PA Turnpike News

[CanesFan27]

I've added them back to the blog and updated some information as a lot has and hasn't changed since 1999.

Those photos were probably the first glimpses of the Abandoned Turnpike I ever had as an under 16 roadgeek who rarely ever got out of his hometown. I can’t count the number of times I’ve visited there in the second half of my life that has passed since then.

Other than the overpass removals, which are obvious, the creeping change that strikes me most when I visit today is how overgrown it is becoming—particularly in the summer months. Trees encroach ever closer from the shoulders. Shrubs grow outward from the median in all directions. Crumbling pavements yield to bristle-like grasses piercing through cracks. In a few places, the road almost disappears entirely.

I wonder if nature will reclaim it all within another few decades.

I also wonder about the legal status of the Abandoned Turnpike these days. The Southern Alleghenies Conservancy’s website went dead years ago, and a search for the organization doesn’t seem to bring up much beyond some press releases and news articles in the roughly 2000-2005 time frame in which SAC acquired the property and sent a representative to Jeff Kitsko’s 2004 SWPA roadgeek meet. If they’re trying to raise money or rehabilitate the Abandoned Turnpike, I’m not finding the evidence of it.

Thanks for your reply!  I have similar curiosities on what - if anything - is going on with the stated goal of making it a full on bike trail.  I asked my brother about it.  He did a lot of work over the past 5-8 years with the Great Allegheny Passage and the Trail Town Council.  He never met anyone representing the SAC or the Pike 2 Bike trail during his time with the GAP and TTC.

I started to do some additional research about it - and found a few interesting tidbits. 

1) As you said, the SAC doesn't have a website anymore. It's old website has I think been preserved by the Ray's Hill.com guy - http://www.abandonedturnpike.com/outside_web_pages/SAC/SAC-Bike%20Trail.htm

2) Found this comment interesting - "Mission or Purpose
The Southern Alleghenies Conservancy exists to Conserve, Preserve, and Restore our Natural, Cultural, and Historical Resources through cooperation with local citizens, grassroots organizations, professional service organizations, and government agencies. Andy Patterson, SAC Chairman says, "we're not a project-oriented group...".12/12/2007

not a project oriented group - well this would be a project.  Source: http://conservationtools.org/organizations/4260-Southern-Alleghenies-Conservancy

3) And I am sure you know of the 2006 Gannett Flemming Master Plan(https://www.co.fulton.pa.us/files/planning/pike-to-bike/Pike2Bike%20SAC%20Trail%20Network%20Master%20Plan%20and%20Adaptive%20Re-Use%20Study%20by%20Gannett%20Fleming.pdf) and the Fulton County 2013/14 studies.  https://www.co.fulton.pa.us/files/planning/pike-to-bike/Plan%20for%20Eastern%20Trailhead%20of%20the%20Pike2Bike%20-%20prepared%20by%20John%20B%20Maxwell.pdf

What i find interesting in the Fulton County document is that - Fulton County was not as receptive to the trail because they saw Breezewood and Bedford County getting the majority of the economic impact and in said such in 2006.  That I didn't know until I read that document today.

Plus -there's as you have said I am also not aware of any fundraising.  Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and DC are pretty much within a day trip to the Abandoned Pike.  Board members, fundraising, etc. could easily be done.

In addition, when "The Road" was filmed on the abandoned pike - did they pay to use it.  SAC did own it then - it would have been a great source of funds for their plans.

I really think that there was never good leadership in place that would overcome some of these obstacles.  From my dealings with the SAC from 2001 to about 2004-05, there never seemed to be any real direction - just a lot of cryptic messages.

[MASTERNC]

I drove east towards New Jersey for the first time and was shocked with the lack of detour signage up for the Delaware River Bridge closure.  All the VMS signs mentioned thru traffic had to exit at US 1, but there were no temporary signs reminding traffic that all traffic must exit, nor were there any "detour" signs after exiting.  I know most people have GPS these days that will re-route them, but you would think they would create construction style signage for such an extended closure.  I know Delaware had detour signs up and everything when I-495 was closed.

[briantroutman]

What i find interesting in the Fulton County document is that - Fulton County was not as receptive to the trail because they saw Breezewood and Bedford County getting the majority of the economic impact and in said such in 2006.

From a strictly economic perspective, I think Fulton County's Mr. Maxwell is right. Since Breezewood already has a very well established base of traveler services, and since the Breezewood end is so easy to reach by car (in sharp contrast to the eastern end), I don't really see any way for Fulton County to reap any significant benefits from increased tax revenues from the bike path plan .

