PA Turnpike News

[PHLBOS]

It's not like they haven't done this before... the current Bensalem interchange was once the Philadelphia interchange.

Guess on my part; the reasoning behind that renaming is probably in anticipation of the I-95 interchange being called the Philadelphia interchange when it's completed.

That's the one!  AND...They have replaced some of the BGSs of that exit with Clearview.  I don't remember if they've replaced that one and/or removed the OLD EXIT 31 sign below.

I believe one of the BGS' still has the Old Exit tab; meaning that any the BGS panel was replaced and not its supports.  Similar was done at the with PA 72 interchange (Exit 266) BGS' w/its OLD EXIT 20 signs left on.

As far as the redunant new/old Exit 31 is concerned; my guess is that Lansdale was originally planned to be redesignated as Exit 30 (the Mile 30 marker is located just south of the northbound exit ramp) but later reconsidered but the plans weren't updated to delete the erection of the OLD EXIT XX signs and/or the panels were already fabricated.

But this reminds me of another question - that sign has always left a blank space for another destination.  I know that decades ago, there was a proposed North Penn Expwy that was either going to be part of a US 202 expressway, or just an expressway connecting the NE Ext to PA 309 towards the northwest.

They are now building a couple of short two-lane roads, and rebuilding a couple of others, to build a connection from PA 309 near Souderton to PA 63 just west of this exit.  http://www.pa309connector.com/

Anyone know what the blank destination was supposed to be?  Souderton?

My thinking is that it might've been Green Lane, PA 63's western terminus at PA 29.  If that was the case, the lettering should have been placed on the BGS from the get-go and if a new highwway link warranted a control destination change, do it then.  With the old 60s(?) era porcelain BGS' w/button-copy lettering (which also spoted a blank space above the Lansdale listing); it would've been an easy fix.

This also brings up another bone of contention: why is PTC replacing essentially perfectly good (condition-wise) signs (both at Lansdale and Lebanon-Lancaster as examples) that were erected in the 90s and possibly early 2000s w/new ones?  The older porcelain signs that those replaced lasted for 3, maybe even 4 decades in some instances.  The only difference I see with the new ones is just the use (both legitimate and non-legitimate) of the Clearview font.  An absolute waste of money IMHO

[vdeane]

Maybe they should make it Kulpsville to appease the town.

[roadman65]

What are the proper interchange names in the Harrisburg area?  I noticed that the I-83 interchange is Harrisburg Westshore, but the I-283 interchange is Harrisburg East.  Someone want to clarify why there is inconsistency with I-283 not being Harrisburg Eastshore or from the other standpoint why the I-83 interchange is not called Harrisburg West? 

I'm thinking that maybe they are both the same (either E & W or both shores),  but common usage has come into play and one is still called by the original name spite that the toll tickets say Harrisburg E and Harrisburg W. and if I am not mistaken the guide signs for I-83 read below the exit number as Harrisburg West.

Also the usage of Gettysburg Pike seems to only be used on PA Turnpike signs and not seen anywhere else along US 15 in the area.   I am aware that long before route designations were used, that might of been the original name for US 15's roadway, but what in modern times other than the PTC is concerned is that name used?

[akotchi]

Quick note about this interchange...this was Exit 31 back when PA exit numbers were sequential, and this happens to be MP 31 on I-476, so the number didn't change.  When the exit numbers changed, the added signs stating OLD EXIT ##. 

They actually created and installed an OLD EXIT 31 sign at EXIT 31.  One of the BGS to the south may still have one...

Reading this, I had to go back and look at my 2004/2005 photos of I-476 and sure enough, I found one with what you remembered.



Sign posted along I-476 northbound, photo taken May 7, 2005.

You took all the fun out of my going out today to check this out . . . It is about an hour's ride from my house.

I can at least ride through the construction (which I have never done) and get an update photo if it is still there!

[Alex]

Quick note about this interchange...this was Exit 31 back when PA exit numbers were sequential, and this happens to be MP 31 on I-476, so the number didn't change.  When the exit numbers changed, the added signs stating OLD EXIT ##. 

