Pennsylvania Turnpike marker
Pennsylvania Turnpike
Route information
Maintained by Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
Length359.6 mi[1] (578.7 km)
ExistedOctober 1940–present
Major junctions
West end I-76/Ohio Turnpike near the Pennsylvania-Ohio state line
Major intersections I-376/US 22 near Pittsburgh
I-70/PA 66/US 119 near New Stanton
I-99/US 220 near Bedford
I-70/US 30 near Breezewood
I-81/US 11 near Middlesex
I-83 near Harrisburg
I-176/PA 10 near Morgantown
I-76 to US 202/I-476 near Valley Forge
I-476 near Plymouth Meeting
US 1 near Trevose
East end
I-276/Future I-95/NJ Turnpike on the Delaware River Bridge
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
Highway system

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system in the state of Pennsylvania, USA. The turnpike system encompasses 532 miles (855 km) in three distinct sections. Its main section, extending from the Ohio state line in the west to the New Jersey state line in the east, stretches 359 miles (578 km). Its Northeast Extension, extending from Plymouth Meeting in the southeast to Wilkes-Barre and Scranton in the northeast, stretches 110 miles (177 km). Its various highway segments in western Pennsylvania cover 62 miles (100 km).

The highway serves most of Pennsylvania's major urban areas, with the main east-west section serving the Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia areas and its Northeastern Extension serving the Allentown/Bethlehem and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre areas.

Route numbers

edit

The turnpike system (with the exception of the shorter segments in the western part of the state) is part of the U.S. Interstate Highway System. The turnpike is signed with the following route numbers:

  • Interstate 76. Interstate 76 comprises the majority of the system, starting at the turnpike's western terminus at the Ohio state line. Interstate 70 joins the turnpike at New Stanton, Interchange 75, and runs concurrently with Interstate 76 until leaving the turnpike at Breezewood, Interchange 161.
  • Interstate 276. Interstate 76 leaves the turnpike mainline at Valley Forge/Philadelphia, Interchange 326. At that point, the turnpike becomes Interstate 276 until it meets with a spur of the New Jersey Turnpike at the turnpike's eastern terminus at the Delaware River.
  • Interstate 476. The Northeast Extension, which meets the turnpike mainline at milepost 333.5 (the interchange is designated as Exit-20, the milepost marker for I-476), is signed as part of Interstate 476. This section was originally signed as Pennsylvania Route 9 before redesignation in the 1990s.
  • Interstate 95. The turnpike mainline now crosses Interstate 95 but does not have a direct connection to that route. An interchange is currently being constructed in this area. Once the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project northeast of Philadelphia is completed, the section of the turnpike east of that interchange (now Interstate 276) will be redesignated as Interstate 95.
  • PA Route 60. The James E. Ross Highway in western Pennsylvania is signed as Pennsylvania Route 60.
  • PA Route 66. The Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass in western Pennsylvania is signed as Pennsylvania Route 66.
  • PA Route 43. The James J. Manderino Highway in western Pennsylvania is signed as Pennsylvania Route 43.
  • PA Route 576. The Pittsburgh Southern Beltway in western Pennsylvania is signed as Pennsylvania Route 576.

Toll system

edit
 
Turnpike Toll Ticket, Warrendale (Exit 30). Shows toll prices for Class 1 vehicles (two-axle cars without trailers) from April 2006.

The majority of the Turnpike system is operated as a ticket system toll road, in which a driver receives a paper ticket on entry and pays on exit, with the amount pre-calculated based on entrance and exit points. Most of the system's access points are simple "trumpet" interchanges, with a toll barrier located between the interchange itself and the local connector road. Between 1940 and 1997, the road had three "mainline" barrier plazas, one at Gateway (at the Pennsylvania/Ohio state line), connecting to the Ohio Turnpike, one at the Delaware River Bridge near Bristol Township, where the Turnpike crosses the Delaware River and connects with the New Jersey Turnpike, and one on the Northeastern Extension at Clarks Summit, where it connects with Interstate 81 near Scranton.

