PA Turnpike News

[lepidopteran]

I've seen the same thing with sound walls.  The new concrete walls are built close to the roadway, just as road widenings are being discussed that would require them to be demolished.

I noticed, over the past 15 years or so, the PA Turnpike built some new bridges that didn't appear to be constructed for the long term.  Their distinctive characteristic is: smooth (steel?) cylindrical support piers.

[CrossCountryRoads]

I can't believe they jacked up the rates on the PA Tpke the first of this month, yet again.  It now costs a truck (5 axles, 60,000 or more  GCW) a little over $200 to go from Ohio to New Jersey via the pike without EZ Pass.  That's, for lack of a better word, ridiculous.  Could you imagine handing over that kind of cash at a toll booth?  I don't think the PTC quite understands the Law of Diminishing Returns.  This happened with the Ohio Tpke awhile back.  The speed limit on the OH Tpke at the time was 55 mph for trucks, and they kept jacking up the rates year after year.  Eventually, their revenue went down as more and more trucks avoided the turnpike since they could only go 55 mph on it anyhow.  So what did they do?  They lowered the rates and raised the truck speed limit to get trucks back on it.

I think the PA Turnpike needs to think more about this, since I already know a lot of truck drivers who go out of their way to avoid paying the hefty toll.

PAHighways, you seem to be well-versed on the PA Turnpike, so I'll ask you have you read/heard anything about why they had to raise the rates again the first of this year?  Were there any clear reasons stated?  Oh and by the way I see you're in Unity Twp, is that the one near Latrobe?  If so, we're pretty close to each other.  I'm in Indiana County.

[roadman65]

The PA Turnpike bridges remind me of the bridges at the FL 408/417/Valencia College Lane area, built in 1988 and demolished last year after the toll authority folks decided to redesign things.  24 years isn't as severe as 13 years like the PA bridges, but the conditions in Florida aren't as severe and the bridges were quite sufficient according to their ratings.  A non-toll department of transportation would certainly not be able to go demolishing such recent work because they wouldn't have the money.

How about the original bridge carrying FL 429 over FL 414 that was torn down last year?, This  one is a better example as it was only a few years old after FL 414 was extended  beyond US 441?  Then FDOT when widening Kirkman Road over the FL Turnpike had its bridge  widened to accommodate a new travel lane and a sidewalk.  The FL Turnpike Enterprise demolished it within 5 years when the FL Turnpike was widened in 08. 

Someone in FDOT had to know the Turnpike would need widening in the very near future with Orlando's sprawl the way it is.  Also with the former, being that bridge was brand new, another interchange option should have been used as well.

[Mr_Northside]

I can't believe they jacked up the rates on the PA Tpke the first of this month, yet again. 

Believe it... Only cause it's their plan.  Just like they'll jack 'em up again next January. And then the January after that....
Between the mainline re-builds, and, most egregiously (IMO, anyway) their Act 44 obligations to the state, annual toll increases are part of their "plan".

I also agree that it's not sustainable to keep it up.  I get that any toll agency has to keep pace with inflation at times (and the gas tax probably should as well), but I think most motorists using the PA Turnpike are going to really sour on it.

Also, to just go ahead and answer your question - Unity Township (Westmoreland Co.) is just south of the City of Latrobe

[olemissfan]

...and these recent toll hikes are the reason that its always best to take i-80 across the state and not the penna turnpike

[empirestate]

...and these recent toll hikes are the reason that its always best to take i-80 across the state and not the penna turnpike

Oh, I don't know about that...if the purpose of your trip is to look at the abandoned tunnels and roadways of the turnpike, it's probably not best to take I-80. :-)

If the purpose of your trip is to get across the state, but you're staring from Pittsburgh, you'll probably be using US 22 at least as much as I-80. If you're heading towards southeastern PA, you likely won't hit I-80 at all.

If minimizing mileage is your priority, you may well find the Turnpike best after all.

