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 Pennsylvania Turnpike | ||||||||||
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 Pennsylvania Turnpike mainline highlighted in green | ||||||||||
| Route information | ||||||||||
| Maintained by PTC | ||||||||||
| Length | 360.09 mi[4] (579.51 km) | |||||||||
| Existed | October 1, 1940[1][2]–present | |||||||||
| History | Philadelphia Extension completed on November 20, 1950; Western Extension completed on December 1, 1954; Delaware River Extension completed on May 23, 1956;[3] current road at Laurel Hill completed on October 30, 1964; current road at the Sideling Hill and Rays Hill completed in 1970 | |||||||||
| Component highways |
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| Restrictions | No hazardous goods allowed in tunnels | |||||||||
| Major junctions | ||||||||||
| West end |
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| East end |
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| Location | ||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||
| State | Pennsylvania | |||||||||
| Counties | Lawrence, Beaver, Butler, Allegheny, Westmoreland, Somerset, Bedford, Fulton, Huntingdon, Franklin, Cumberland, York, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lancaster, Berks, Chester, Montgomery, Bucks | |||||||||
| Highway system | ||||||||||
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| Designated | 1990[5] | |||||||||
The Pennsylvania Turnpike, sometimes shortened to Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike, is a controlled-access toll road which is operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in Pennsylvania. It runs for 360 miles (580 km) across the southern part of the state, connecting Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and passes through four tunnels as it crosses the Appalachian Mountains. A component of the Interstate Highway System, it is part of Interstate 76 (I-76) between the Ohio state line and Valley Forge. I-70 runs concurrently with I-76 between New Stanton and Breezewood, Interstate 276 (I-276) between Valley Forge and Bristol Township, and I-95 from Bristol Township to the New Jersey state line.
The turnpike's western terminus is at the Ohio state line in Lawrence County, where it continues west as the Ohio Turnpike. The eastern terminus is the New Jersey state line at the Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge, which crosses the Delaware River in Bucks County. It continues east as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike. The turnpike has an all-electronic tolling system; tolls may be paid using E-ZPass or toll by plate, which uses automatic license plate recognition. Cash tolls were collected with a ticket and barrier toll system before they were phased out between 2016 and 2020. The turnpike currently has 15 service plazas, providing food and fuel to travelers.
The road was designed during the 1930s to improve automobile transportation across the Pennsylvania mountains, using seven tunnels built for the South Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1880s. It opened in 1940 between Irwin and Carlisle.[6] The turnpike, an early long-distance limited-access U.S. highway, was a model for future limited-access toll roads and the Interstate Highway System. It was extended east to Valley Forge in 1950[7] and west to the Ohio state line in 1951.[8] The road was extended east to the Delaware River in 1954, and construction began on its Northeast Extension.[9] The mainline turnpike was finished in 1956 with the completion of the Delaware River Bridge.[10]
From 1962 to 1971, an additional tube was built at four of the two-lane tunnels, with two cuts built to replace the three others; this made the entirety of the road four lanes wide. Improvements continue to be made: rebuilding to meet modern standards, widening portions to six lanes, and construction or reconstruction of interchanges.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
dakelman69was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "75 Years of Turnpike History". Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
dakelman104was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Pennsylvania State Roads (GIS data set)". Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. January 2012. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
- ^ Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. "PHMC Historical Markers Search" (Searchable database). Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ "Super-Highways". The New York Times. July 7, 1940. p. E8. ProQuest 105231129.
- ^ Weart, William G. (November 12, 1950). "On Pennsylvanian's Turnpike: Good Motoring Through the Heart of Pennsylvania". New York Times. ProQuest 111728362.
- ^ Allard, Charles H. (December 2, 1951). "Another Stretch of New Turnpike: Dedication of New Strip Pushes Pennsylvania Highway West". New York Times. ProQuest 112088340.
- ^ "Turnpike Extension Route Chosen: Pennsylvania Begins Work Today - Plans to Push Financing". The New York Times. March 25, 1954. ProQuest 113032815.
- ^ Weart, William G. (May 6, 1956). "Bridge Between Jersey, Pennsy Pikes To Clear Philadelphia Bottleneck". New York Times. ProQuest 113853127.