In 1992, the new Mid-County exit, connecting Interstate 476 with the Turnpike, opened. It doubles as a mainline and interchange barrier. In 2002, the Gateway barrier was converted to an all-cash plaza (and since January 2, 2006, only eastbound motorists are charged – westbound motorists no longer have to pay a toll similar in nature to the one-way tolls on the Garden State Parkway), and a new mainline barrier, at Warrendale, was added. With the opening of the new Warrendale barrier, the Turnpike between Gateway and Warrendale is toll-free and gives motorists direct access to the James E. Ross Highway, Interstate 79, and two local roads. A similar approach was used between the Wyoming Valley interchange and Clarks Summit on the Northeastern Extension, allowing for the construction of the Keyser Avenue interchange, along with a new coin-drop booth north of the exit. This will also be implemented when the Turnpike/Interstate 95 exit is completed in Bristol Township allowing I-95 to access the Turnpike with a high-speed interchange.

E-ZPass is accepted at all toll booths. The Virginia Drive exit near Fort Washington is only accessible to E-ZPass customers. Additionally, the proposed Great Valley exit near Malvern, and the Philadelphia Park exit near Bensalem, are expected to also be E-ZPass-only.

Turnpike history

edit
 
Pennsylvania Turnpike as it appeared in July 1942

When the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940, it was the first long-distance rural freeway in the United States and was popularly known as the "tunnel highway" because of the seven mountain tunnels along its route.

First section

edit

The turnpike was partially constructed on an unused railroad grade constructed for the aborted South Pennsylvania Railroad project, and six of its seven original tunnels (all tunnels with the exception of the Allegheny Mountain tunnel) were first bored for that railroad.

Proposals to use the grade and tunnels for a toll road were made starting in late 1934. The road would bypass the steep grades on Pennsylvania's existing major east-west highways – US 22 (William Penn Highway) and US 30 (Lincoln Highway) – and offer a high-speed four lane route free of cross traffic. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission was created by law on May 21, 1937, and construction began October 27, 1938 with the removal of water from the unfinished tunnels.

In October 1, 1940 the first section of Turnpike opened, running from US 11 near Carlisle (southwest of Harrisburg) west to US 30 at Irwin (east of Pittsburgh). As built, the majority of the road was four lanes, but it narrowed to one lane in each direction for the seven tunnels (the South Pennsylvania had begun work on nine, but two – the Quemahoning Tunnel and Negro Mountain Tunnel – were bypassed by the Turnpike). Despite the existence of the railroad right-of-way, much of the new Turnpike was built on a new, straighter alignment, as engineering had progressed much since the days of the railroad.

Unlike earlier U.S. freeways, mostly in the New York City area, which were restricted to cars, the Turnpike allowed all traffic. Like the German Autobahn on which it was loosely based, there was no enforced speed limit on most of the road--some cars could travel at 100 mph (160 km/h) and traverse the entire 160 mile (256 km) original segment in slightly over an hour. The phenomenon of highway hypnosis began to afflict motorists on some of the long, straight segments--especially on the 21 mile (34 km) section of Turnpike between the Blue Mountain Tunnel and the eastern terminus at Carlisle.

Planned expansions

edit

With the success of the original 160 mile (256 km) segment, the turnpike commission planned to expand the original Turnpike to a cross-state route, connecting Philadelphia with Pittsburgh with a high-speed route. This was shelved with the onset of World War II, but with the war's end, the turnpike commission resumed construction.

Philadelphia Extension

edit

The Philadelphia Extension took the Turnpike east to King of Prussia near Philadelphia and Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The first phase of that expansion made the highway slightly longer, stretching it to US 15 near Harrisburg. That section opened on February 1, and the rest of the expansion, east to King of Prussia, opened on November 20, 1950. At that time the old mainline toll booth and interchange at Carlisle was closed, and the Middlesex interchange, at the old east end at US 11, was reconfigured and renamed as the Carlisle interchange. The original eastern end of the Philadelphia Extension ended at what is now the present-day interchange with Interstate 76 and U.S. Highway 202.

