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PA Turnpike News

Started by mightyace, February 16, 2009, 05:29:14 PM

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cpzilliacus

TOLLROADSnews: State auditor-general again clashes with Pennsylvania Turnpike

QuoteThe state's auditor-general (AG) Jack Wagner and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission differ sharply over a review of the Turnpike's management. Most money is at issue in what Wagner says is  $109 million in losses he estimates have been incurred by the Turnpike in interest rate swaps or hedging contracts.

Quote"The Turnpike Commission's use of swaps associated with its bond issues, which was a strategy designed to save money, has instead proven to saddle the commonwealth's taxpayers and the Turnpike's toll-paying customers with enormous costs," the AG report writes. "Given the Turnpike's precarious financial position relative to Act 44 payments (to the state DOT), the Turnpike should not use these complicated and risky deals."

QuoteThe Turnpike in a lengthy response disputes the AG's accounting methodology. The Turnpike says the termination payments called $59m in losses by the AG in fact allowed the Turnpike to refinance at a lower interest rate and in fact produced present value savings of nearly $11m as a result.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.


roadman

#451
Noted this press release regarding the Kittany and Blue Mountain Tunnels.

http://www.paturnpike.com/Press/2013/20130102170238.htm

Any idea what the "safety reasons" that prompted this restriction are?

Edited to correct the link - RM
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

Mr. Matté


roadman

Sorry about the error, and thanks.  I've corrected the link in my original post.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

Mr_Northside

Quote from: roadman on January 15, 2013, 01:19:55 PM
Noted this press release regarding the Kittany and Blue Mountain Tunnels.
http://www.paturnpike.com/Press/2013/20130102170238.htm

Any idea what the "safety reasons" that prompted this restriction are?

My only guess... and it's just a guess since I haven't personally been on the turnpike in that area (or east of Breezewood, for that matter) in almost 6-1/2 years.....:

There is currently road work between MP 199-202, and by the looks of the traffic camera they have in the area (http://www.paturnpike.com/ConstructionProjects/mp199to202/cameras.html), traffic is using the shoulder area as the right lane of each direction....

Anytime you have a fairly long-term situation where the shoulder is used as a regular lane, you'll usually see buses and trucks restricted to the left lane, since the shoulder isn't designed to take all the weight of heavier vehicles. 
As to why this applies to the tunnels, I can only guess that they want the trucks and buses in the left lane a good bit in advance of the construction area... Since there are no lane changes allowed in the tunnels, nor in the short space between the tunnels, they want it (trucks & buses in the left lane) to happen before entering the first tunnel (eastbound), or they want trucks to wait to get out of the left lane till after the tunnels (westbound).
I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

roadman

Quote from: Mr_Northside on January 15, 2013, 02:42:00 PM
Quote from: roadman on January 15, 2013, 01:19:55 PM
Noted this press release regarding the Kittany and Blue Mountain Tunnels.
http://www.paturnpike.com/Press/2013/20130102170238.htm

Any idea what the "safety reasons" that prompted this restriction are?

My only guess... and it's just a guess since I haven't personally been on the turnpike in that area (or east of Breezewood, for that matter) in almost 6-1/2 years.....:

There is currently road work between MP 199-202, and by the looks of the traffic camera they have in the area (http://www.paturnpike.com/ConstructionProjects/mp199to202/cameras.html), traffic is using the shoulder area as the right lane of each direction....

Anytime you have a fairly long-term situation where the shoulder is used as a regular lane, you'll usually see buses and trucks restricted to the left lane, since the shoulder isn't designed to take all the weight of heavier vehicles. 
As to why this applies to the tunnels, I can only guess that they want the trucks and buses in the left lane a good bit in advance of the construction area... Since there are no lane changes allowed in the tunnels, nor in the short space between the tunnels, they want it (trucks & buses in the left lane) to happen before entering the first tunnel (eastbound), or they want trucks to wait to get out of the left lane till after the tunnels (westbound).

Hadn't thought about the adjacent construction area (or that the shoulder is being used as a travel lane), but it seems logical to do so.  Thanks.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

ARMOURERERIC

Acctually the work zone is IMMEDIATELY upon exiting the tunnels.

qguy

Quote from: Mr_Northside on January 15, 2013, 02:42:00 PM
Anytime you have a fairly long-term situation where the shoulder is used as a regular lane, you'll usually see buses and trucks restricted to the left lane, since the shoulder isn't designed to take all the weight of heavier vehicles.

The PA Turnpike shoulders are also slightly sloped away from the travel lanes and have drain grates in them. This causes a rolling moment that is very noticeable for large trucks. It makes driving them rather difficult. So controllability is also one of the reasons trucks are kept in the left lane.

jemacedo9

I read somewhere, either on the PA Turnpike website, or in a news article, that one of the main reasons for the Trucks/Buses Left Lane pattern is for the safety of the construction vehicles who have to merge in/out of the right lane into the construction areas.  Because trucks and buses take longer to slow down, and because construction vehicles will be driving much slower entering/exiting the right lane to the construction area, it's safer to keep trucks and buses out of the right lane.

I think the issue of drain gates, and the shoulders not being able to take the weight, were also noted in what I remember reading.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: Mr_Northside on January 15, 2013, 02:42:00 PM
Anytime you have a fairly long-term situation where the shoulder is used as a regular lane, you'll usually see buses and trucks restricted to the left lane, since the shoulder isn't designed to take all the weight of heavier vehicles. 

