The Pennsylvania Turnpike: 80 years old today [Edit]

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 10/01/2020 at 11:35 • Filed to: Pennsylvania Turnpike

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When I was younger, my family spent a fair bit of time on the PA Turnpike, at least between Breezewood and Somerset. We were living in southeastern VA, and most of my dad’s family lived in Somerset and Pittsburgh. There was always a big family gathering at my grandparents’ house on Thanksgiving, so we would leave Norfolk on Wednesday after school to make the 8-hour drive over the river and through the woods. The first year I made the trip after moving to live with my dad, my brother and I were crammed in the back of our step-mother’s Camaro. That situation improved dramatically the following year when our family bought a 77 Chevy Caprice.

Coming from the flats of coastal VA (and Illinois before that), I was always fascinated by the mountains of PA . I looked forward with great anticipation to the tunnel we had to pass through (I don’t remember which one). I marveled, even at that young age, at the engineering involved in building that road. And my god, the trucks. It was the height of the CB craze, and my head was full of Macks and Kenworths and Peterbilts. My grandfather had built their house on a hill, and you could see the Turnpike from their front porch, as wells as the Somerset turnpike exit plaza. I loved to sit at that high point and watch the endless stream of traffic on the road down below.

The older I get the more nostalgic I get. And while those family trips only lasted a few years before my brother and I got older and our lives continued in other places, I still have very fond memories of those trips. The Gateway restaurant in Breezewood, the Howard Johnson restaurants at the service plazas. The church that had a steep stairway built down to the Turnpike so travelers could stop on the side of the road and go to a service. And all those trucks.

The Old Motor has a nice post that was written five years ago for the Turnpike’s 75th anniversary.

!!! UNSUPPORTED LINE BREAK IN HEADER !!!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

I sent the Old Motor post to my father, who was born in 1940, the year the Turnpike opened. He replied with this email:

Pappy [my dad’s dad] had an aunt Edith, “Aunt Eed” whose husband had a pheasantry where he raised ring necked pheasants for the PA State Game Commission.

We would usually, about once a year, visit Eed and Fy. The farm, with its huge ancient farm house, was in the mountains north of Harrisburg. Interestingly, the site was at the foot of Peters Mountain, where the Appalachian Trail still traverses. So, that meant a drive from Somerset to the Tpk’s end near Carlisle. There was still a distance of probably 50 miles on state roads to reach our destination. (We also frequently traveled the west end from Somerset to Irwin, on our way to do Christmas shopping in Pittsburgh. We also had doctors in PGH.)

I can also remember when the eastern and western extensions were built - to the Delaware River in the east and the Ohio state line in the west. It was also at this time that Ohio was building its own TPK. The two tpks were joined ca. 1955 Then the Northeast Extension was added, from near Philly to Scranton in the north.

So, I have very clear memories of what the TPK was like in its earliest iterations. Tunnels, service plazas toll booths et al. The median was grass, there were no barriers between the east-west lanes.

Since there was an interchange in Somerset, that made the community the hub for construction and worker services, like dorms and restaurants.

Ah, the memories! Thanks for sending this.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 10/01/2020 at 11:13

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Nostalgia makes Howard Johnson’s ice cream better than it probably was. 

user314 > ttyymmnn 10/01/2020 at 11:14

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And who knows, maybe by the 100th anniversary they’ll actually finish....

412GTI > ttyymmnn 10/01/2020 at 11:17

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When I was younger, we would always stop at the Breezewood McDonalds while on our way down south for family vacations. It was always super exciting even being the first stop on our trips and slowing down the momentum.

Nowadays I just breeze through Breezewood or get sad when coming from Maryland as it means the speed limit is lowered to 55 (c’mon PA). There is such beauty on the PA Turnpike this time of the year when the leaves change. It’s a nice drive. 

ttyymmnn > user314 10/01/2020 at 11:21

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That road will forever be a work in progress. Hell, they can’t even keep the potholes filled. 

The Ghost of Oppo > ttyymmnn 10/01/2020 at 11:23

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I always noticed those steps up to that church and wondered about them. They finally removed them a few years ago, but the little pull off area and pedestrian bridge from the other side of the highway is still there.