Western Extension

edit

The first piece of the Western Extension, from Irwin to US 22 east of Pittsburgh, opened August 7, 1951. The remainder opened to traffic on December 26, 1951, taking the highway west almost to the Ohio state line. Traffic was diverted onto the two-lane Burkey Road just west of the western barrier toll for almost three years until a connection with the Ohio Turnpike connection opened. The interchange with Pennsylvania Route 18 at Homewood was not completed until March 1, 1952. The turnpike connected with Youngstown, Ohio, after the first section of the Ohio Turnpike opened on December 1, 1954.

Delaware River Extension

edit

The Delaware River Extension opened on August 23, 1954 to Pennsylvania Route 611 at Willow Grove, and the intermediate Fort Washington interchange with PA 309 opening September 20. Extensions opened October 27 to US Route 1 near Trevose and November 17 to US 13 near Bristol Township. The final piece opened on May 23, 1956 with the completion of the Delaware River-Turnpike Toll Bridge, which connected to a short spur of the New Jersey Turnpike.

Northeast Extension

edit

The Northeast Extension, from the Mid-County Interchange northwest of Philadelphia north to Interstate 81 near Scranton, opened in stages from November 23, 1955 to November 7, 1957. This was the last segment of the Turnpike system to be built until the late 1980s, and formerly signed as PA 9. It was later made part of I-476 (continuting that route from the Chester-to-Plymouth Meeting freeway), because no more 2-digit odd Interstate numbers were available in that part of the U.S.

Western expansions

edit

Western extensions, that mostly serve the Pittsburgh Area were constructed from the 1990s until the present. The James E. Ross Highway and the Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass were completed by 1994, and the James J. Manderino Highway, a West Virginia-to-Pittsburgh route, (Mon/Fayette Expressway) is approximately 50% completed with the last major link to Pittsburgh under design. The first section of the Pittsburgh Southern Beltway (from the Mon/Fayette Expressway to the Pittsburgh International Airport) has been completed and is open to traffic. Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) for the two remaining sections are in preparation

Competing highways

edit

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission originally proposed a statewide system of additional toll highways, but these plans were rendered unnecessary with the inception of the U.S. Interstate Highway system in 1954. A toll-free east-west competitor – Interstate 80 – opened on August 29, 1970 across northern Pennsylvania, forming a route that was more direct for New York-Chicago traffic.

2004 Teamsters strike

edit

On November 24, 2004, two thousand Teamsters Union employees of the Pennsylvania Turnpike went on strike, after contract negotiations failed. This was the day before Thanksgiving, usually one of the busiest traffic days in the United States. [1] To keep the turnpike open, tolls were waived for the remainder of the day. Starting on November 25, flat-rate passenger tolls of $2 and commercial tolls of $15 were collected by management staff of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. [2] This represented a substantial discount for most travelers, who would normally have to pay about $20 to travel along the full length of the main east-west route. The strike only lasted seven days, with an agreement reached on November 30, and tolls being collected again on December 1, 2004.

The "Tunnel Highway"

edit
 
The west portal of the Blue Mountain Tunnel's eastbound tube.

After it opened as the nation's first superhighway, the Pennsylvania Turnpike was popularly known as the "Tunnel Highway." Postcards and other souvenirs promoted this name because, immediately after opening, the original stretch of the turnpike sported seven tunnels through Pennsylvania's Appalachian Mountains. These tunnels, in order of east to west, bored through Blue Mountain, Kittattiny Mountain, Tuscarora Mountain, Sideling Hill, Ray's Hill, Allegheny Mountain, and Laurel Hill.