Personally, I never liked the Pike2Bike concept and always saw the Abandoned Turnpike as both an irreplaceable artifact and a missed opportunity.

Look at it this way: After the Model T became hopelessly obsolete as a daily driver and the vast majority of the millions built had been wrecked or junked, a relatively few surviving examples were preserved and stored in the garages of collectors or exhibited in museums. On the other hand, after a road becomes hopelessly obsolete, it typically can't be preserved and stored. Even a historic road continues to serve a vital purpose to the people who rely on it every day.

But here's an absolutely unique situation: More than ten miles of limited access highway lying dormant in rural seclusion. No one relies on it; no one needs it. And this isn't just any limited access highway, but the first long-distance superhighway in the United States. A road which–whether for good or for ill–played a pivotal role in forever changing America's transportation destiny. What's more, this abandoned stretch includes not one but two tunnels–the Turnpike's signature feature–plus a service plaza site.

In terms of the road's significance to American transportation history, it's Independence Hall. I've long felt it should be preserved in a similar spirit.

Clearly that's a pipe dream, and coming up with the (I'm guessing) $100 million or more needed for even a cursory reconstruction would be difficult to say the least. Still, I've thought there might be ways to help defray the cost.

Hundreds of thousands of classic car aficionados already descend upon Carlisle (just over an hour to the east) for various auto shows throughout the year. Now imagine that instead of merely parking your '55 Studebaker in grass fairgrounds, you could cruise down a historic highway more befitting its native era. Attendees could begin at the Breezewood end, make use of services there, then roll down the historic road to the other end where a rebuilt Cove Valley service plaza would serve as a meeting point, locus of activity, and perhaps even concessions.

At other times, the Abandoned Turnpike could be rented out as a film set–this time not as a post-apocalyptic wasteland road but as a flexible suburban/rural freeway.

Combined, maybe these and other revenue-generating ideas would only make a dent in the cost. But at least that would be something, and given the historical significance of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the irreplaceability of this abandoned section, I'd hate to see it lost forever.

[Alps]

I drove east towards New Jersey for the first time and was shocked with the lack of detour signage up for the Delaware River Bridge closure.  All the VMS signs mentioned thru traffic had to exit at US 1, but there were no temporary signs reminding traffic that all traffic must exit, nor were there any "detour" signs after exiting.  I know most people have GPS these days that will re-route them, but you would think they would create construction style signage for such an extended closure.  I know Delaware had detour signs up and everything when I-495 was closed.

Stark contrast between agencies, eh?

[empirestate]

At other times, the Abandoned Turnpike could be rented out as a film set–this time not as a post-apocalyptic wasteland road but as a flexible suburban/rural freeway.

I think this is one of its most promising uses. If the state took it over, and improved it just to a basic state that production companies could dress to their own needs (they'd prefer that over a fully-realized historic recreation, in most cases)–and if the state had a program of incentives for film and TV production, as states like NY, GA and NM do–they might see a lot of use for this purpose and easily recoup the costs of rudimentary rehabilitation.

[vdeane]

I imagine the cost to "restore" the abandoned Turnpike is lower if just for bike/ped than if vehicles were to be allowed on it.  For the former, you'd probably need to mainly trim back the plants and resurface, but for the latter, structural work would likely be needed.

[briantroutman]

^The existing Pike2Bike plan isn't really a restoration. In short, the plan aims to overlay a single 10-foot wide asphalt strip in the eastbound carriageway and leave the remainder of the ROW to nature. A few drainage improvements are also mentioned as well as the addition of LEDs to the tunnels. Beyond that, the plans are more or less limited to adding parking spaces and a bathroom facility at either end–nothing that would be out of place in a typical state park. The total estimated cost in 2006 was about $3 million.

If the plan was instead to reconstruct four lanes and do something more along the lines of a true restoration, I'm very roughly guessing $100 million as a low-end figure based on the costs the PTC has cited to reconstruct and widen sections of the mainline in recent years.

Now you might be able to–and perhaps this is what you were suggesting–do a relatively cheap asphalt overlay of both carriageways that would look decent at a glance and be strong enough to support the light loads imposed by people and bicycles but not resilient enough to support motor vehicles.

That might be a workable compromise, although even with minimal weight loading, I wonder how well a quick-and-dirty asphalt overlay would last over time. I know the AASHO road test of the '50s established that it was weight, not exposure to the elements, that caused the majority of pavement damage, and yet I notice that in some sections of the Abandoned Turnpike–which has had almost no vehicular traffic for 40 years–the asphalt has been reduced to rubble.