[hbelkins]

Yeah, if you are in the Cleveland area and your destination is Harrisburg, Baltimore/DC or Philadelphia, it makes little sense to take I-80. What you save in tolls, you'll burn in gas and time.

[SignBridge]

I agree with empirestate. To a roadbuff, the Penn. Tpke. is a destination in itself with its interesting history and construction features. And like most toll-roads there is a system in place to assist you if your car breaks down, which happened to me once. And service areas to stop at. I once drove I-80 from New York to State College enroute to Altoona. And the drive from Scranton west was the most boring ride I ever took. Absolutely nothing to see on I-80. I'll stick with the Turnpike.

[hbelkins]

I agree with empirestate. To a roadbuff, the Penn. Tpke. is a destination in itself with its interesting history and construction features. And like most toll-roads there is a system in place to assist you if your car breaks down, which happened to me once. And service areas to stop at. I once drove I-80 from New York to State College enroute to Altoona. And the drive from Scranton west was the most boring ride I ever took. Absolutely nothing to see on I-80. I'll stick with the Turnpike.

I disagree. I enjoy the drive on I-80. I"m most familiar with the section between DuBois and I-81, and I think it's very scenic through the mountains. As for the turnpike, I find it to be long and boring. The part I'm most familiar with is between Breezewood and I-76. Once you get east of the mountains, it's dreadful.

[empirestate]

I agree with empirestate. To a roadbuff, the Penn. Tpke. is a destination in itself with its interesting history and construction features. And like most toll-roads there is a system in place to assist you if your car breaks down, which happened to me once. And service areas to stop at. I once drove I-80 from New York to State College enroute to Altoona. And the drive from Scranton west was the most boring ride I ever took. Absolutely nothing to see on I-80. I'll stick with the Turnpike.

I disagree. I enjoy the drive on I-80. I"m most familiar with the section between DuBois and I-81, and I think it's very scenic through the mountains. As for the turnpike, I find it to be long and boring. The part I'm most familiar with is between Breezewood and I-76. Once you get east of the mountains, it's dreadful.

Now of course, I do also feel that the toll rate on the turnpike has become disproportionately and objectionably high, and I do often shunpike it for that reason. But I have never been one to define "best" as "leaving me with the greatest number of dollars". (If that were so, I'd die of starvation since the "best" way to eat would be not at all!)

I also both agree and disagree with each of the above assessments of the two roads' character. I-80 does have some pretty monotonous sections, particularly the further west you go, but H.B.'s right also that there are some strikingly scenic bits as you wend across the ridge-and-valley province. They do tend to come more in spurts than as an overall characteristic, however.

It's also true that the Turnpike east of the mountains loses much of its scenic charm. And while the more interesting topography is in the western half, I'd also argue that the Turnpike doesn't show off its natural setting as well as it could; it doesn't go harmoniously with its landscape the way that the best Pennsylvania roadways do, which is why I'm so fond of them. But what's most interesting to me about the Turnpike are all the little bits of history it has, particularly on this original section. The more familiar one is with those tidbits, the more enjoyable the trip can be.

I actually like I-78 pretty well, even though it isn't superstar scenery, but it's pleasant and confortable. The part I like the least is the seemingly endless run from one end of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro area to the other, as it always seems so many miles longer than it ought to. Strangely, this stretch is where the most dramatic topography is found.

And for sheer mind-numbing boredom, I-380 tunes me out every single time.

[PHLBOS]

Yeah, if you are in the Cleveland area and your destination is Harrisburg, Baltimore/DC or Philadelphia, it makes little sense to take I-80. What you save in tolls, you'll burn in gas and time.

On a return trip from Toledo to Greater Philadelphia circa 1995, my brother & I decided to bypass much of the PA Turnpike by using PA 60 (now I-376)/I-79/I-68/I-70/I-81/US 11 (going through WV & MD) and re-connect in Carlisle.  It added about an hour to our overall travel time but saved us bigtime on tolls even back then.

