed previously in this thread. Check up-thread for a good explanation. (Hint:It has to do with both the durability and undulating nature of the shoulder.)

There's 71 pages In this topic. If you're going to tell someone to look upthread, you're gonna have to be more specific.

No, I don't. If I don't have time to search myself, I can at least point someone in the right general direction and not feel bad about it. Feel free to provide more specific direction yourself.

Turns out though, as other contributors here have noted, I may have misunderstood the thrust of sbeaver's original question anyway.

[briantroutman]

Forgot to post this earlier...

On the last leg of my trip from Tampa to Philadelphia, I entered the PA Turnpike at Middlesex, and I noticed that the R-Y-G signals for E-ZPass status had been covered over in yellow plastic. I knew that the PTC had planned to phase out the lights over time, but I didn't know they intended to deactivate them at once.

This development was actually relevant to my trip.

It's my understanding that a personal E-ZPass transponder can be used for only the lowest vehicle classes (basically passenger cars and light trucks), so I already anticipated that I wouldn't be able to use it on a 26,000-lb. truck and would therefore need to pay cash.

So as I approached the toll plaza, I used a lane designated for tickets, but when I approached the ticket dispenser, nothing came out. I pressed the "call for assistance"  button, and an attendant came out to my lane. He said that the E-ZPass sensors had read a transponder–apparently, it read the old, yellowed, 15-year-old E-ZPass transponder mounted in my car, which was trailered some 30+ feet behind the front of the truck. But without any kind of a status indicator, I had no idea that the equipment had detected the transponder. (I felt nearly certain it wouldn't.)

The attendant insisted I could use my E-ZPass, but since the PTC's website specifically said that I could not, I didn't want to be faced a toll violation or lost ticket toll in Valley Forge, so I insisted on getting a paper ticket. He ducked into the lane's vacant toll taker booth and handed me a paper ticket from the top of a stack sitting inside. When I exited at Valley Forge, I paid the cash toll and went on my way. I checked my E-ZPass account later, and it shows entry at Carlisle and exit at Valley Forge with a toll of $0.

[SignBridge]

 When you first receive an E-Z Pass, included with it is a clear plastic envelope to store it in when you don't want it to be read by the toll-booth equipment. I believe the instructions say that putting in that envelope is the only positive way to prevent the experience that you had. Ya' can't miss a trick.

[jeffandnicole]

Also...using that picture above, you can see the transponder readers are back under the entry signs, which is why it read your towed car's EZ Pass before you reached the actual booth.

No, I don't. If I don't have time to search myself, I can at least point someone in the right general direction and not feel bad about it. Feel free to provide more specific direction yourself.

This is like the people in online newspaper comment sections, where they try making some obscene or obscure point without any proof of its accuracy...then when other people question it, they throw the blame on them, telling them to look it up.

It literally takes as much time to research and link the actual post, as it does to write the comment that you don't have the time to research your thought for accuracy.

[qguy]

Also...using that picture above, you can see the transponder readers are back under the entry signs, which is why it read your towed car's EZ Pass before you reached the actual booth.

No, I don't. If I don't have time to search myself, I can at least point someone in the right general direction and not feel bad about it. Feel free to provide more specific direction yourself.

This is like the people in online newspaper comment sections, where they try making some obscene or obscure point without any proof of its accuracy...then when other people question it, they throw the blame on them, telling them to look it up.

It literally takes as much time to research and link the actual post, as it does to write the comment that you don't have the time to research your thought for accuracy.

No, it would've taken substantially longer and I was nearly out the door. Howzabout I decide how long it takes me to type versus search through the thread?

I made a quick judgment call to do something I thought would be at least a little helpful and don't appreciate you criticizing me for it. So just put down the hair-trigger and we'll all be fine.

[Alps]

Also...using that picture above, you can see the transponder readers are back under the entry signs, which is why it read your towed car's EZ Pass before you reached the actual booth.

No, I don't. If I don't have time to search myself, I can at least point someone in the right general direction and not feel bad about it. Feel free to provide more specific direction yourself.

