PA Turnpike News

[Plutonic Panda]

That's good news. Hopefully they can start rebuilding it to modern standards. I'm guessing some parts are due for a six lane treatment...

[jeffandnicole]

Disclaimer: I haven't yet been to the Northeast which includes driving the PA turnpike.

That said I saw a map on a Facebook group awhile ago(just now getting around to posting about it)pointing out the most expensive toll roads to drive across by state and PA turnpike took the cake by far and large. It claimed it was almost $200 to drive the entire road end to end.

Two questions: is that true? Is it is; why does the road seem to be in such shitty condition? Penn dot gets a lot to crap about having bad roads but I'll reserve judgement until I see it for myself. Until then, if they really do have bad roads, where is all that money going if it really does cost that much to drive it? It should be one of the best roads in the world.

Honestly, seems like an unfair statement to say what you think you read (you overestimated by nearly $100 to $150, depending on your payment option), the agency (PTC, not PennDOT) and the road condition, which you never drove. 

Sure, I get you disclaimed it by saying you haven't driven it and reserve judgement, but reading Facebook and drawing conclusions gets you a predictable result...which is an incorrect result.

If you drive from Ohio to New Jersey, the EZ Pass toll is $52.10, the Pay-by-Plate toll is $105.30.  If you drive from Ohio to the Northeast Extension, the EZ Pass toll is $54.90, the Pay-by-Plate toll is $124.90 (I may be off a few bucks, but that's pretty close).  It's also slightly more expensive to drive it west to east (which are the tolls shown here) than it is to drive it east-to-west, due to the difference in fares at the mainline toll plazas near the Ohio and NJ borders.

The road condition, for all intents and purposes, isn't bad.  It's a bit worse in the Philly region due to the usage and congestion.  The older 2 lane sections can feel a bit tight, especially without the left shoulder.  But the pavement conditions are generally pretty good.

Part of the reason why it's the most expensive, is because it's also one of the longest toll roads in the US.  But when brought down to the cost per mile, it's not the most expensive by quite a bit.  The average cost for EZ Pass tollpayers for the max length is around 15 cents a mile.  If you pay toll-by-plate, it's about 30 cents per mile.  Delaware's I-95 section of the Delaware Turnpike is about 36 cents per mile (11 or so miles, $4.00 toll). 

[Plutonic Panda]

^^^ thanks for the explanation. That was the reason I asked not to pass judgement but to gain insight on actual situation from a road community such as AARoads and not a Facebook group.

But again thank you for explaining it and I'm excited to begin exploring the NE for the first time starting next year.

[jeffandnicole]

Aside from the cost...it can be a pretty road to drive. Once. In each direction.  But after that, it's basically what you expect a 300+ mile road to be - fairly boring to drive.  And while a certain former poster may swear that motorists flip their cars on some of the tight turns, there are a few turns that are fairly tight as you go thru the mountains. But otherwise, unless you're driving it on a holiday weekend, or a summer weekend, it's not too bad to drive.  Just make sure you get yourself an EZ Pass if you don't already have one.

[tmoore952]

Aside from the cost...it can be a pretty road to drive. Once. In each direction.  But after that, it's basically what you expect a 300+ mile road to be - fairly boring to drive.  And while a certain former poster may swear that motorists flip their cars on some of the tight turns, there are a few turns that are fairly tight as you go thru the mountains. But otherwise, unless you're driving it on a holiday weekend, or a summer weekend, it's not too bad to drive.  Just make sure you get yourself an EZ Pass if you don't already have one.

The westernmost 226 or so miles from the Ohio border to the Carlisle exit has always been a favorite drive of mine, due to family history (grandparents drove on it in the 1940s), and the scenery. So much so that I will go out of my way to drive that stretch (and yes, pay the toll) rather than take parallel alternatives that are newer and free. The 130 miles from the Carlisle exit to the Delaware River bores me, although I have driven it enough at this point that I practically know the road by heart.

For the Northeast Extension, the part south of US 22 I find extremely boring, but I love the part north of that, just for the scenery (I don't have family history on that part of the road).

[vdeane]

Disclaimer: I haven't yet been to the Northeast which includes driving the PA turnpike.

That said I saw a map on a Facebook group awhile ago(just now getting around to posting about it)pointing out the most expensive toll roads to drive across by state and PA turnpike took the cake by far and large. It claimed it was almost $200 to drive the entire road end to end.

Two questions: is that true? Is it is; why does the road seem to be in such shitty condition? Penn dot gets a lot to crap about having bad roads but I'll reserve judgement until I see it for myself. Until then, if they really do have bad roads, where is all that money going if it really does cost that much to drive it? It should be one of the best roads in the world.