The other downside of any restoration that doesn't make the road car-worthy is that it would preclude any of the revenue-generating ideas that might help offset the reconstruction cost–at least any of the ideas I've envisioned.

[CanesFan27]

So with my recent posts on the abandoned PA Turnpike - I decided to investigate why nothing has been done to convert the old highway to a multi-use trail as planned when the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy acquired it in 2001. 

Well - in short the SAC was way in over its head.  Difficulty in getting funding along with the aftermath of a 2006 Master Plan that was rejected by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners stalled the project for nearly a decade.  More recently, a new study commissioned in 2014 updated the proposal and also proposed new ownership and funding sources.  Since then, there has not been any other progress in transforming the abandoned pike to the hopeful vision of the SAC 16 years ago.  Read more at the blog:

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2017/02/after-16-years-heres-why-pike-2-bike.html

[CanesFan27]

At other times, the Abandoned Turnpike could be rented out as a film set–this time not as a post-apocalyptic wasteland road but as a flexible suburban/rural freeway.

I think this is one of its most promising uses. If the state took it over, and improved it just to a basic state that production companies could dress to their own needs (they'd prefer that over a fully-realized historic recreation, in most cases)–and if the state had a program of incentives for film and TV production, as states like NY, GA and NM do–they might see a lot of use for this purpose and easily recoup the costs of rudimentary rehabilitation.

The Road was filmed along the old turnpike back in 2007-08.  But I found nothing on if they paid any money to use it and if they did how much and who it went to.

[jeffandnicole]

The PA Turnpike Chairman abruptly resigns: http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/local/pennsylvania-turnpike-chairman-suddenly-resigns/article_b78b7ce8-fa0b-11e6-a9f1-0f067348086c.html

Saying he wants to pursue other public service opportunities, the chairman of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission abruptly resigned Thursday.

Sean Logan, of Plum, Allegheny County, announced he is resigning, effective immediately, said turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo Jr.

"It is with mixed emotions that I step down from the PA Turnpike Commission, as I have come to know and respect my fellow commissioners and the entire senior-staff team. I've also had the privilege of meeting many of the folks who make the turnpike run day in and day out: our toll collectors," he said.

Logan was first appointed to the PTC in July 2013 and named chairman in January 2015.

During his tenure, Logan ensured the commission remained focused on its core duties: operating more efficiently; investing in rebuilding; and expanding its system and managing its Act-44 funding obligations to PennDOT, DeFebo said.

DeFebo added that Logan handled significant, national-headline grabbing events in 2016.

He was referring to the January blizzard that stranded hundreds of motorists on the turnpike in the Allegheny Mountains and an armed robbery attempt at the Fort Littleton interchange in March. A toll collector and security contractor were killed and the suspect, a retired state trooper, was shot to death.

In the coming weeks, Gov. Tom Wolf expects to nominate a new turnpike commissioner. That nominee must be confirmed by at least a two-thirds majority of the state Senate.

[jeffandnicole]

The NJ/PA Turnpike Bridge is now being jacked up into place.  After the jacking is complete, they'll determine how repairs should be done.

Also included within the article (quoted in full below), it stated the NJ & PA Turnpikes are losing approximately $1 million to $2 million in revenue each, each week, due to the closure.

http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/local/repositioning-procedure-started-on-delaware-river-bridge-in-bristol-township/article_477581c4-fa01-11e6-bcbf-6f6564aab91b.html

Crews began the "very deliberate and delicate process" early Friday morning of returning the Delaware River Bridge to its original position.

The structure was displaced about 2 inches after a 14-inch I-beam was severed below the bridge's road surface along the Pennsylvania side of the structure.

The crews are using hydraulic jacks, supported by eight heavy-duty temporary towers that were recently installed beneath the bridge, to coax the structure back into place. They will work from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and then again either Saturday or Sunday, weather-permitting, to finish returning the span to its original position, Brad Heigel, the turnpike's chief engineer, said Thursday. "We are very optimistic that it will work," he said of the estimated $9 million-plus repositioning effort.







The 1.25-mile bridge that carries Interstate 276 from Bristol Township in Bucks County across the Delaware River to Florence in Burlington County, New Jersey, has been closed since the fracture was discovered Jan. 20. "It happened quickly," Heigel said. "It was a sudden fracture – a clean break."

An emergency engineering task force that includes Pennsylvania and New Jersey turnpike representatives and academics from Lehigh and Purdue universities and the University of Texas is trying to determine what caused the beam to sever and what is the best way to fix it.



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Right after the fracture was discovered a temporary splice was put on the beam to hold it together.