Modernization

edit

While the highway was built as a four-lane, limited-access highway, the seven tunnels each held only two travel lanes. Traffic was squeezed from four lanes to two at each tunnel portal, and traffic proceeded through each tunnel without being divided from oncoming traffic. By the 1960s, this situation was creating long delays at each tunnel bottleneck. To alleviate this overcrowding, the turnpike commission studied ways to either expand or bypass each tunnel.

The result of this project was the "twinning" (construction of a second, parallel, two-lane tunnel) of four tunnels, and the outright bypass and closure of the other three. The Blue, Kittattiny, Tuscarora, and Allegheny Mountain Tunnels were expanded through the construction of new tunnels identical to the original tunnels in design, construction methods (dynamite and wooden supports), and length. After the second tunnels were completed at each location, the original tunnels were temporarily closed for rehabilitations that included upgrades in forced air ventliation and lighting systems.

The Sideling Hill, Rays Hill, and Laurel Hill tunnels were closed and bypassed. The adjacent Sideling Hill and Rays Hill tunnels were replaced with one stretch of highway that climbed over those mountains, while the Laurel Hill Tunnel was bypassed with a long rock cut through the mountain. The three bypassed tunnels are still in existence.

The 13-mile stretch that contained the Sideling Hill and Rays Hill Tunnels are now part of a popular tourist attraction known as the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike, which most of it was sold to Southern Alleghenies Conservancy in 2001. The Laurel Hill stretch, which is much shorter at about 2 miles, is still owned by the PTC and trespassing is prohibited.

Lehigh Tunnel

edit

The Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike contains the Lehigh Tunnel, a 4,461-foot tunnel through Blue Mountain. The tunnel was named "Lehigh Tunnel" so as not to cause confusion with the existing Blue Mountain tunnel on the mainline. The tunnel was originally to be named for Turnpike Commission chairman Thomas J. Evans, but this was changed due to his July 25, 1967 conviction for conspiracy to defraud the Turnpike Commission of $19 million. [3] The Lehigh Tunnel was originally a two-lane tunnel, in the manner of the highway's original seven tunnels, until it was "twinned" in the early 1990s. The new Lehigh Tunnel is the only tunnel built by the Turnpike Commission using the New Austrian Tunnelling method. With this method, tunnels are built using a special machine resembling a large electric razor blade, guided by lasers. The tunneled area is reinforced with shotcrete, a slurry mixture, as it is bored, eliminating the need for wooden supports. Because of the new construction, the new tube, which is round, contrasts sharply with the original rectangular tube, which was carved by the older dyamite blasting method.

Allegheny Tunnel modernization

edit
 
West portal, Allegheny Mountain Tunnel

The Allegheny Mountain Tunnel, currently the longest tunnel complex on the entire Turnpike system (only the bypassed Sideling Hill Tunnel was longer), and the only one of the original seven tunnels not to have been originally bored for the aborted Southeast Pennsylvania Railroad project, is currently the most problematic tunnel for the turnpike. In 1996, the turnpike commission began a study on how to address this tunnel, which was suffering from a low traffic capacity and deterioration. The study recommended that a bypass (known as the "Brown Cut") be blasted through the adjacent mountain, but a high pricetag and opposition from landowners and environmental groups shelved this project. The commission is currently realigning the approach roads to the tunnel while examining more acceptable ways to address the capacity and age-related issues of the tunnels.

Aborted extensions and expansions

edit

Soon after the mainline was built, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission proposed a number of extensions as part of a 1,000 mile (1,600 km) Turnpike network. These plans were dropped in the mid-1950s in favor of the Interstate Highway System. The proposed network included the following:

Although the extensions were dropped, the commission also looked into a major expansion project in the early 1970s in which the east-west mainline would be expanded into a "dual-dual" eight-lane highway similar to that of the New Jersey Turnpike between Jamesburg and Newark. With the dual-dual configuration, the inner two lanes would be car-only lanes while the outer lanes would be for trucks, buses, and trailers.

