Pennsylvania Turnpike

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for 360 miles (580 km) across the state. The turnpike begins at the Ohio state line, where the road continues west as the Ohio Turnpike . It ends at the New Jersey border at the Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge over the Delaware River, where the road continues east as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike.

The highway runs east–west through the state, connecting the Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia areas. It crosses the Appalachian Mountains in central Pennsylvania, passing through four tunnels. The turnpike is part of the Interstate Highway System ; it is designated as part of Interstate 76 (I-76) between the Ohio border and Valley Forge, I-70 between New Stanton and Breezewood, I-276 between Valley Forge and Bristol Township, and I-95 from Bristol Township to the New Jersey border. The road uses a ticket system of tolling between the Warrendale and Neshaminy Falls toll plazas. An eastbound cashless toll gantry using automatic licence plate recognition is located at Gateway, near the Ohio border, while a westbound toll gantry is located at the Delaware River Bridge. E-ZPass, a form of electronic toll collection, is accepted at all tolling points. Along the turnpike are 15 service plazas , providing food and fuel to travelers.

During the 1930s the Pennsylvania Turnpike was designed to improve automobile transportation across the mountains of Pennsylvania, using seven tunnels built for the abandoned South Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1880s. The road opened on October 1, 1940, between Irwin and Carlisle. It was one of the earlier long-distance limited-access highways in the United States, and served as a precedent for additional limited-access toll roads and the Interstate Highway System.

Following World War II, the turnpike was extended east to Valley Forge in 1950 and west to the Ohio border in 1951. In 1954, the road was extended further east to the Delaware River. The mainline turnpike was finished in 1956 with the completion of the Delaware River Bridge. During the 1960s an additional tube was bored at four of the two-lane tunnels, while the other three tunnels were bypassed; these improvements made the entire length of the highway four lanes wide. Improvements continue to be made to the road: rebuilding the original section to modern standards, widening portions of the turnpike to six lanes, and adding interchanges. Most recently in 2018, an ongoing interchange project saw the redesignation of the easternmost three miles (4.8 km) of the road from I-276 to I-95. Though still considered part of the turnpike mainline, it is no longer signed with turnpike markers.

Route Description[]

Ohio to Irwin[]

See Also: Interstate 76 (Ohio-New Jersey)

The Pennsylvania Turnpike begins at the Ohio state line in Lawrence County, beyond which the highway continues west as the Ohio Turnpike. From the state line, the turnpike heads southeast as a four-lane freeway designated asI-76 through the rural area south of New Castle. A short distance from the Ohio border, the eastbound lanes come to the Gateway toll gantry, where tolls can be paid with E-ZPass or toll-by-plate at highway speeds. The highway then crosses into Beaver County, where it reaches its first interchange withI-376 (here, the part called Beaver Valley Expressway) in Big Beaver.

After this interchange, the turnpike reaches an interchange with PA 18. The road then enters Butler County, where it comes to Cranberry Township. Here, an interchange serves US 19 and Interstate 79 . The turnpike continues through a mix of rural land and suburban residential development north of Pittsburgh into Allegheny County.

The road then approaches the Warrendale toll plaza, where toll ticketing begins, and continues southeast. It crosses the Allegheny River. After the Allegheny River crossing, the turnpike returns to four lanes. The highway heads southeast to Monroeville, an eastern suburb of Pittsburgh; an interchange with I-376/US 22 (Penn–Lincoln Parkway) provides access to Pittsburgh. East of Monroeville, the turnpike continues through eastern Allegheny County before crossing into Westmoreland County. Here, it heads south and comes to the exit for US 30.

Irwin to Carlisle[]

After the Irwin interchange, the Pennsylvania Turnpike widens to six lanes and heads into the rural area west of Greensburg. Curving southeast, it reaches New Stanton; an interchange provides access to I-70,US 119 and the southern terminus of PA 66 (the Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass). The road narrows back to four lanes at this interchange, and I-70 forms a concurrency with I-76 on the turnpike. The turnpike crosses Laurel Hill into Somerset County. Further east, the Turnpike has an interchange with US 219 and then US 220, with the latter providing access with Interstate 99 .