During the repositioning work, crews are using about 100 sensors all along the bridge to monitor the span, Heigel said. The observations will help the engineers determine how much stress the bridge, and especially the damaged beam, will be able to handle when the permanent repairs are made.

The still to-be-determined repairs could range from constructing a permanent splice to reconnect the fractured section to possibly a total replacement of the damaged area, Heigel said. The task force has not come up with an estimate for the total cost of the repair project.

The "best-case-scenario" estimate is that the bridge will reopen in early April if only a permanent splice is needed, the engineer said. No time estimates are available in the event more extensive repairs are needed, he said.

The 61-year-old toll bridge, which typically serves about 42,000 vehicles per day, will remain closed until it is permanently repaired. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority are each losing between $1 million to $2 million in revenue per week while it is closed, spokesman Carl DeFebo said previously.


While the bridge is closed, traffic is being rerouted to the Scudder Falls Bridge, which carries Interstate 95 between Lower Makefield and Ewing in Mercer County, New Jersey. Motorists also have been using the Calhoun Street, Route 1 and Trenton Makes bridges in Morrisville, the Burlington-Bristol Bridge in Bristol Township and the Interstate 78 bridge in the Lehigh Valley.

Updates about the closure and detour routes are posted at www.paturnpike.com/DRBAlert.aspx.

During a speech about road improvements to the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce on Thursday morning, the executive director of TMA Bucks encouraged chamber members to give themselves enough travel time because of the extra traffic congestion created by the bridge closure.

"Put an extra 15 minutes into your trip (schedule)," said Bill Brady, the TMA Bucks executive director, during the breakfast in Middletown. "Plan for it and be patient."

Patience will be required for the next several years as multiple road improvement projects are completed throughout Bucks County, Brady said. They include the project connecting the turnpike to Interstate 95 that should be completed by 2022; planned improvements along the Route 1 expressway from Bensalem up to Middletown that could be done by 2025; and, the three- to four-year construction project of a new Scudder Falls Bridge that is set to begin in the spring.

[jeffandnicole]

So far, everything's going well and an April reopening of the bridge is expected to occur...

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/20170303_ap_34d8d1d0e29b4005848fea7e59ad6232.html?mobi=true

[SignBridge]

 Progress! Good news for a change! I'm planning a trip to Penna. in May, so maybe I'll get to cross the bridge if all goes well. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[sbeaver44]

How far away is the signage for the I-276 detour?  I use 83 south past the turnpike (Exit 242) a few times a week and the VMS has the detour noted from 83.  I think this is good, but am curious how far west this is posted.

[sbeaver44]

Also, regarding the Abandoned Turnpike, I thought it was already a bike trail?  I went in May using Oregon Rd as an access and went into the Sideling Hill Tunnel.  I saw at least 10 other people.  It was a pretty cool experience.

[74/171FAN]

How far away is the signage for the I-276 detour?  I use 83 south past the turnpike (Exit 242) a few times a week and the VMS has the detour noted from 83.  I think this is good, but am curious how far west this is posted.

The detour was also noted on US 322 WB heading to the Eisenhower Interchange when I drove back to Harrisburg from Hershey a few weeks ago.  I do not think I mentioned it.

[CanesFan27]

Also, regarding the Abandoned Turnpike, I thought it was already a bike trail?  I went in May using Oregon Rd as an access and went into the Sideling Hill Tunnel.  I saw at least 10 other people.  It was a pretty cool experience.

Unofficially yes it is.  However, since about 2006 no work has been done to convert it to a full fledged multi-use trail.

[noelbotevera]

How far away is the signage for the I-276 detour?  I use 83 south past the turnpike (Exit 242) a few times a week and the VMS has the detour noted from 83.  I think this is good, but am curious how far west this is posted.

The detour was also noted on US 322 WB heading to the Eisenhower Interchange when I drove back to Harrisburg from Hershey a few weeks ago.  I do not think I mentioned it.

I saw it on I-81 south near exit 52. That's about how far west I saw it, since I can't check VMS' along the Turnpike, thanks to broken links on the website. It's 134 miles west, in case you were wondering.

[Roadrunner75]

I drove east towards New Jersey for the first time and was shocked with the lack of detour signage up for the Delaware River Bridge closure.  All the VMS signs mentioned thru traffic had to exit at US 1, but there were no temporary signs reminding traffic that all traffic must exit, nor were there any "detour" signs after exiting.  I know most people have GPS these days that will re-route them, but you would think they would create construction style signage for such an extended closure.  I know Delaware had detour signs up and everything when I-495 was closed.