Heck, for Harrisburg, Baltimore/DC; one wouldn't even need to use the PA Turnpike (I-76) east of I-376 at all.

[cpzilliacus]

Yeah, if you are in the Cleveland area and your destination is Harrisburg, Baltimore/DC or Philadelphia, it makes little sense to take I-80. What you save in tolls, you'll burn in gas and time.

On a return trip from Toledo to Greater Philadelphia circa 1995, we decided to bypass much of the PA Turnpike by using PA 60 (now I-376)/I-79/I-68/I-70/I-81/US 11 (going through WV & MD) and re-connect in Carlisle.  It added about an hour to our overall travel time but saved us bigtime on tolls even back then.

Heck, for Harrisburg, Baltimore/DC; one wouldn't even need to use the PA Turnpike (I-76) east of I-376 at all.

A variation on that theme (paying some tolls to the PTC, but not nearly as much as the E-W Mainline, and avoiding Breezewood) is I-70 E to Pa. 43 S to I-68 E.

[MASTERNC]

Yeah, if you are in the Cleveland area and your destination is Harrisburg, Baltimore/DC or Philadelphia, it makes little sense to take I-80. What you save in tolls, you'll burn in gas and time.

On a return trip from Toledo to Greater Philadelphia circa 1995, my brother & I decided to bypass much of the PA Turnpike by using PA 60 (now I-376)/I-79/I-68/I-70/I-81/US 11 (going through WV & MD) and re-connect in Carlisle.  It added about an hour to our overall travel time but saved us bigtime on tolls even back then.

Heck, for Harrisburg, Baltimore/DC; one wouldn't even need to use the PA Turnpike (I-76) east of I-376 at all.

I've done that going to Philly.  The only trade off is two extra gallons of gas, which offsets half the toll savings.

[Revive 755]

Yeah, if you are in the Cleveland area and your destination is Harrisburg, Baltimore/DC or Philadelphia, it makes little sense to take I-80. What you save in tolls, you'll burn in gas and time.

I don't know, I did Harrisburg to Cleveland once via US 322, I-99, and I-80 and it didn't seem that much worse, other than the two lane stretch on US 322.   Google puts this route at 339 miles, while using the Turnpikes is at 330 miles; gas might be a wash over the $25.50 cash/$19.95 transponder toll.

[PAHighways]

Turnpike Work to Affect Irwin Interchange

Preliminary work on the Exit 57 to Exit 67 section is expected to begin in 2015 or 2016 with construction starting on the first five miles in 2018 or 2019.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Yeah, if you are in the Cleveland area and your destination is Harrisburg, Baltimore/DC or Philadelphia, it makes little sense to take I-80. What you save in tolls, you'll burn in gas and time.

Among my first road memories is my father driving us (mom, me, and eventually one of my younger brothers) from Geauga County (east of Cleveland) to the Philly Main Line (where my mom's family lived [and still do]) via (US 322 E to Oh 11 S to) I-80 and the NE PA Tpk Ext.
It wasn't till after I started school (and started being interested in roads) that he changed the route and picked up the Oh Tpk, near Warren and follow I-80/76 to Valley Forge.
It was 30 miles longer (for us) to follow I-80 and NE Ext from Cleveland to Philly instead of using the mainline turnpikes. Someone else can do the math concerning the differences in fuel and tolls, between 1975-81, for the two routes.

[ARMOURERERIC]

I had many trips from Norfolk to Pittsburgh 1991-1996 and after an insane initial trip using I-64 to US 250 in Staunton to WVA to US 119 to I-79, my next trip was standard DC to Breezwood to Pittsburgh, very stressful and expensive, so I tried Hancock to I-68 to US 40 to Uniontown to Brownsville to I-70 to 79, no stress, no traffic, no tolls, and it took the exact same time and the same gas.  Never used the pike again.