Honestly, seems like an unfair statement to say what you think you read (you overestimated by nearly $100 to $150, depending on your payment option), the agency (PTC, not PennDOT) and the road condition, which you never drove. 

Sure, I get you disclaimed it by saying you haven't driven it and reserve judgement, but reading Facebook and drawing conclusions gets you a predictable result...which is an incorrect result.

If you drive from Ohio to New Jersey, the EZ Pass toll is $52.10, the Pay-by-Plate toll is $105.30.  If you drive from Ohio to the Northeast Extension, the EZ Pass toll is $54.90, the Pay-by-Plate toll is $124.90 (I may be off a few bucks, but that's pretty close).  It's also slightly more expensive to drive it west to east (which are the tolls shown here) than it is to drive it east-to-west, due to the difference in fares at the mainline toll plazas near the Ohio and NJ borders.

The road condition, for all intents and purposes, isn't bad.  It's a bit worse in the Philly region due to the usage and congestion.  The older 2 lane sections can feel a bit tight, especially without the left shoulder.  But the pavement conditions are generally pretty good.

Part of the reason why it's the most expensive, is because it's also one of the longest toll roads in the US.  But when brought down to the cost per mile, it's not the most expensive by quite a bit.  The average cost for EZ Pass tollpayers for the max length is around 15 cents a mile.  If you pay toll-by-plate, it's about 30 cents per mile.  Delaware's I-95 section of the Delaware Turnpike is about 36 cents per mile (11 or so miles, $4.00 toll). 

Meanwhile, driving from MA to PA on the Thruway (a comparable distance, even taking the Buffalo free zone into account) is only $17.50 with a NY E-ZPass, $20.14 with a non-NY E-ZPass, or $22.76 for bill by mail - less than half what the PA Turnpike costs.  And that ignores that traffic can just take free 90 through Albany.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Went to view the Design and Construction page last night.  Had a new listing for rehabilitation of the Cranberry interchange.  Site states that project began in May, though I saw no evidence in late July when I drove there.  I was surprised in that I view the turnpike ebs page daily, but never saw a listing for this.

[Gnutella]

That's good news. Hopefully they can start rebuilding it to modern standards. I'm guessing some parts are due for a six lane treatment...

The ramp lengths and exterior shoulders have been up to modern standards for decades. The interior shoulders and curve geometry can be substandard on some of the four-lane segments, but the rebuilt six-lane segments are modern in every way.

[MASTERNC]

That's good news. Hopefully they can start rebuilding it to modern standards. I'm guessing some parts are due for a six lane treatment...

The ramp lengths and exterior shoulders have been up to modern standards for decades. The interior shoulders and curve geometry can be substandard on some of the four-lane segments, but the rebuilt six-lane segments are modern in every way.

They definitely need to redo some of the interchanges though.  They are so tight relative to the NYS Thruway, and most are posted at 25 MPH or less.  Hopefully with ORT, some will be converted from trumpets.

[MASTERNC]

Terrible situation on the NE Extension with a crash between a jet fuel tanker and other vehicles. Supposedly two fatalities. Looks like it was near a bridge, so there could be damage that keeps the road closed.

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/tanker-truck-crash-pennsylvania-turnpike-in-montgomery-county/3674367/

[Rothman]

Terrible situation on the NE Extension with a crash between a jet fuel tanker and other vehicles. Supposedly two fatalities. Looks like it was near a bridge, so there could be damage that keeps the road closed.

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/tanker-truck-crash-pennsylvania-turnpike-in-montgomery-county/3674367/

Yep.  Saw the VMSes with the closure method.  Weird thing was I was supposed to be on I-476 today, but was renting a car and forgot my E-ZPass, so I was shunpiking.

[74/171FAN]

Terrible situation on the NE Extension with a crash between a jet fuel tanker and other vehicles. Supposedly two fatalities. Looks like it was near a bridge, so there could be damage that keeps the road closed.

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/tanker-truck-crash-pennsylvania-turnpike-in-montgomery-county/3674367/

Yep.  Saw the VMSes with the closure method.  Weird thing was I was supposed to be on I-476 today, but was renting a car and forgot my E-ZPass, so I was shunpiking.

Clicking the link shows that I-476 has been reopened.

[jeffandnicole]

Terrible situation on the NE Extension with a crash between a jet fuel tanker and other vehicles. Supposedly two fatalities. Looks like it was near a bridge, so there could be damage that keeps the road closed.

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/tanker-truck-crash-pennsylvania-turnpike-in-montgomery-county/3674367/

Yep.  Saw the VMSes with the closure method.  Weird thing was I was supposed to be on I-476 today, but was renting a car and forgot my E-ZPass, so I was shunpiking.