I had to loop around the bridge closure westbound via NJ 29 and US 1 in Trenton this past weekend and was surprised to see almost no signage indicating the closure entering from US 1 (Bensalem interchange).  At most, there may have been one VMS indicating the closure on Route 1 in advance of the interchange, but there was absolutely nothing after the tolls at the split to enter EB or WB.

What is funny is that in the GSV below of that split, there is a portable VMS sitting there indicating "Shoulder Closed Ahead".  The closed shoulder was apparently far more of an important issue at the time, than putting the same VMS there today to indicate that the entire roadway is just a long off-ramp onto US 13.  Well done PTC.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.1333318,-74.9715503,3a,66.8y,235.61h,90.34t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sSseKrBWuh6TC7EkzQCmkAg!2e0?force=lite

[jeffandnicole]

http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/local/heavy-duty-trucks-being-used-in-bristol-township-to-test/article_69eb30cc-0376-11e7-857e-efb55e4486b9.html

The repair project continues to go well, from the sounds of it.  They tested the bridge with 40 ton trucks and will await the results of those tests later this week.  As long as everything goes well, an opening later this month isn't out of the question.

If you don't care about the project, at least open the link to view the pic of the frustrated man speaking at the meeting! 

[kalvado]

http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/local/heavy-duty-trucks-being-used-in-bristol-township-to-test/article_69eb30cc-0376-11e7-857e-efb55e4486b9.html

The repair project continues to go well, from the sounds of it.  They tested the bridge with 40 ton trucks and will await the results of those tests later this week.  As long as everything goes well, an opening later this month isn't out of the question.

If you don't care about the project, at least open the link to view the pic of the frustrated man speaking at the meeting! 

As far as I understand, the big question "why that happened?" is not answered...

[jeffandnicole]

http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/local/heavy-duty-trucks-being-used-in-bristol-township-to-test/article_69eb30cc-0376-11e7-857e-efb55e4486b9.html

The repair project continues to go well, from the sounds of it.  They tested the bridge with 40 ton trucks and will await the results of those tests later this week.  As long as everything goes well, an opening later this month isn't out of the question.

If you don't care about the project, at least open the link to view the pic of the frustrated man speaking at the meeting! 

As far as I understand, the big question "why that happened?" is not answered...

Yep.  It's only a guess as to when and what time.  Several theories are out there: Overloaded truck; cold weather, residents hearing a loud noise, etc.  But most likely they're never going to truly know.

[kalvado]

http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/local/heavy-duty-trucks-being-used-in-bristol-township-to-test/article_69eb30cc-0376-11e7-857e-efb55e4486b9.html

The repair project continues to go well, from the sounds of it.  They tested the bridge with 40 ton trucks and will await the results of those tests later this week.  As long as everything goes well, an opening later this month isn't out of the question.

If you don't care about the project, at least open the link to view the pic of the frustrated man speaking at the meeting! 

As far as I understand, the big question "why that happened?" is not answered...

Yep.  It's only a guess as to when and what time.  Several theories are out there: Overloaded truck; cold weather, residents hearing a loud noise, etc.  But most likely they're never going to truly know.

And hopefully not learn the answer when next one fails... Some mysteries go unsolved, but I would also setup some monitoring to keep an eye on the thing...

[Alps]

http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/local/heavy-duty-trucks-being-used-in-bristol-township-to-test/article_69eb30cc-0376-11e7-857e-efb55e4486b9.html

The repair project continues to go well, from the sounds of it.  They tested the bridge with 40 ton trucks and will await the results of those tests later this week.  As long as everything goes well, an opening later this month isn't out of the question.

If you don't care about the project, at least open the link to view the pic of the frustrated man speaking at the meeting! 

As far as I understand, the big question "why that happened?" is not answered...

Yep.  It's only a guess as to when and what time.  Several theories are out there: Overloaded truck; cold weather, residents hearing a loud noise, etc.  But most likely they're never going to truly know.

And hopefully not learn the answer when next one fails... Some mysteries go unsolved, but I would also setup some monitoring to keep an eye on the thing...

Well, they thoroughly scoured the bridge for evidence of more similar plug welds, so the fact it's reopening so quickly suggests it's not going to be a problem.

[Gnutella]

Here's a picture of a reconstructed and widened segment of the Turnpike near Pittsburgh:



This segment is just west of the Allegheny River, from MM 44 to MM 48. This year they're going to widen another segment north of Pittsburgh, from MM 40 to MM 44. The big future project will be the reconstruction and widening east of Pittsburgh, from MM 49 to MM 67. That's the most heavily traveled segment of the Turnpike in western Pennsylvania, and the most expensive segment to reconstruct too, due to a number of long bridge spans. That segment is in design right now.