They actually created and installed an OLD EXIT 31 sign at EXIT 31.  One of the BGS to the south may still have one...

Reading this, I had to go back and look at my 2004/2005 photos of I-476 and sure enough, I found one with what you remembered.

Sign posted along I-476 northbound, photo taken May 7, 2005.

You took all the fun out of my going out today to check this out . . . It is about an hour's ride from my house.

I can at least ride through the construction (which I have never done) and get an update photo if it is still there!

Heh, sorry about that.  I photographed northbound twice in 2005 and had not looked at those photos in years. PA-9 was a regular ride to visit family in Upstate NY when I was growing up, and I remember well those old button copy signs that PHLBOS referenced at Exit 31, and the one of the old Norristown Exit reference in the other thread with the removed US 422 shield and the "slapped-on" I-476 shield.

[Compulov]

Nice. Double redundancy.

I was thinking about it, but I actually think the double redundancy makes sense in a strange way. If you've got an old map (or just know the old exit numbers) and you assume that every exit should have an "Old Exit" sign, if you don't see the sign, you might get confused... even though the exit number is the same.
I have to believe that in some office somewhere, probably in a meeting room, a group of PTC employees had this same discussion

[PHLBOS]

What are the proper interchange names in the Harrisburg area?  I noticed that the I-83 interchange is Harrisburg Westshore, but the I-283 interchange is Harrisburg East.  Someone want to clarify why there is inconsistency with I-283 not being Harrisburg Eastshore or from the other standpoint why the I-83 interchange is not called Harrisburg West? 

I'm thinking that maybe they are both the same (either E & W or both shores),  but common usage has come into play and one is still called by the original name spite that the toll tickets say Harrisburg E and Harrisburg W. and if I am not mistaken the guide signs for I-83 read below the exit number as Harrisburg West.  Personally, I've never heard of those Eastshore/Westshore terms for those interchanges unless it's term used by the locals.

Also the usage of Gettysburg Pike seems to only be used on PA Turnpike signs and not seen anywhere else along US 15 in the area.   I am aware that long before route designations were used, that might of been the original name for US 15's roadway, but what in modern times other than the PTC is concerned is that name used?

With regards to the interchange names for I-83 and I-283/PA 283; they're signed as Harrisburg West and Harrisburg East respectively and have been signed as such for as long as I've been on that stretch of the PA Turnpike (my first trip on that stretch was on April of 1992).

US 15 (the Gettysburg interchange of the Turnpike): according to the PennDOT road map, the street name for US 15 is the "Marine Corps League Memorial Highway".  I'm assuming the original name may have been something along the lines of "Gettysburg-Harrisburg Pike" or similar.

[Michael in Philly]

^^It seems to have been common practice (and it makes perfect sense...), pre-route numbers, to name roads after where they were going to.  Look at a map of the Gettysburg area that's detailed enough to show street and road names and you'll see York Road, Baltimore Pike, Taneytown Road, Emmitsburg Road, and so on - US 15 (or the business route) towards Harrisburg is, unsurprisingly, Harrisburg Pike.  Closer to Harrisburg, "Gettysburg Pike" would make more sense.  (Even in the town of Gettysburg, you'll find York Street, Baltimore Street, etc., on the streets that become those main roads.)  Gettysburg's just one example of this; it's just an area I know relatively well.

[Michael in Philly]

It's not like they haven't done this before... the current Bensalem interchange was once the Philadelphia interchange.

Guess on my part; the reasoning behind that renaming is probably in anticipation of the I-95 interchange being called the Philadelphia interchange when it's completed.

....

Although anyone heading to Philadelphia from the west who stays on the Turnpike all the way to Bensalem ought to be recognized by the PTC as a donor....

[akotchi]

Quick note about this interchange...this was Exit 31 back when PA exit numbers were sequential, and this happens to be MP 31 on I-476, so the number didn't change.  When the exit numbers changed, the added signs stating OLD EXIT ##. 

They actually created and installed an OLD EXIT 31 sign at EXIT 31.  One of the BGS to the south may still have one...