I think that is the reason.  I have seen Virginia do this  as well, as far back as the mid-1980's, when VDOT was widening a long section of I-95 (from Richmond to MCB Quantico) from four lanes to six lanes.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

MASTERNC

Quote from: jemacedo9 on January 17, 2013, 07:00:41 PM
I read somewhere, either on the PA Turnpike website, or in a news article, that one of the main reasons for the Trucks/Buses Left Lane pattern is for the safety of the construction vehicles who have to merge in/out of the right lane into the construction areas.  Because trucks and buses take longer to slow down, and because construction vehicles will be driving much slower entering/exiting the right lane to the construction area, it's safer to keep trucks and buses out of the right lane.

I think the issue of drain gates, and the shoulders not being able to take the weight, were also noted in what I remember reading.

It was mentioned recently as well in an article

http://articles.mcall.com/2011-09-04/news/mc-road-warrior-trucks-left-20110904_1_mid-county-lanes-work-zone

jemacedo9


ARMOURERERIC

On a Pittsburgh-centric message board i frequent, a Turnpike employee posted that final design work for PA 28 to I-376 widening/rebuild commenced in August 2012, but the mentioned that the 376 interchage would be vastly reconfigured.  Anyone know anything on this?

rickmastfan67

Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on January 17, 2013, 11:47:59 PM
On a Pittsburgh-centric message board i frequent, a Turnpike employee posted that final design work for PA 28 to I-376 widening/rebuild commenced in August 2012, but the mentioned that the 376 interchage would be vastly reconfigured.  Anyone know anything on this?

I haven't heard anything about this, but, with AET coming to the Turnpike in the future, I could see some flyovers @ the I-76/I-376/US-22 interchange get built to eliminate the tight ramps.  Also to eliminate the left exits from I-376 to/from US-22/US-22 Business.

ARMOURERERIC

I realized this morning that any widening would require the replacement of the trumpet bridge over the turnpike for 376, hence the need to probably build a replacement interchange beforehand.

PAHighways


Mr_Northside

#466
Quote from: rickmastfan67 on January 18, 2013, 09:16:17 AM
Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on January 17, 2013, 11:47:59 PM
On a Pittsburgh-centric message board i frequent, a Turnpike employee posted that final design work for PA 28 to I-376 widening/rebuild commenced in August 2012, but the mentioned that the 376 interchage would be vastly reconfigured.  Anyone know anything on this?

I haven't heard anything about this, but, with AET coming to the Turnpike in the future, I could see some flyovers @ the I-76/I-376/US-22 interchange get built to eliminate the tight ramps.  Also to eliminate the left exits from I-376 to/from US-22/US-22 Business.

I'll admit this has piqued my interest.  It might be quite some time, probably not until constructions starts, that they'll post any plans on the web (though I hope I'm wrong), but I'm quite curious as to what their plans are.  Since it won't be for a while, I'd also bet that it involves not having a toll plaza.  Not sure what would get reconfigured on the "free" side of things.  PennDOT just rebuilt the EB US-22/End-of-376 bridge over the William Penn Hwy a year ago, and the TPK's bridge (WB) over Bus-22 that becomes I-376 isn't all that old either. 
Certainly curious.


*-EDIT: I was gonna segue my second-to-last sentence into posting the Trib story that PA Highways beat me to by a few minutes about the turnpike replacing bridges that aren't that old yet.
I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

MASTERNC

Quote from: PAHighways on January 22, 2013, 06:12:58 PM
Turnpike Planning Called Into Question Over Demolition of Recently Built Bridges - Tribune-Review

I've noticed the same thing: bridges that look rather new that you know will have to be torn down for widening

JREwing78

When I've seen a highway department replace an overpass over a freeway/tollway/expressway, it's almost always rebuilt with room for an extra lane or two in each direction. It's more expensive at first, but it certainly saves you the trouble of rebuilding the bridge 13 years later when "Oh, whoops!", they suddenly decide to widen the highway.

vdeane

Exactly.  The widening projects may not have been on the horizon when the bridges were built, but that does not excuse the incompetence of building them for the current day and nothing more.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

jeffandnicole

When they do any sort of project, they are supposed to plan and forecast for the next 25 years.  Let's see what sort of planning was done, and why that forecast failed.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: jeffandnicole on January 24, 2013, 12:20:36 PM
When they do any sort of project, they are supposed to plan and forecast for the next 25 years.  Let's see what sort of planning was done, and why that forecast failed.

The marginal cost of constructing a bridge over a four-lane freeway with shoulders (which is what most of the Pennsylvania Turnpike is) to accommodate a future six-lane freeway with shoulders is not that high in the scheme of things.

Maryland (SHA and MdTA) do this routinely when they re-deck bridges that run over freeways - and they also try to provide an extra lane when  they re-deck a bridge that carries a freeway. 
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

Compulov

Quote from: cpzilliacus on January 24, 2013, 12:42:19 PM
The marginal cost of constructing a bridge over a four-lane freeway with shoulders (which is what most of the Pennsylvania Turnpike is) to accommodate a future six-lane freeway with shoulders is not that high in the scheme of things.

I recall seeing at least a couple of sections of the Turnpike which have had bridge replacements in the past, where they made the new bridges wide enough to accomodate future widening (along with huge shoulders with striped lines). I'm pretty sure most of these predated the six-lane proclamation by at least a few years. So, it's not like the Turnpike hasn't done it before. I can only assume that whoever did the planning had come to the conclusion that at no point in the next 25 years would that section ever need more than four lanes. While a farmer's observations are far from scientific, I do wonder, did that section actually need widening (based strictly on traffic count)?

Mr_Northside

I have no idea what the traffic count is between Irwin <-> New Stanton, but I certainly appreciate the widening. 
Since they were re-building it from the "Ground up", including a new alignment for part of it, anyway, going ahead and building it 6-lanes made sense.  (Of course, I'm biased for this stretch).
I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

PurdueBill

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.



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