PA Turnpike - Rays/Sideling Bypass 50th Anniversary

[hbelkins]

Actually, I'm giving this another look. But don't let that stop anyone else from gobbling up the two remaining seats.

[briantroutman]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

The weather forecast for Sunday has been gradually improving; now it's expected to be cloudy in the morning with some peeks of sun in the afternoon. The anticipated high temperature has nudged upward to 50°. There's still a slight chance of a shower at some point (20%), but we should have fairly decent conditions overall.

If you haven't yet indicated at which stop you plan to join the group, please let me know as soon as possible–preferably before Sunday. If you're still unsure–or if you find yourself running late–you can send me a text message or call on the morning of the meet, but please give me some kind of indication by 10:30 a.m on Sunday. My phone number is in the email I sent on the 11th, and you can email me if you don't have it. I will acknowledge/respond to all text messages promptly, so look for a response from me as confirmation that I got your message.

As a reminder, the four join opportunities are:

#1 - 10:30 a.m. - Breakfast/lunch (Bedford Diner - 4292 U.S. 220 Business, Bedford, PA)
#2 - 11:30 a.m. - After breakfast/lunch (Bedford Diner - 4292 U.S. 220 Business, Bedford, PA)
#3 - 12:30 p.m. - Breezewood (Quality Inn - 16621 Lincoln Highway, Breezewood, PA)
#4 - 1:00 p.m. - Cove Valley Service Plaza parking lot (3300 Pump Station Road, Waterfall, PA)

(plus #5 - after-meet dinner, location and time TBD)

I'm looking forward to seeing you all there! Safe travels on your way to the meet.

Actually, I'm giving this another look. But don't let that stop anyone else from gobbling up the two remaining seats.

If it works out–great. Those seats are still open.

[hbelkins]

Looks like it's going to work out after all. I got my spot reserved on EventBrite and emailed you with my phone numbers.

I'll most likely be joining you either when you depart Bedford or when you stop at the Quality Inn in Breezewood. Since I plan to stay somewhere a couple of hours out on Saturday (probably the Clarksburg/Fairmont/Morgantown area), I doubt I'll be stirring early enough on Sunday morning to make it for brunch. I want to be off the road before dark, so it's doubtful I'd make it all the way to Bedford or Breezewood Saturday night.

If I have to cancel, I'll let you know, but for now, looks like I'm in.

[jpi]

Still keep me posted on the optional dinner option since it could be around 5:30pm somewhere I could still meet up with you all for that

[briantroutman]

Looks like it's going to work out after all.

Great–looking forward to it!

Still keep me posted on the optional dinner option since it could be around 5:30pm somewhere I could still meet up with you all for that

No problem! As mentioned, I can text you when we're wrapping up the Turnpike portion of the tour and discussing dinner options.

[briantroutman]

Quick update: I got two sign-ups yesterday, but a cancellation also came in (an elderly couple not on the forums–I think they heard about the event through Jeff Kitsko's social channels). So we still have two open seats if anyone else is interested in coming. Head over to the event page if you're interested.

The weather forecast continues to be favorable: Expected high temp has nudged up to 51°, and the chance for showers has dropped to 10%.

[hbelkins]

They're giving a less-than-pleasant forecast for tomorrow for the higher elevations of western Maryland. I've pretty much decided to come all the way to Pennsylvania tomorrow (still not sure where I'll overnight, but the goal is to spend two nights in the same room vs. having to check out Sunday morning and then check in Sunday evening in a different place.) So I'm in hopes that the sleet/freezing rain that's been predicted for tomorrow along I-68 will be moved out by the time I'm in that area.

Also trying to figure out where to fill up with gas to avoid Taxsylvania's high prices. Looks like it's running around $2.69 in Cumberland. It's a dime cheaper in some spots along I-79, but my goal would be to not have to get gas again until I'm back in West Virginia on Monday morning. That tank will have to get me to Bedford/Breezewood on Saturday, then on Monday west to Somerset and then south on US 219 back into West Virginia.