Clicking the link shows that I-476 has been reopened.

Apparently a car had a flat tire and stopped in the right lane, instead of the shoulder.  Someone with a work truck decided to be helpful and stopped behind him and put his flashers on.  The truck was unable to stop in time, slamming into the vehicles.  The truck driver and attempted good Samaritan both died; the original driver with the flat tire was injured.

I remember hearing from a NJ Turnpike spokesperson that some people don't want to pull over to the side of the road when they have a flat, thinking they'll risk more damage to the wheel.  They somehow don't think of the damage they'll cause stopping in a high speed travel lane of a highway, believing their little flashers will keep people from hitting them.

[CentralPAGal]

That's good news. Hopefully they can start rebuilding it to modern standards. I'm guessing some parts are due for a six lane treatment...

but the rebuilt six-lane segments are modern in every way.

There are some six-laned areas with substandard features, too. The area around the Carlisle interchange is six-laned, but only has 4' inside shoulders. Theoretically, this was done for clearance at the Carlisle interchange (so as to avoid expensive additional reconstruction,) but they also constructed about a mile of adjacent freeway to this standard too (including the newly reconstructed overpasses at rt 11 and Wolf's Bridge Rd.) Also, a six-lane segment near rt 28 outside Pittsburgh has 4' inside shoulders and some of the (albeit older) six-lane areas around Philly lack adequate shoulders, IIRC.

[Mr. Matté]

Coincidentally, I happened to spot a PA Tpke-specific color detour sign for the first time (or at leas the first I've seen).

This was near the end of the "202 Parkway" near 63. The arrow is purple, but it was really hard to tell until getting right up to it (on the opposite side of the road). Unlike my last trip on this road today, I took the trail instead of using the dumpy bike lanes.

[74/171FAN]

^I photographed it back in February.  (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10218301319324878&set=a.10218301431447681)

[74/171FAN]

Below are excerpts of an email I recently received in regard to the Scranton Beltway:

The Turnpike is holding two Public Meetings for this project, one for neighbors near the Wyoming Valley Interchange on November 13th and a second for neighbors near the Clarks Summit Interchange on November 14th. Here are the details for the Wyoming Valley Interchange Public Meeting:

Wyoming Valley Public Meeting

Date:              Monday, November 13, 2023         

Time:             6:00pm – 8:00pm

Location:      Martin L. Mattei Middle School - Cafeteria

                       120 New Street, Pittston, PA 18640


Here are the details for the Clarks Summit Interchange Public Meeting:

Clarks Summit Public Meeting

Date:              Tuesday, November 14, 2023         

Time:             6:00pm – 8:00pm

Location:     Best Western Plus Clarks Summit Scranton - Ballroom

                       820 Northern Blvd., Clarks Summit, PA 18411

The Scranton Beltway Project is in the final stages of preliminary design, which means approximately 30% of the engineering design is complete. The purpose of the Public Meeting is to provide information on where the roadway connections could be and the results of traffic noise studies, and other environmental considerations, such as stormwater.

I will be present at each of the Public Meetings as will other Turnpike team representatives to answer your questions. Comment forms will also be available for you to provide any additional written questions or input that you have.

For those that will not be able to attend the Public Meeting in person, I encourage you to visit our website at this link: https://www.paturnpike.com/traveling/construction/site/scranton-beltway.

An electronic version of the project plans and comment forms will be available on the website starting the week of November 13th.

[Gnutella]

There are some six-laned areas with substandard features, too. The area around the Carlisle interchange is six-laned, but only has 4' inside shoulders. Theoretically, this was done for clearance at the Carlisle interchange (so as to avoid expensive additional reconstruction,) but they also constructed about a mile of adjacent freeway to this standard too (including the newly reconstructed overpasses at rt 11 and Wolf's Bridge Rd.) Also, a six-lane segment near rt 28 outside Pittsburgh has 4' inside shoulders and some of the (albeit older) six-lane areas around Philly lack adequate shoulders, IIRC.

The segment near Pittsburgh passes directly through Oakmont Country Club, so widening the right-of-way there is impossible. As for the segment near Carlisle, it wouldn't surprise me if the Turnpike Commission has long-term plans to radically reconfigure the Carlisle interchange, so I doubt that anything we see there now is in its final form. Besides, the Turnpike passes over U.S. 11 and the other road, so widening to expand the interior shoulders would involve little more than extending the piers and putting down another girder or two.

[MASTERNC]

PTC has made a lot of progress on projects in the western half of the state. Both directions are using the new outside pavement at the bottom of Allegheny Mountain and EB traffic is using new roadway most of the way down the hill. West of Somerset, the WB roadway is fully open for the last two miles of that widening project, and EB doesn't look too far behind.

