Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike

Map of the Abandoned Turnpike (in red) in relation to the modern Turnpike and other roads

The Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike is the common name of a 13-mile (21 km) stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike that was bypassed in 1968 when a modern stretch opened to ease traffic congestion in the tunnels. In this case, the Sideling Hill Tunnel and Rays Hill Tunnel were bypassed, as was one of the Turnpike's travel plazas. The bypass is located just east of the heavily congested Breezewood interchange for Interstate 70 (I-70) eastbound at what is now I-76 exit 161.

Pre-abandonment

Parts of the roadway. While still intact in some areas, in others the pavement is crumbling and is overgrown with weeds.

When the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940, it was known as the "Tunnel Highway" because it traversed seven tunnels: from east to west, Blue Mountain, Kittatinny Mountain, Tuscarora Mountain, Sideling Hill, Rays Hill, Allegheny Mountain, and Laurel Hill. There was one tunnel through each mountain, and the highway was reduced to a single lane in each direction through each tunnel. These tunnels were originally built as part of the South Pennsylvania Railroad. One short tunnel was bypassed during the original construction of the Turnpike.

By the late 1950s, the turnpike was so heavily used that traffic congestion demanded expansion. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) conducted studies on either expanding or bypassing the tunnels. The result was the "twinning" of four tunnels (by constructing a second, parallel, two-lane tunnel), and outright bypass and closure of the other three. The tunnels through the Blue, Kittatinny, Tuscarora, and Allegheny mountains were expanded through the "twinning" process, while the other three were bypassed. The Laurel Hill Tunnel, located on the border of Westmoreland and Somerset counties, was one of these tunnels, though the bypass was only around two miles (3.2 km) long.

The Sideling Hill and Rays Hill tunnels, on the other hand, were near each other, and a 13-mile (21 km) bypass was built. As a result, the Cove Valley Travel Plaza, which was located between the eastern portal of the Sideling Hill Tunnel and the present-day turnpike, and serving the westbound direction, was bypassed. It was replaced with a new Sideling Hill Travel Plaza, which, unlike the plaza it replaced, is a single building serving travelers from both directions of the highway.

Post-abandonment

Eastern portal of the Sideling Hill Tunnel

Today, the Abandoned Turnpike, as it is commonly known, is a popular tourist attraction. The PTC sold most of the property to the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy (SAC) for $1 in 2001.^[1] The property is managed by Friends of the Pike 2 Bike, a coalition of non-profit groups (including the SAC) to eventually convert the stretch into a bike trail. The property is officially closed to the public,^[2] and no motor vehicles are allowed on the property, but bicycle riders are free to use it at their own risk. The trail requires helmets and lights. Because this stretch sits on parts of the former right-of-way of the South Pennsylvania Railroad that was never completed but later formed the basis of the mainline turnpike, this makes the Pike2Bike unofficially a rail trail. The PTC still owns a stretch of about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) on the west and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) on the east for maintenance purposes.

The entrance ways to the tunnels were in respectable shape through the early 1980s, when vandalism and time began to take their toll; thieves stole the lettering of the signs of the tunnels sometime between 1981 and 1999. The tunnels themselves are still standing and, despite not having been maintained for decades, are still structurally sound.

A business plan and feasibility study was completed by Gannett Fleming in 2005.^[3] It proposed various ideas to make the trail as accessible as possible for cyclists, hikers, inline skaters, and equestrians.

As of November 2007, the trail is in the process of changing ownership to Bedford County. This is in response to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' need for a governmental body to own the trail before it can give out grants. The Friends of the Pike 2 Bike will continue to run and oversee the trail.^[3]

Usage

In the early 1970s, the emission levels of unleaded gasoline were tested in Rays Hill Tunnel. A Plymouth Satellite was used as the test vehicle.

Test rumble strips from the SNAP project, just outside the western portal of the Rays Hill Tunnel

The PTC and PennDOT used the highway to train maintenance workers, as well as for testing of rumble strips.^[4]

There have also been numerous military uses for the highway; the tunnels were considered as a storage area for weapons, as was the open highway for aircraft. The military also used the highway for training soldiers for Iraq in the early 2000s, even after the highway was sold to the SAC.^[5]

The site of the former Cove Valley Travel Plaza was used as a shooting range for the Pennsylvania State Police. Since the SAC bought the property, the site has not been used as a shooting range, although warning signs are still posted in the area.

In 2008 the highway was used for the filming of the Dimension Films movie The Road^[6] starring Viggo Mortensen. The studios mildly restored the exterior of the eastern portal of the Sideling Hill Tunnel when it was used for filming.

Access

End of the remaining PTC-owned stub of the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike following the demolition of a bridge over US 30

In 2005, the PTC restricted access to the abandoned turnpike by demolishing an overpass over U.S. Route 30 (US 30) in Breezewood and an overpass on Pump Station Road near the site of the old Cove Valley Travel Plaza. The demolition of the overpasses removed the liability and expense of repairing the aging bridges, marked the property lines between the public and the PTC-owned sections of the property, and prevented motorized vehicles from easily entering the abandoned turnpike.