Unless I decide to take US 219 north to Somerset on my way there to get that out of the way, then that would give me some latitude for deviation in my route back home. (Possibly US 220 south from Cumberland to check out the extension of WV 93/elimination of WV 972, then over to US 219 to check out Corridor H construction south of Parsons.

[akotchi]

A fantastic meet yesterday!  A big thanks to Brian Troutman for setting this one up, especially with the arrangements with SAC.  Everything, including the weather, seemed to go smoothly.

Thanks also to Russell Love for the history lessons regarding the former railroad rights-of-way in the same corridor.

Two questions . . .
At the first field stop (at the old trumpet), did anyone get any shots of the divergence of the abandoned alignment from the existing ramp?  I did not see it until back in the van, and it was too dark by the time I got back there.

Also, did anyone get a shot of any original broken lane lines (pavement markings) along the abandoned alignment?  I saw them from the van but did not think of asking Brian to stop to get a shot.

[briantroutman]

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who turned out and made yesterday's meet such a success! As it turned out, Sunday was the ideal day to hold the meet, too: We had sun and moderate temperatures–in sharp contrast to the heavy, soaking rains the day before and after.

I'll be getting the group photo from Oscar later in the day, and when I do, I'll post it and all of the other photos and documents I showed yesterday to a shared folder on Google Drive. This package will include PDFs of the 2006 and updated 2018 editions of the bike trail master plan. Look for a link to be posted to the thread (and sent out by email) later today.

A number of people both on the forums and elsewhere expressed interest in coming but weren't able to take time away from work or family engagements, so I may look into the possibility of setting up a repeat of the tour in the spring–after the snow is gone but before foliage and brush obscure the roadway. If you're interested, let me know so I can keep you updated.

At the first field stop (at the old trumpet), did anyone get any shots of the divergence of the abandoned alignment from the existing ramp? ... Also, did anyone get a shot of any original broken lane lines (pavement markings) along the abandoned alignment?

I brought my camera but didn't pull it out even once yesterday. Perhaps it's a result of having been there so many times–plus being more preoccupied with keeping the tour on track. I do have a few photos from a previous trip that may be what you are looking for. There's this shot of the old Breezewood off-ramp diverging from the current lanes into Breezewood, then further down, I have this photo of the old Turnpike mainline as it splits off and this shot looking beyond the gate at the PTC-owned Abandoned Turnpike mainline behind the former Ramada. Note the line of concrete barriers stacked side-by-side at the left of the photo–they are sitting on the old westbound off-ramp to Breezewood.

[kevinb1994]

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who turned out and made yesterday's meet such a success! As it turned out, Sunday was the ideal day to hold the meet, too: We had sun and moderate temperatures–in sharp contrast to the heavy, soaking rains the day before and after.

I'll be getting the group photo from Oscar later in the day, and when I do, I'll post it and all of the other photos and documents I showed yesterday to a shared folder on Google Drive. This package will include PDFs of the 2006 and updated 2018 editions of the bike trail master plan. Look for a link to be posted to the thread (and sent out by email) later today.

A number of people both on the forums and elsewhere expressed interest in coming but weren't able to take time away from work or family engagements, so I may look into the possibility of setting up a repeat of the tour in the spring–after the snow is gone but before foliage and brush obscure the roadway. If you're interested, let me know so I can keep you updated.

At the first field stop (at the old trumpet), did anyone get any shots of the divergence of the abandoned alignment from the existing ramp? ... Also, did anyone get a shot of any original broken lane lines (pavement markings) along the abandoned alignment?

I brought my camera but didn't pull it out even once yesterday. Perhaps it's a result of having been there so many times–plus being more preoccupied with keeping the tour on track. I do have a few photos from a previous trip that may be what you are looking for. There's this shot of the old Breezewood off-ramp diverging from the current lanes into Breezewood, then further down, I have this photo of the old Turnpike mainline as it splits off and this shot looking beyond the gate at the PTC-owned Abandoned Turnpike mainline behind the former Ramada. Note the line of concrete barriers stacked side-by-side at the left of the photo–they are sitting on the old westbound off-ramp to Breezewood.