This is like the people in online newspaper comment sections, where they try making some obscene or obscure point without any proof of its accuracy...then when other people question it, they throw the blame on them, telling them to look it up.

It literally takes as much time to research and link the actual post, as it does to write the comment that you don't have the time to research your thought for accuracy.

No, it would've taken substantially longer and I was nearly out the door. Howzabout I decide how long it takes me to type versus search through the thread?

I made a quick judgment call to do something I thought would be at least a little helpful and don't appreciate you criticizing me for it. So just put down the hair-trigger and we'll all be fine.

You're in the wrong here, so how about we just stop this discussion and go back to the topic plzkthx

[qguy]

Also...using that picture above, you can see the transponder readers are back under the entry signs, which is why it read your towed car's EZ Pass before you reached the actual booth.

No, I don't. If I don't have time to search myself, I can at least point someone in the right general direction and not feel bad about it. Feel free to provide more specific direction yourself.

This is like the people in online newspaper comment sections, where they try making some obscene or obscure point without any proof of its accuracy...then when other people question it, they throw the blame on them, telling them to look it up.

It literally takes as much time to research and link the actual post, as it does to write the comment that you don't have the time to research your thought for accuracy.

No, it would've taken substantially longer and I was nearly out the door. Howzabout I decide how long it takes me to type versus search through the thread?

I made a quick judgment call to do something I thought would be at least a little helpful and don't appreciate you criticizing me for it. So just put down the hair-trigger and we'll all be fine.

You're in the wrong here, so how about we just stop this discussion and go back to the topic plzkthx

Not convinced, but whatever...

[MASTERNC]

It's my understanding that a personal E-ZPass transponder can be used for only the lowest vehicle classes (basically passenger cars and light trucks), so I already anticipated that I wouldn't be able to use it on a 26,000-lb. truck and would therefore need to pay cash.

I ordered one from New York that was meant for RV/Motor Home with dual rear tires, and used it on a mid size Penske truck.  Not only did it work fine on the PA Turnpike, I was only charged the normal passenger car rate (to my surprise).

[ixnay]

This was discussed previously in this thread. Check up-thread for a good explanation. (Hint:It has to do with both the durability and undulating nature of the shoulder.)

There's 71 pages In this topic. If you're going to tell someone to look upthread, you're gonna have to be more specific.

No, I don't. If I don't have time to search myself, I can at least point someone in the right general direction and not feel bad about it. Feel free to provide more specific direction yourself.

Turns out though, as other contributors here have noted, I may have misunderstood the thrust of sbeaver's original question anyway.

Click on "print" at the top of this thread (on the right within the black band; it'll bring up the printable format), then click ctrl+f and type "shoulder" in the field used for words or phrases being searched.  "Shoulder" will become highlighted 94 times (by itself or as part of "shoulders").  Then go from there to find previous discussion of road shoulders.

ixnay

[cpzilliacus]

It's my understanding that a personal E-ZPass transponder can be used for only the lowest vehicle classes (basically passenger cars and light trucks), so I already anticipated that I wouldn't be able to use it on a 26,000-lb. truck and would therefore need to pay cash.

Don't you need a commercial drivers license (CDL) to drive a truck weighing 26,001 pounds or more? Note that up to 26,000 pounds does not require a CDL.

[briantroutman]

Don't you need a commercial drivers license (CDL) to drive a truck weighing 26,001 pounds or more? Note that up to 26,000 pounds does not require a CDL.

Correct, so Penske's largest non-CDL trucks have a nominal GVWR of 26,000 lbs.–squeaking in just under the limit.

I posted a photo of a CAT Scale ticket I got in another thread I had going related to my relocation trip. The actual weight of the combination was 25,140 lbs., just over 800 shy of CDL territory.

[jeffandnicole]

Don't you need a commercial drivers license (CDL) to drive a truck weighing 26,001 pounds or more? Note that up to 26,000 pounds does not require a CDL.