The dual-dual would have required major realignments, similar to that of the Sideling Hill relocation, but most of the original infrastructure would have remained intact in most places. This plan was dropped by 1976, but since 1980, most of the original plan was implemented on a smaller scale. Truck climbing lanes were built on the Allegheny Ridge and Sideling Hill, and the roadway was expanded to six lanes between the Norristown and Philadelphia exits. The six-lane configuration was planned or in the process of being constructed between the proposed Great Valley Slip Ramp and Norristown, between Philadelphia and the New Jersey Turnpike, and on the Northeast Extension between Mid-County and Lansdale.

Current events

edit

Today, the Turnpike is controlled by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, handles over 172 million vehicles per year, and employs nearly 2,200 people.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is currently reconfiguring and expanding the Turnpike to meet modern traffic needs. Parts of the original Irwin-Carlisle section is being rebuilt with new roadbeds (using the original concrete and later macadam paving), and long-duration "Superpave" macadam asphalt (similar to a process used on I-95 in Delaware between U.S. Highway 202 and the Pennsylvania State Line in 2000), new interchanges, and even overpasses, the latter two being done well in advance of any major upgrade projects..

Between Valley Forge and the Northeast Extension, the highway is being expanded from four lanes to six, and with the completion of the entire I-95/Turnpike exit (along with the building of the paralleling Turnpike Connector Bridge), the entire Delaware River Extension will have six lanes.

Other projects include building unmanned "Slip Ramps" between existing interchanges. These have been built for E-Z Pass tagholders only,[2] near Fort Washington (Virginia Drive), with another planned for the Great Valley Corporate Center near Malvern. A similar six-lane expansion has also been planned for the Northeast Extension between its junction in Norristown to Lansdale, and on the mainline turnpike between Valley Forge and the Downingtown interchange, the westernmost of the Turnpike's Philadelphia suburban interchanges.

On Memorial Day Weekend, 2005, the Pennsylvania Turnpike system became the first highway system in Pennsylvania to have a 65 mph speed limit on the entire length (except for the tunnels themselves, and the winding 5.5-mile (9 km) eastern approach to the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel) of both the mainline turnpike and the Northeast Extension. This is the first time since the mandated 55 mph (88 km/h) speed limit was implemented in 1974 that a motorist can cross the entire state of Pennsylvania at 65 mph (105 km/h) without having to travel at lower speeds for extended periods.

Interchange with Interstate 95 project

edit

Interstate 95 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike now cross each other without an interchange. This is related to (but not because of) a gap in Interstate 95 in New Jersey, where local opposition groups managed to stop construction of the Somerset Freeway through the area. Heading northbound from Pennsylvania into Ewing Township (by Trenton, New Jersey), Interstate 95 abruptly ends at its intersection with U.S. Route 1. From there, the highway is then signed as Interstate 295, and turns south. To continue on Interstate 95 northbound, one must travel south on Interstate 295 then east on Interstate 195 (or use a non-freeway section of US Route 1) in order to reach the northern section of the New Jersey Turnpike, which is signed as Interstate 95.

A project [4] is currently planned to install a high speed interchange between the two highways. In addition to the new interchange, the PTC will expand the existing four-lane road to six lanes east of the Philadelphia interchange (U.S. Route 1), build a new facility at milepost 353 to collect toll tickets, and convert the present Delaware River Bridge toll barrier (which currently collects tickets) to a westbound-only exact-change facility. In addition, both the PTC and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority will build a twin parallel bridge over the Delaware River, with the NJTPA itself expanding the mainline Turnpike itself from its current six lanes to a dual-dual configuration like that found north of Jamesburg. This project will complete I-95 from Miami, Florida to Houlton, Maine. Construction is expected to start in early 2008 and will cost approximately $500 million.