We'd be interested in attending provided that the weather cooperates and there isn't any scheduling conflicts.

[froggie]

Regarding akotchi's question, I may have some older photos of what he's looking for from the last time I biked it.  I'll have to look.

[akotchi]

Thank you to both.

StreetView is from June of this year, so that is helping to fill in along the current I-70 ramp . . .

I would love to do this tour again -- then I would get the stuff I missed!

[hbelkins]

Yes, I echo the thanks for setting this up. It was certainly an interesting adventure.

Hopefully you can post the meet photo here as well. Looking forward to the Google Drive link.

I'll post my trip recap in the "Road Trips" board.

[PAHighways]

I too will add my thanks and tip my cap to Brian on another excellent meet.

[briantroutman]

^^ Thanks for the support. I'm glad that you all had an enjoyable time!

Sorry for the delay in getting everything posted. I've uploaded the photos I showed during the meet as well as the 1968 Highway Builder article, 1970 Breezewood topo map, bike trail master plans, high-res group photo and some other extras to the shared Google Drive folder at the link below. This is an "unlisted"  link, meaning that any of you will be able to view and download the contents without needing to sign in. I'll leave it online for about a month, but around the first of January, I'll take it down to clear the space. Let me know if you have any difficulty accessing the files.

Here's the link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1n9jLJCiM9EOwNkQtALX9H2Gg6g14Aapo?usp=sharing

Thanks again to Oscar for having the foresight to bring a tripod and for taking the group photo! A high-res version is available in the shared folder above or at this link.



(L to R): C.P. Zilliacus, Brian Troutman, Al Kotchi, Mike Reed, Mike Pruett, Laura Bianca-Pruett (and future Pruett), Bill Allen, Russell Love, Jeff Kitsko, H.B. Elkins, Oscar Voss

[hbelkins]

I'm finally getting around to posting my photos from the meet, as well as the trip there and back.

Look on my Flickr feed (same user name as here) or on the Millennium Highway Facebook page.

[akotchi]

Bumped because this is probably the best place for this . . .

Saw on msn.com today that the abandoned Pa Turnpike section in Breezewood has been deemed the "best summer road trip destination" in Pennsylvania.  Interesting . . .

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/the-best-summer-road-trip-destination-in-every-state/ss-BBUrva7?li=BBnbklE#image=39

[Beltway]

Bumped because this is probably the best place for this . . .
Saw on msn.com today that the abandoned Pa Turnpike section in Breezewood has been deemed the "best summer road trip destination" in Pennsylvania.  Interesting . . .

Isn't it officially closed to the public?

[Alps]

Bumped because this is probably the best place for this . . .

Saw on msn.com today that the abandoned Pa Turnpike section in Breezewood has been deemed the "best summer road trip destination" in Pennsylvania.  Interesting . . .

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/the-best-summer-road-trip-destination-in-every-state/ss-BBUrva7?li=BBnbklE#image=39

Yeah, Pennsylvania sucks.

[Beltway]

Bumped because this is probably the best place for this . . .
Saw on msn.com today that the abandoned Pa Turnpike section in Breezewood has been deemed the "best summer road trip destination" in Pennsylvania.  Interesting . . .
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/the-best-summer-road-trip-destination-in-every-state/ss-BBUrva7?li=BBnbklE#image=39

Yeah, Pennsylvania sucks.

Was the article even being serious?  How about something like Lancaster County or many various points along the Susquehanna River?

[akotchi]

^ The article, from Popular Mechanics, is nothing more than a slide show of 50 (or 51) photos of the "best" destination from each state.  Looking at some of the other entries, I would have thought it were serious . . .

Considering I am originally from Lancaster County, I would be biased in agreeing with you on your alternate choices . . .

[cpzilliacus]

^ The article, from Popular Mechanics, is nothing more than a slide show of 50 (or 51) photos of the "best" destination from each state.  Looking at some of the other entries, I would have thought it were serious . . .

Considering I am originally from Lancaster County, I would be biased in agreeing with you on your alternate choices . . .

Well, Lancaster County does have the Goat Path!  :-)