East of Bedford the turnpike passes through the Bedford Narrows, a gap in Evitts Mountain. The turnpike, US 30, and the Raystown branch of the Juniata River all pass through the 650-foot-wide (200 m) narrows. The road winds through a valley south of the river, before traversing Clear Ridge Cut near Everett. Further east, at Breezewood, I-70 leaves the turnpike at the exit for US 30. After Breezewood, I-76 continues along the turnpike, heading northeast across Rays Hill into Fulton County. The turnpike continues east across Sideling Hill, before reaching an interchange with US 522 in Fort Littleton. After this interchange the highway parallels US 522 before curving east into Huntingdon County. The turnpike goes under Tuscarora Mountain through the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel, entering Franklin County. It then curves northeast into a valley to the exit for PA 75 in Willow Hill.

Again heading east, the road passes under Kittatinny Mountain through the Kittatinny Mountain Tunnel. Shortly after exiting the tunnel, the highway enters the Blue Mountain Tunnel under Blue Mountain. East of this interchange the road enters Cumberland County, heading east through the Cumberland Valley on a stretch known as "the straightaway." Further east, the turnpike reaches Carlisle and an interchange with US 11 providing access to Interstate 81.

Carlisle to Valley Forge[]

Approaching Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania Turnpike heads east through a mixture of rural land and suburban development, passing over Norfolk Southern's Shippensburg Secondary rail line. In Upper Allen Township, the highway reaches theUS 15 interchange accessing Gettysburg to the south. The road continues east and passes over Norfolk Southern's Lurgan Branch rail line before it heads into York County, where it reaches the interchange with I-83 serving Harrisburg, its western suburbs and York to the south. East of I-83, the turnpike crosses the Susquehanna River. Now in Dauphin County, the road bypasses Harrisburg to the south.

In Lower Swatara Township the turnpike reaches an interchange with the southern end of Intestate 283, serving Harrisburg and its eastern suburbs. Here, the road narrows back to four lanes through suburban development near Middletown. It enters Lancaster county. In Lancaster County the highway reaches an interchange with PA 72 accessing Lebanon to the north and Lancaster to the south. Further east, it reaches an interchange with US 222 and PA 272 which serves the cities of Reading and Lancaster. The route continues into Berks County and an interchange with I-176 in Morgantown.

The turnpike then enters Chester County, running southeast to an exit for PA 100 north of Downingtown, where it heads into the western suburbs of Philadelphia. Continuing east, it reaches an E-ZPass-only interchange with PA 29 near Malvern. The highway crosses into Montgomery County and comes to the Valley Forge interchange in King of Prussia, where I-76 splits from the turnpike and heads southeast as the Schuylkill Expressway toward Philadelphia.

Valley Forge to New Jersey[]

Starting at the Valley Forge interchange the turnpike is designated as I-276 and becomes a six-lane road serving as a suburban commuter highway. The turnpike crosses the Schuylkill River near Norristown. In Plymouth Meeting, an interchange with Germantown Pike provides access to Norristown before the roadway reaches the Mid-County Interchange. This interchange connects to I-476, which heads south as the Blue Route and north as the Northeast Extension of the turnpike; connecting the mainline turnpike to the Lehigh Valley and the Pocono Mountains. After the Mid-County Interchange, the main turnpike heads east through the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, where it has an interchange with PA 309. In Willow Grove the highway reaches the PA 611 exit. The turnpike continues through more suburban areas, crossing into Bucks County and coming to a bridge over Norfolk Southern's Morrisville Line. Farther east, the roadway reaches an interchange with US 1 which provides access to Philadelphia.

The highway narrows back to four lanes. A short distance later, the turnpike arrives at the east end of the ticket system at the Neshaminy Falls toll plaza. After passing through more suburbs, the road reaches a partial interchange with I-95 (passing under Interstate 295 with no access), at which point I-276 ends and the Pennsylvania Turnpike becomes part of I-95. Here, signage indicates the westbound turnpike as a left exit from southbound I-95, using I-95 milepost exit number 40. This is the only place where continuing on the mainline turnpike is signed as an exit.

After joining I-95, the remaining three miles (4.8 km) of road uses I-95's mileposts and is not directly signed as the Pennsylvania Turnpike, though it is still considered part of the mainline turnpike. Continuing east from the I-95 interchange, the turnpike reaches its final interchange, providing access toUS 13 in Bristol. Following this, it comes to the westbound all-electronic Delaware River Bridge toll gantry. After this, the highway crosses the Delaware River into New Jersey on the Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge. At this point, the Pennsylvania Turnpike ends, and I-95 continues northeast as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Extension, which connects to the mainline of the New Jersey Turnpike.