Privatization

edit

In November 2006, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and former Pennsylvania House Speaker John Perzel separately raised the idea of a long-term lease of the turnpike to a private group as a means of raising money to improve other infrastructure within the state, following examples of similar toll road lease arrangements in Illinois, Indiana, Texas, and Virginia. Although no plans are immediately in place, Rendell and Perzel have speculated that a lease of the system could bring anywhere from $2.5 to $30 billion to the state. [5]

Advertising campaign

edit

"Peace, Love and the Pennsylvania Turnpike" was the slogan used during an advertising campaign to promote courtesy and safe driving. Signs were located along the Pennsylvania Turnpike either on billboards or in wall advertisements in service plazas. They consisted of a psychedelic background with text, usually an amusing take on a hippie phrase, written in a 1960s typeface. At the bottom they had the keystone insignia of the PTC and the slogan "Peace, Love and the Pennsylvania Turnpike".

Slogans

  • Good vibrations, no citations
  • Spread the love, let someone merge
  • You can beat a mile a minute, but there might not be a future in it.
  • Rome was not built in a day, either.

Radio broadcasts

edit

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission broadcasts current roadway, traffic, and weather conditions via "Highway Advisory Radio" transmitters at each exit. The broadcasts are available on AM 1640 and can be heard approximately two miles away from each exit.[6]

Exit list

edit

Until October 25, 2000, exit numbers were numbered in sequence. On that day, mile-based exit numbers were added, and the old numbers were moved onto smaller "old exit" tabs. These have since been removed. This was done at the same time the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) did a similar upgrade on all of the state's Interstate Highways.

Mainline

edit
County Location Mile Exit # Destinations Notes
Old New
Ohio/Pennsylvania border.

Western terminus of the  Pennsylvania Turnpike.
  I-76 continues into Ohio as the   Ohio Turnpike.

Lawrence North Beaver Twp. 2 1 2 Gateway toll barrier (Eastbound Only)

Flat rate toll.

Beaver Big Beaver 10 1A 10   PA 60 (New Castle) - New Castle, Pittsburgh Connection to James E. Ross Highway. No toll
Homewood 13 2 13   PA 18 - (Beaver Valley) - Ellwood City, Beaver Falls No toll
Butler Cranberry Twp. 28 3 28    US 19/I-79 (Cranberry) - Erie, Pittsburgh No toll
Allegheny Warrendale 30.0 30 Warrendale toll barrier.
Western terminus of ticket system.
Richland Twp. 39 4 39   PA 8 (Butler Valley) - Butler, Pittsburgh
Cheswick 48 5 48   PA 28 (Allegheny Valley) - New Kensington, Pittsburgh
Monroeville 57 6 57   
   I-376/US 22 (Pittsburgh) - Monroeville, Pittsburgh
Westmoreland Irwin 67 7 67   US 30 (Irwin) - Irwin, Greensburg, McKeesport Original exit 1.
New Stanton 75 8 75   
    