Reading this, I had to go back and look at my 2004/2005 photos of I-476 and sure enough, I found one with what you remembered.

Sign posted along I-476 northbound, photo taken May 7, 2005.

You took all the fun out of my going out today to check this out . . . It is about an hour's ride from my house.

I can at least ride through the construction (which I have never done) and get an update photo if it is still there!

Heh, sorry about that.  I photographed northbound twice in 2005 and had not looked at those photos in years. PA-9 was a regular ride to visit family in Upstate NY when I was growing up, and I remember well those old button copy signs that PHLBOS referenced at Exit 31, and the one of the old Norristown Exit reference in the other thread with the removed US 422 shield and the "slapped-on" I-476 shield.

Alas . . . they are no more.  Must have disappeared with the sign replacement.  Not affected by current construction. 

I also recall the Norristown sign you are referring to -- that was on the eastbound side, if memory serves.

[qguy]

Although anyone heading to Philadelphia from the west who stays on the Turnpike all the way to Bensalem ought to be recognized by the PTC as a donor....

I live just off the Woodhaven Road Expressway [freeway] (PA 63) in Northeast Philadelphia. Whenever I drive eastbound on the PA Turnpike (say, from Harrisburg), I always stay on all the way to the Bensalem exit. Nothing else make sense from a time standpoint. It's quicker by far than any other way to get across the city on the northern side of the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

[Michael in Philly]

^^The center of the city (I mean, the business district and so on, but this is true of the geographical center of the city as well) - the place most people would take a reference to "Philadelphia" as referring to - is considerably to the southwest of Woodhaven Road.

Seriously, anyone getting onto the Turnpike in Pittsburgh or Harrisburg wanting to see the LIberty Bell or do business at Comcast headquarters who looks at his toll ticket - if anyone does that anymore - and figures the "Philadelphia" exit is where he wants to get off is going to be going well out of his way.  That's all I'm saying.  Call the US 1 or (when it's built) I-95 interchange it "Philadelphia-Northeast" and Valley Forge "Philadelphia-King of Prussia" or something.

[njroadhorse]

Regarding Exit 31, I think they could actually do one more thing to those BGSes. They could rename it to Kulpsville (which I dunno is a good idea or not), but they could also put another control destination on the sign as well. Every other interchange on the PA Turnpike mainline and NE Extension has two control points, yet this one doesn't. I propose that Montgomeryville be added as the 2nd control point. It is also a commercial center in Montgomery County, and the intersection of an important US highway in the area (202).

[hbelkins]

Although anyone heading to Philadelphia from the west who stays on the Turnpike all the way to Bensalem ought to be recognized by the PTC as a donor....

Unless they're trying to avoid the Surekill...   

[Roadsguy]

Seriously, anyone getting onto the Turnpike in Pittsburgh or Harrisburg wanting to see the LIberty Bell or do business at Comcast headquarters who looks at his toll ticket - if anyone does that anymore - and figures the "Philadelphia" exit is where he wants to get off is going to be going well out of his way.  That's all I'm saying.  Call the US 1 or (when it's built) I-95 interchange it "Philadelphia-Northeast" and Valley Forge "Philadelphia-King of Prussia" or something.

Well, there is a nice little button copy sign eastbound at Valley Forge that says

Philadelphia

NEXT 5 EXITS

Of course, nothing on the ticket says that, though plan-changing is possible...

[qguy]

Seriously, anyone getting onto the Turnpike in Pittsburgh or Harrisburg wanting to see the LIberty Bell or do business at Comcast headquarters who looks at his toll ticket - if anyone does that anymore - and figures the "Philadelphia" exit is where he wants to get off is going to be going well out of his way.  That's all I'm saying.  Call the US 1 or (when it's built) I-95 interchange it "Philadelphia-Northeast" and Valley Forge "Philadelphia-King of Prussia" or something.

Yep.

I've always wondered why the Valley Forge interchange wasn't named the Philadelphia interchange from the start. Especially considering that when the Turnpike was first extended to the area, it terminated temporarily at Valley Forge. From 1950 to 1954, it wasn't one of the Philadelphia exits, it was the only Philadelphia exit.