Technically, you need a CDL if the truck's GVWR is 26,001 or more, not if the actual weight is 26,001 or more.

Correct, so Penske's largest non-CDL trucks have a nominal GVWR of 26,000 lbs.–squeaking in just under the limit.

I posted a photo of a CAT Scale ticket I got in another thread I had going related to my relocation trip. The actual weight of the combination was 25,140 lbs., just over 800 shy of CDL territory.

More importantly, just shy of exceeding the truck's legal limit!  If the brakes were to fail, or the vehicle was involved in an accident, and they discovered the truck was carrying more than its permitted GVWR, it could've been cited as contributing to the cause of the accident.

As it is, the 26,000 is one factor in whether a truck driver needs a CDL.  If a vehicle is being towed which is over 10,000 lbs, then the combined weight can't be over 26,000 pounds.  And if the truck requires a Haz Mat placard, or is a bus carrying 16 or more students, then the driver needs a CDL as well.

[cpzilliacus]

Don't you need a commercial drivers license (CDL) to drive a truck weighing 26,001 pounds or more? Note that up to 26,000 pounds does not require a CDL.

Correct, so Penske's largest non-CDL trucks have a nominal GVWR of 26,000 lbs.–squeaking in just under the limit.

I posted a photo of a CAT Scale ticket I got in another thread I had going related to my relocation trip. The actual weight of the combination was 25,140 lbs., just over 800 shy of CDL territory.

Good thinking.  Going over 26,000 pounds gross without a CDL is a remarkably bad idea. Police that enforce motor carrier size and weight laws as well as commercial vehicle safety laws are usually on the lookout for larger box trucks with a stated GVW of just under 26,001 pounds. If such a truck  scales out at 26,001 (11,794 kilos) or more (even by a few pounds), then the driver can get hit with an overweight ticket, and if he or she does not have a CDL, also gets charged with operating a CDL vehicle without one, quite probably failure to display an IFTA sticker and failure to have apportioned registration plates.

The fines for all of the above can be impressively high.

[cpzilliacus]

PennLive.com: The never-ending construction project: Rebuilding the Pa. Turnpike

It took a small army a little less than two years to build the original Turnpike, from Irwin to the outskirts of Carlisle.

Working almost around the clock from 1938 to 1940, 18,000 men bored through the Allegheny Mountains, leveled farmers' fields and paved their way across the valleys. They contended with tunnel collapses, labor unrest and irate farmers angered over the taking of their fields, and yet moved at a remarkable pace, paving a mile a day with solid concrete slabs over the compacted earth.

It was a breathtaking pace, made possible in part by the lack of modern regulation (there were no environmental considerations or stormwater drainage systems) and construction specifications that were somewhat rudimentary -- if groundbreaking at the time -- and largely developed as the road was planned and built.

In the end it was an unprecedented ribbon of concrete, unrolled across half of Pennsylvania. It marked not just a new road, but a new way of thinking about roads.

[cpzilliacus]

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Fitzgerald to drop opposition to extending Mon-Fayette Expressway

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald is dropping his opposition to the proposed $2 billion Mon-Fayette Expressway extension from Jefferson Hills to Monroeville because the money can't be used for any other projects in the Mon Valley.

Mr. Fitzgerald said Friday he would encourage the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission to add the highway to its list of approved Transportation Improvement Projects when it meets in June. Mr. Fitzgerald, secretary-treasurer of the 10-county group, led the move to table the project last month while officials checked whether money for the highway could be used for other Mon Valley projects that would be less expensive and could be accomplished sooner than the 20-year highway plan.

Mark Compton, CEO of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, told Mr. Fitzgerald in a letter dated March 31 that the state Legislature specifically earmarked funding for the expressway extension in 2007. The commission was charged with building the 14-mile toll road.

If that project doesn't proceed, Mr. Compton wrote, the money could be used only for other turnpike extensions – not new projects – unless the law was changed. The estimated cost of the highway, which was proposed more than 40 years ago and has gone through several design changes, is now at $2 billion, up from $1.6 billion last year.