[Mr_Northside]

Turnpike Work to Affect Irwin Interchange

Preliminary work on the Exit 57 to Exit 67 section is expected to begin in 2015 or 2016 with construction starting on the first five miles in 2018 or 2019.

Good to know, though I was hoping it wasn't going to be quite so far off.  I figured the preliminary work of replacing overpasses wouldn't have taken so long for this stretch, since they just replaced the PA-130 overpass, leaving only 3 more.

[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: Penn Pike - eight charged with corruption including ex-chair Rubin, ex-CEO Brimmeier, ex-COO Hatalowich

2013-03-13: The state attorney general Kathleen Kane has filed criminal charges against five officers of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, two vendors and a leading Democrat state senator in so-called pay-to-play corruption. This follows a couple of years of a grand jury and police investigations. The attorney general said that a "pay-to-play culture permeated" the turnpike.

The Grand Jury 'presentment' summarizes: "The Grand Jury finds a prima facie case that these individuals, both individually and in concert with one another, committed and attempted to commit a series of crimes, including illegal bid-rigging, commercial bribery, conflict of interest, theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, criminal conspiracy, and acted as a corrupt organization.

[PAHighways]

PA Turnpike CEO Comments on PA Attorney General's News Announcement about Grand Jury Investigation

[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: Corporate crime - the Turnpike and a personal reminiscence

Of the people charged by PA Attorney General I really only know Joe Brimmeier. I met him quite a number of times when he was CEO and talked on the telephone more. He's intelligent, capable and fun to be with. I liked the guy. He never gave me the impression he was uninterested in the service the Turnpike provided to the public or in improvements to it, and was informed and talked intelligently about the issues of the day - where traffic volumes seemed to be going, moving into electronic toll collection, new projects like the Mon Fayette Expressway, widening, E-ZPass.

[cpzilliacus]

USA Today: Two dead, 14 injured after tour bus crash in Pa. - Seton Hill University's women's lacrosse team, including 23 players and three coaches, was aboard during the crash.

[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: Penn Pike Commissioner William Lincoln resigns citing stress of racketeering charges against colleagues

2013-03-22: Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission secretary/treasurer J William Lincoln resigned today citing as reason the "additional personal stress over the events of the past two weeks" and unspecified health problems. The past two weeks saw culmination of a nearly four year grand jury investigation into racketeering at the Turnpike, and a heap of criminal charges against several close colleagues.

Turnpike chairman William Lieberman is quoted: "We respect (Mr) Lincoln's decision to resign; given the circumstances, he made the right choice."

Lincoln, 72, was on the 5-person Turnpike Commission for eight years. His testimony to the grand jury was key to building the Attorney General's case against Lincoln's colleagues - Rubin, Hatalowich, Brimmeier. He presented an insider's description of the ring which systematically steered contracts and jobs to politically supportive companies and people in complete contravention of competitive procurement and proper hiring practices.

[ARMOURERERIC]

What's real bad also is that about a month or so ago, Bland, CEO of PAT (Port Authority Transit, Pittsburgh) was fired by the Allegheny County Commisioners so they (and one commissioner in particular pushed this) could get their buddy Brimmeyer in as PAT CEO, it was a done deal until the indictmnets hit.

[cpzilliacus]

What's real bad also is that about a month or so ago, Bland, CEO of PAT (Port Authority Transit, Pittsburgh) was fired by the Allegheny County Commisioners so they (and one commissioner in particular pushed this) could get their buddy Brimmeyer in as PAT CEO, it was a done deal until the indictmnets hit.

Probably not nearly as easy to run the Port Authority of Allegheny County as it is to run the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, given that the Turnpike collects vast sums of money (and gives a fair amount of it away to PennDOT, SEPTA and the PAT) - but very nearly all transit agencies in the United States are profoundly dependent  on subsidies from non-transit sources. 

I would assume that the union(s) representing  PAT hourly employees are more militant than those that work for the Turnpike (but I am not sure of that).