    I-70 west to PA 66, to US 119 ([[New Stanton) - Greensburg, Wheeling, WV
Original exit 2.
Connection to Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass.
Donegal 91 9 91   
   PA 31 to PA 711 (Donegal) - Ligonier, Uniontown
Original exit 3.
Westmoreland-Somerset county line Laurel Hill Tunnel (bypassed).
Somerset Quemahoning Tunnel (never used).
Somerset 110 10 110    
    PA 601 to US 219 (Somerset) - Johnstown, Somerset
Original exit 4.
Negro Mountain Tunnel (never used).
Stonycreek Twp. Allegheny Mountain Tunnel (active).
Bedford Bedford 146 11 146  
   I-99/US 220 (Bedford) - Bedford, Altoona, Johnstown
Original exit 5.
Clear Ridge Tunnel (not planned for the railroad; planned for the Turnpike but instead built as a cut).
East Providence Twp. 161 12 161   
   I-70 east to US 30 (Breezewood) - Baltimore, MD, Washington, DC, Everett, Hancock, MD
Original exit 6.
Bedford-Fulton county line Rays Hill Tunnel (bypassed).
Fulton Sideling Hill Tunnel (bypassed).
Dublin Twp. 180 13 180   US 522 (Fort Littleton) - Mt. Union, McConnellsburg Original exit 7.
Huntingdon-Franklin
county line
Tuscarora Tunnel (active).
Franklin Metal Twp. 189 14 189   PA 75 (Willow Hill) - Fort Loudon, Willow Hill Original exit 8.
Fannett Twp./Lurgan Twp. Kittatinny Mountain Tunnel (active).
Lurgan Twp. Blue Mountain Tunnel (active).
201 15 201   PA 997 (Blue Mountain) - Chambersburg, Shippensburg Original exit 9.
Cumberland Carlisle Carlisle Original exit 10 and east end barrier toll.
No eastbound onramp.
Closed 1950.
226 16 226   
   US 11 to I-81 (Carlisle) - Carlisle, Harrisburg
Original exit 11 (then called Middlesex).
Upper Allen Township 236 17 236   US 15 (Gettysburg Pike) - Gettysburg, Harrisburg
New Cumberland 242 18 242   I-83 (Harrisburg West) - York, Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore, MD, Harrisburg
Dauphin Harrisburg 247 19 247    I-283/PA 283 (Harrisburg East) - Lancaster, Hershey, Harrisburg
Lancaster Rapho Twp. 266 20 266   PA 72 (Lebanon - Lancaster - Lebanon, Lancaster
East Cocalico Twp. 286 21 286   US 222 - (Reading) - Reading, Lancaster
Berks Morgantown 298 22 298     
   I-176 to PA 10 (Morgantown) - Reading, Morgantown
Chester Lionville 312 23 312   PA 100 (Downingtown) - Pottstown, West Chester
Charlestown Twp.   PA 29 Great Valley Slip Ramp (Proposed).
Montgomery King of Prussia

(Upper Merion Twp.)

326 24 326      
    I-76 east to I-476, to US 202 (Valley Forge) - Norristown, Valley Forge, Philadelphia
  I-76 leaves the Turnpike and becomes the Schuylkill Expressway heading into Philadelphia.
Western terminus of   I-276 portion of Turnpike.
Plymouth Meeting

(Plymouth Twp.)

333 25 333   
  
  I-476 south (Norristown) - Norristown
Signed for   on Eastbound side only. Westbound traffic should use Exit 20.
334 25A 20    I-476/Northeast Extension (Mid-County) - Allentown, Philadelphia, Chester Eastbound: no access to I-476 south. Exit is not numbered in Eastbound direction; Westbound number is based on milepost location on  

Chester and Philadelphia signed and accessible to Westbound traffic only.

Fort Washington

(Upper Dublin Twp.)

339 26 339   PA 309 (Fort Washington) - Ambler, Philadelphia
Upper Dublin Twp. 340 26A 340 Virginia Drive E-ZPass only.
Westbound exit and entry only.
Exit was designated 26A but never signed as such.
Willow Grove

(Upper Moreland Twp.)

343 27 343   PA 611 (Willow Grove) - Doylestown, Jenkintown
Bucks Trevose

(Bensalem Twp)

351 28 351   US 1 (Philadelphia) - Trenton, NJ, Philadelphia 1 mile outside of Northeast Philadelphia.
Bensalem Twp. Philadelphia Park Slip Ramp (Proposed) Proposed E-ZPass only.
Eastbound only.
PTC announced the construction of slip ramp in September 2006 to allow direct access to Philadelphia Park Racetrack, the location of a future slot machine parlor.
Bristol Twp.  
  Future interchange with I-95
Bristol Twp. 358 29 358   US 13 (Delaware Valley) - Bristol, Levittown
359 30 359 New Jersey/Pennsylvania state line.
Barrier toll
Eastern terminus of   I-276 and   Pennsylvania Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike Ext. continues into New Jersey on the Delaware River-Turnpike Toll Bridge over the Delaware River

Northeast Extension

edit

See Interstate 476.

See also

edit

Further reading

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Toll/Mileage Calculator". Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
  2. ^ "Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Abandons Plans To Build Two Slip Ramps on Northeast Extension". Commission News Release. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
edit