[Crown Victoria]

Looks like work is underway for the MP 312-316 project, and it appears that the MP 324-326 project will soon be ready for traffic to switch to the newly constructed lanes.

Meanwhile, work has started on the I-95/Turnpike Section D30 project...

It also looks like all the gantries for the AET project from Morgantown eastward are in place, as well as those on the NE Extension. No equipment has been installed yet...

[MASTERNC]

Looks like work is underway for the MP 312-316 project, and it appears that the MP 324-326 project will soon be ready for traffic to switch to the newly constructed lanes.

Meanwhile, work has started on the I-95/Turnpike Section D30 project...

It also looks like all the gantries for the AET project from Morgantown eastward are in place, as well as those on the NE Extension. No equipment has been installed yet...

There is some equipment WB on the gantry before the Reading exit. There are also pavement sensors already installed at the one between Morgantown and Downingtown.

[Crown Victoria]

Looks like work is underway for the MP 312-316 project, and it appears that the MP 324-326 project will soon be ready for traffic to switch to the newly constructed lanes.

Meanwhile, work has started on the I-95/Turnpike Section D30 project...

It also looks like all the gantries for the AET project from Morgantown eastward are in place, as well as those on the NE Extension. No equipment has been installed yet...

There is some equipment WB on the gantry before the Reading exit. There are also pavement sensors already installed at the one between Morgantown and Downingtown.

Guess I should have said no overhead equipment, as yes, most if not all appear to have the pavement sensors in place. I haven't been on the segment between the Reading and Morgantown interchanges lately but it's good to know work is continuing to progress.

[Mr. Matté]

Looks like work is underway for the MP 312-316 project, and it appears that the MP 324-326 project will soon be ready for traffic to switch to the newly constructed lanes.

Meanwhile, work has started on the I-95/Turnpike Section D30 project...

It also looks like all the gantries for the AET project from Morgantown eastward are in place, as well as those on the NE Extension. No equipment has been installed yet...

There is some equipment WB on the gantry before the Reading exit. There are also pavement sensors already installed at the one between Morgantown and Downingtown.

Guess I should have said no overhead equipment, as yes, most if not all appear to have the pavement sensors in place. I haven't been on the segment between the Reading and Morgantown interchanges lately but it's good to know work is continuing to progress.

The Reading/Morgantown gantry is lit up like a Christmas tree (ok, maybe just a white-bulbed one) at night but the others east of there (including two between Valley Forge & Norristown for some reason) are still dark.

[Dough4872]

Looks like work is underway for the MP 312-316 project, and it appears that the MP 324-326 project will soon be ready for traffic to switch to the newly constructed lanes.

Meanwhile, work has started on the I-95/Turnpike Section D30 project...

It also looks like all the gantries for the AET project from Morgantown eastward are in place, as well as those on the NE Extension. No equipment has been installed yet...

There is some equipment WB on the gantry before the Reading exit. There are also pavement sensors already installed at the one between Morgantown and Downingtown.

Guess I should have said no overhead equipment, as yes, most if not all appear to have the pavement sensors in place. I haven't been on the segment between the Reading and Morgantown interchanges lately but it's good to know work is continuing to progress.

The Reading/Morgantown gantry is lit up like a Christmas tree (ok, maybe just a white-bulbed one) at night but the others east of there (including two between Valley Forge & Norristown for some reason) are still dark.

If you were wondering why there are two gantries between the Valley Forge and Norristown interchanges, there is an interchange planned with Lafayette Street serving Norristown.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Looks like work is underway for the MP 312-316 project, and it appears that the MP 324-326 project will soon be ready for traffic to switch to the newly constructed lanes.

Meanwhile, work has started on the I-95/Turnpike Section D30 project...

It also looks like all the gantries for the AET project from Morgantown eastward are in place, as well as those on the NE Extension. No equipment has been installed yet...

There is some equipment WB on the gantry before the Reading exit. There are also pavement sensors already installed at the one between Morgantown and Downingtown.

Guess I should have said no overhead equipment, as yes, most if not all appear to have the pavement sensors in place. I haven't been on the segment between the Reading and Morgantown interchanges lately but it's good to know work is continuing to progress.

The Reading/Morgantown gantry is lit up like a Christmas tree (ok, maybe just a white-bulbed one) at night but the others east of there (including two between Valley Forge & Norristown for some reason) are still dark.

If you were wondering why there are two gantries between the Valley Forge and Norristown interchanges, there is an interchange planned with Lafayette Street serving Norristown.

A long time coming. More on the Lafayette Street interchange here:

https://www.paturnpike.com/traveling/construction/site/lafayette-street-interchange