Actually I think the entire idea of giving the interchanges separate names is just silly. It might've served a purpose in 1940 but it's just confusing today. They should simply eliminate them. (The names, of course, not the interchanges. The Turnpike needs more, not fewer, of those. )

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Ohio Turnpike used to (still does?) have names for its exits. Did the Indiana Toll-Road or New York Thruway name their exits?

[vdeane]

The Thruway does not officially name exits but the toll tickets use one of the control cities with the number (and highway, for major exits like I-81).

[rickmastfan67]

Ohio Turnpike used to (still does?) have names for its exits.

I was just on the Ohio Turnpike recently.  Don't recall any names except on the ticket in the fashion of the PA Turnpike.

[MASTERNC]

Bad news: tolls will increase again in January.  This time, E-ZPass users will pay 2% more, while cash customers will pay 10% more.

On the bright side, however, the annual E-ZPass fee will revert back to $3 per transponder.  The higher annual fee didn't stick for long I guess.

http://www.paturnpike.com/press/2012/20120720164641.htm

[machias]

Ohio Turnpike used to (still does?) have names for its exits. Did the Indiana Toll-Road or New York Thruway name their exits?

The Thruway exits are officially named but they are not shown on any public facing signs or documents.  I believe Exit 26 is "Schenectady West" and Exit 25 is "Schenectady East". Exit 34A is "Collamer".  Exit 39 is "State Fair".  Exit 38 is "Electronics Park".  I believe many of the others are named by control destination.

[Beltway]

Almost $40 in car toll on the full east-west turnpike ??  Back in the 1970s it was about $6.

Toll-free alternate, Philadelphia-Pittsburgh, not that much longer, nearly all 4 lanes.

Toll -- I-76 --
305 mi, 5 hours 25 mins

No toll -- US-202, US-30, PA-283, I-283, I-83, I-81, US-322, I-99, US-22
334 mi, 6 hours 16 mins

[per Google Maps]

[MASTERNC]

Almost $40 in car toll on the full east-west turnpike ??  Back in the 1970s it was about $6.

Toll-free alternate, Philadelphia-Pittsburgh, not that much longer, nearly all 4 lanes.

Toll -- I-76 --
305 mi, 5 hours 25 mins

No toll -- US-202, US-30, PA-283, I-283, I-83, I-81, US-322, I-99, US-22
334 mi, 6 hours 16 mins

[per Google Maps]

Yes it is frustrating to have one of the most expensive long-distance roads in the nation and not much to show for it right now.  If not for the proliferation of speed cameras on I-70 (and I would expect I-68, as there will be a project in Cumberland coming soon) in Maryland, I would say that would be the perfect way to save $10 each way.

[Alps]

Almost $40 in car toll on the full east-west turnpike ??  Back in the 1970s it was about $6.

Toll-free alternate, Philadelphia-Pittsburgh, not that much longer, nearly all 4 lanes.

Toll -- I-76 --
305 mi, 5 hours 25 mins

No toll -- US-202, US-30, PA-283, I-283, I-83, I-81, US-322, I-99, US-22
334 mi, 6 hours 16 mins

[per Google Maps]

Not to mention that I would probably just use US 22 from I-81 rather than up to State College and back. 22 is a pretty good road nowadays. Also, US 30 can get hairy - ignore the time that Google Maps gives you, it's often faster (and never much slower) to take PA 10 to 340. The only slowdown is in Intercourse, vs. the constant slowness of 30. (At least on weekends.)

[vdeane]

Ohio Turnpike used to (still does?) have names for its exits. Did the Indiana Toll-Road or New York Thruway name their exits?

The Thruway exits are officially named but they are not shown on any public facing signs or documents.  I believe Exit 26 is "Schenectady West" and Exit 25 is "Schenectady East". Exit 34A is "Collamer".  Exit 39 is "State Fair".  Exit 38 is "Electronics Park".  I believe many of the others are named by control destination.

Any idea where these are listed?  Even the toll tickets don't use those!
I would have also thought that Electronics Park would be exit 37.