The tolls on the PA turnpike have been getting very expensive, they’ve been raising them 6% every year for the last 4 or 5 years and I believe they plan on continuing that. There is some BS reason Harrisburg shafts the Turnpike commission when it comes to funding and they’ve been spending a ton of money adding a third lane across a lot of central and western PA.

ttyymmnn > 412GTI 10/01/2020 at 11:24

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Breezewood has become a hellscape of gas stations and fast food restaurants and chain hotels. When we passed through there, the Gateway Restaurant was still inside an enlarged house. The food was all homemade and fantastic. Now it’s this monstrosity of gift stores and chain restaurants.

ranwhenparked > Chariotoflove 10/01/2020 at 11:25

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The ice cream was  on an even footing with Friendly’s, so pretty good. HoJo's food was much better, though.

ttyymmnn > The Ghost of Oppo 10/01/2020 at 11:25

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Increase the tolls and they still can’t fill the potholes. 

412GTI > ttyymmnn 10/01/2020 at 11:28

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What a great photo that is. Never knew Gateway looked like that. 

Chariotoflove > ranwhenparked 10/01/2020 at 11:28

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My kid’s palate agrees with your assessment.By the time I graduated college, HoJo was pretty much gone, but Ithaca still had a Friendly’s, so I could get my fix  

user314 > 412GTI 10/01/2020 at 11:30

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They bumped the limit up to 70 in the late 2010s, except for in the tunnels and on some of the curvier bits.

ttyymmnn > 412GTI 10/01/2020 at 11:31

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We’re talking, like 45 years ago. Soon after we were married, my wife and I took a drive to PA, and I made a point of stopping at the Gateway. It was very depressing. 

412GTI > user314 10/01/2020 at 11:33

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Yeah which has been nice, I’m talking about the curvier part of 70 that runs into Breezewood. It could at least be 65..most do 70+ anyway. 

facw > ttyymmnn 10/01/2020 at 11:40

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Fun fact, there is a 13 mile stretch of the Turnpike that has been largely abandoned since 1968 when it was bypassed due to the fact it was using existing 19th-century railway tunnels that only allowed one lane in each direction:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandoned_Pennsylvania_Turnpike

The abandoned highway is slowly being converted into a bike path.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > The Ghost of Oppo 10/01/2020 at 11:55

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It’s usually like $30, even with EzPass,  one way for me when I travel. Which is...pricy. Very much higher and it’ll be worth the extra 40-45 minutes to take I80 to Pittsburgh. 

ttyymmnn > facw 10/01/2020 at 12:01

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I’ve read about that. Would be fun to check it out. Wasn’t that used as a location  in The Road ?

interstate366, now In The Industry > facw 10/01/2020 at 12:01

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There’s also a third bypassed tunnel that Ganassi converted to a wind tunnel. Citations include an article from the FP back when it was decent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_Hill_Tunnel

Milky > The Ghost of Oppo 10/01/2020 at 12:06

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Okay that took a minute to find, but very weird.

Tripper > ttyymmnn 10/01/2020 at 12:10

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PA native here great time of year for the turnpike, also nice that its cool to go 90 in PA

ranwhenparked > Chariotoflove 10/01/2020 at 12:29

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Their ice cream is actually pretty damn good quality. Of course, they sold off their manufacturing plant and wholesale businesses, which is usually the way with failing companies - sell your most valuable assets in order to fund your least valuable.

I don’t mind the food, either. It’s classic greasy spoon/diner stuff. Not gourmet by any stretch , but sometimes you just want a BLT or tuna melt. They have their place

ttyymmnn > Tripper 10/01/2020 at 12:45

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90?

Tripper > ttyymmnn 10/01/2020 at 12:52

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Saturday I was accelerating from 80 the last I looked when I merged on Saturday even people in the right moved to pass me.

MM54 > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 10/01/2020 at 13:07

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80 to 79 to 279 is not bad compared to the cost of the turnpike to save 20 minutes.

nermal > facw 10/01/2020 at 16:31

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I thought that tunnel was being used as a secret testing facility for race cars?

https://roadandtrack.kinja.com/the-secret-racing-test-tunnel-no-one-wants-to-talk-abou-1678596274

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > ttyymmnn 10/01/2020 at 23:26

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There’s a brief clip of driving up to one of the plazas in one of my grandmother’s 8mm films from the mid 60s. I have it digitized on my computer somewhere, I oughta dig that up and post it. 

ttyymmnn > MiniGTI - now with XJ6 10/01/2020 at 23:32

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I’d like to see that. 

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > ttyymmnn 10/02/2020 at 00:11

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I’ll probably be at my computer next week.  I did the transfer years ago and all I have is a DVD image, but I can convert it pretty easily I think