The original plans for the removal included an access road, but somewhere along the way, it was removed and not known to Pike 2 Bike officials until it was too late. As of 2012, the Friends of the Pike 2 Bike are seeking to obtain grants that will allow the building of an access road and to rebuild on it the last remaining original toll booth, which was obtained in 2006. The toll booth will be used to collect a parking donation that will be used to pay for maintenance. An access road was built in the late 2000s on the PTC-owned side of the former Pump Station Road overpass, making the 3.5-mile (5.6 km) section still owned by the PTC a de facto access road to the active turnpike in itself; however, like other access roads along the turnpike, it is off-limits to the public and is only used by the PTC or Pennsylvania State Police.

Access point at US 30 and Tannery Road

There are three access points to the public section of the abandoned highway:

The intersection of Tannery Road and US 30 in Breezewood sits near the western end of the turnpike, which can be reached by climbing a small hill. Parking is available in front of the orange snow fence at the bottom of the hill. Rays Hill Tunnel lies about two miles east of this point.
A parking lot exists on the trail at the eastern end of the turnpike off Pump Station Road north of US 30; the entrance is a service road just south of where a turnpike overpass was removed in 2005. This access point lies near the site of the former Cove Valley Travel Plaza and about one mile east of the Sideling Hill Tunnel.
A forest service path called Oregon Road leaves US Route 30 at that highway's intersection with Pennsylvania Route 915 about a mile east of the crest of Ray's Hill. The Oregon road runs north from US Route 30 for several hundred feet, then bears to the right after it passes under the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The road to the left is a privately owned driveway. The road to the right is the Oregon Road, which runs for several miles of dirt and gravel road before reconnecting with PA 915 just south of Wells Tannery. Oregon Road runs parallel and adjacent to the abandoned highway for much of its length, and several clearings in the forest allow for parking and access to the road. These access points lie between the two tunnels: Rays Hill is about three miles west and Sideling Hill is about two miles east.

Other tunnel bypasses

Site of the former Cove Valley Travel Plaza, the Sideling Hill Tunnel is about a half mile to the west

The Abandoned Turnpike is perhaps the best-known of tunnel bypasses on toll roads. Among the other bypassed tunnels:

The aforementioned bypass of the Laurel Hill Tunnel, which preceded the Sideling Hill and Rays Hill bypass by four years.
The Memorial Tunnel on the West Virginia Turnpike was bypassed in 1987 to complete upgrading that highway to Interstate standards. Unlike the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the West Virginia Turnpike was built two lanes for its entire length, and needed an additional two lanes in order to get the I-77 and I-64 designations.
The PTC considered bypassing the Lehigh Tunnel on the Northeast Extension before ultimately deciding on twinning the tunnel. Cost for the bypass and unnecessary added mileage to the highway were deciding factors.^[7]
The PTC has been considering bypassing the deteriorating Allegheny Mountain Tunnel to alleviate traffic congestion.^[8] Boring a third tunnel is also being considered. Planning resumed in 2014.

References

↑ Walsh, Larry (November 4, 2001). "Cycling: Tighter security near Confluence dam sends cyclists in search of new campsite". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 14, 2006.
↑ O'Toole, Christine H. (August 17, 2005). "The Pennsylvania Turnbike". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
1 2 Staff. "Pike 2 Bike Tunnel Trail History". Pike 2 Bike. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
↑ Plazek, Ray (June 29, 2005). "Home Page". Abandoned Turnpike. Self-published. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
↑ "Abandoned Stretch of Turnpike in PA". Construction Equipment Guide. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
↑ "First Look: The Road". USA Today. August 6, 2008. photo 3. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
↑ Kitsko, Jeffrey J. (March 16, 2011). "Pennsylvania Turnpike". Pennsylvania Highways. Self-published. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
↑ DeFebo, Carl (Winter 2000). "Improving the Roadway: Turnpike Considers Tunnel Options". Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Retrieved July 15, 2009.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Route map: Bing / Google

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission

Completed highways	Mainline Turnpike (I-70, I-76, I-276) Northeast Extension (I-476) James E. Ross Highway (I-376) Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass (Turnpike 66)

Partially-completed highways	I-95 Connector Mon–Fayette Expressway (Turnpike 43) Southern Beltway (Turnpike 576)

Tunnels and bridges	Allegheny Mountain Tunnel Allegheny River Bridge Beaver River Bridge Blue Mountain Tunnel Delaware River Bridge Diamond Run Viaduct Kittatinny Mountain Tunnel Lehigh Tunnel Mingo Creek Viaduct Mon–Fayette Expressway Bridge Schuylkill River Bridge Susquehanna River Bridge Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel

Aborted expansion plans	Chester Extension Erie Extension Gettysburg Extension Keystone Shortway Northwest & Southwest Extension Philadelphia Loop Extension Scranton Extension

Historical structures	Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Laurel Hill Tunnel Negro Mountain Tunnel Quemahoning Tunnel Rays Hill Tunnel Sideling Hill Tunnel South Pennsylvania Railroad

Tolling systems	E-ZPass

Protected areas of Pennsylvania

Federal

NPS National Historical Parks & National Historic Sites	Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS Edgar Allan Poe NHS Eisenhower NHS Friendship Hill NHS Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church NHS Hopewell Furnace NHS Independence NHP Steamtown NHS Valley Forge NHP

National Memorials	Benjamin Franklin Flight 93 Johnstown Flood Thaddeus Kosciuszko

National Battlefields and National Military Parks	Fort Necessity NB Gettysburg NMP

National Trails	Appalachian Trail

Other protected areas	Allegheny National Recreation Area Blue Marsh National Recreation Area Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area Middle Delaware National Scenic River Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River

National Forests	Allegheny

USFS National Historic Sites	Grey Towers

National Wildlife Refuges	Cherry Valley Erie John Heinz Ohio River Islands

State

State Parks	Allegheny Islands Archbald Pothole Bald Eagle Beltzville Bendigo Benjamin Rush Big Pocono Big Spring Black Moshannon Blue Knob Boyd Big Tree Buchanan's Birthplace Bucktail Caledonia Canoe Creek Chapman Cherry Springs Clear Creek Codorus Colonel Denning Colton Point Cook Forest Cowans Gap Delaware Canal Denton Hill Elk Erie Bluffs Evansburg Fort Washington Fowlers Hollow Frances Slocum French Creek Gifford Pinchot Gouldsboro Greenwood Furnace Hickory Run Hillman Hills Creek Hyner Run Hyner View Jacobsburg Jennings Joseph E. Ibberson Kettle Creek Keystone Kings Gap Kinzua Bridge Kooser Lackawanna Laurel Hill Laurel Mountain Laurel Ridge Laurel Summit Lehigh Gorge Leonard Harrison Linn Run Little Buffalo Little Pine Locust Lake Lyman Run Marsh Creek Maurice K. Goddard McCalls Dam McConnells Mill Memorial Lake Milton Mont Alto Moraine Mt. Pisgah Nescopeck Neshaminy Nockamixon Nolde Forest Norristown Farm Ohiopyle Oil Creek Ole Bull Parker Dam Patterson Penn-Roosevelt Pine Grove Furnace Poe Paddy Poe Valley Point Presque Isle Prince Gallitzin Promised Land Prompton Prouty Place Pymatuning R. B. Winter Raccoon Creek Ralph Stover Ravensburg Reeds Gap Ricketts Glen Ridley Creek Ryerson Station S. B. Elliott Salt Springs Samuel S. Lewis Sand Bridge Shawnee Shikellamy Sinnemahoning Sizerville Susquehanna Susquehannock Swatara Tobyhanna Trough Creek Tuscarora Tyler Upper Pine Bottom Varden Warriors Path Washington Crossing Whipple Dam White Clay Creek Worlds End Yellow Creek

State Forests	Bald Eagle Buchanan Clear Creek Cornplanter Delaware Elk Forbes Gallitzin Loyalsock Michaux Moshannon Pinchot Rothrock Sproul Susquehannock Tiadaghton Tioga Tuscarora Weiser William Penn (Wild areas)

Scenic Rivers	Bear Run French Creek Lehigh River LeTort Spring Run Lick Run Lower Brandywine Octoraro Creek Pine Creek Schuylkill River Stony Creek Tucquan Creek Tulpehocken Creek Yellow Breeches Creek

Other

Other	Anders Run Natural Area Forrest H. Duttlinger Natural Area Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area Johnson Run Natural Area Stone Valley Recreation Area Trexler Nature Preserve Wykoff Run Natural Area

Hiking trails	Appalachian Baker Black Forest Central Mountains Shared Use Darlington Eastern Continental Five Star Glacier Ridge Great Eastern Greene River Horse-Shoe Indian Creek Valley Loyalsock Mid State Standing Stone Mason-Dixon North Country Ohio River Old Loggers Path Pinchot Potomac Heritage Quehanna Rachel Carson Sheepskin Susquehannock Thunder Swamp Tuscarora Valley Forge Historical West Rim Wissahickon Youghiogheny River

Rail trails	Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Beaver River East Coast Greenway Five Star Ghost Town Great Allegheny Passage Great Shamokin Path Greene River Indian Creek Valley Lebanon Valley Lehigh Gorge Liberty Bell Lower Montour Ohio River Palmer Bikeway Panhandle Perkiomen Pine Creek Plainfield Township Schuylkill River Sheepskin Struble Susquehanna Warrior Switchback Three Rivers Heritage York Country Heritage Youghiogheny River

Nature centers	List of nature centers in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

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