The Pennsylvania Turnpike

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Turnpike Improvement

Date		Description

September 6, 1962		Groundbreaking on Laurel Hill Bypass and boring of second Allegheny Tunnel.
October 30, 1964		Laurel Hill Bypass (3.1 miles) opened, eliminating two-lane, 4,541-foot-long Laurel Hill Tunnel.
March 15, 1965		Second Allegheny Tunnel opened; original tunnel closed for refurbishing.
December 1965		Median barrier installation completed on entire east-west Turnpike.
April 1966		Work begins on second tunnels at Blue, Kittatinny, and Tuscarora Mountains.
August 25, 1966		Original Allegheny Tunnel reopened.
November 26, 1968		Sideling Hill Bypass (13.3 miles) opened, eliminating two, two-lane tunnels: Ray's Hill (3,532 feet) and Sideling Hill (6,782 feet).
November 26, 1968		Second Blue, Kittatinny, and Tuscarora tunnels opened.
August 14, 1969		Median barrier completed on entire Turnpike.
December 2, 1981		Completion of three climbing-lane projects (Allegheny, Indian Creek and Jacobs Creek).
May 20, 1982		Computerization and renovation of toll collection system begins.
September 13, 1983		Last original 1940 toll booth still in service at Blue Mountain Interchange is decommissioned, dismantled, and sent to the Smithsonian Institution. (Another, from Fort Littleton Interchange, has been moved to the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society grounds near Tarentum and is the only one that remains standing assembled, intact and open to the public.)
March 10, 1986		Six-lane widening project begins (junction of Northeastern Extension to Philadelphia Interchange).
July 22, 1987		Computerized toll collection system goes into service.
November 27, 1987		Opening of six-lane section near Philadelphia.
June 9, 1988		Groundbreaking on the Mon/Fayette, six-mile link between US 40 and I-70 (Turnpike 43 - James J. Manderino Highway).
February 14, 1989		Groundbreaking for second Lehigh Tunnel ($37 million) to eliminate the last remaining section of two-lane highway on the Turnpike.
October 20, 1989		Groundbreaking for $20 million Mahoning River Bridge, first part of 16.5-mile, $240 million James E. Ross Highway (Turnpike 60) expansion project.
December 5, 1989		Phase I of installation of call boxes along Turnpike.
December 19, 1989		Groundbreaking for $53 million Mid-County Interchange with I-476 (Blue Route) in Montgomery County.
June 13, 1990		Second Lehigh Tunnel is "holed through" (crews from north and south ends met where last unexcavated section was blasted away).
June 15, 1990		Groundbreaking for first roadway section of James E. Ross Highway (Turnpike 60).
July 4, 1990		Turnpike initiates cellular-phone emergency service.
October 12, 1990		The opening of the first six-mile section of the James J. Manderino Highway (Turnpike 43) linking Interstate 70 and US 40 in Washington County.
July 16, 1991		Opening of Keyser Avenue "Ramp C" located on the Northeastern Extension.
November 8, 1991		First coin drop ramp opened on the James E. Ross Highway (Turnpike 60) at Mt. Jackson.
November 22, 1991		Complete installation of call boxes along the entire Turnpike.
November 22, 1991		Opening of the new Lehigh Tunnel. Construction of a new two-lane tunnel, approximately 94 feet west of and running nearly parallel to the existing Lehigh Tunnel is complete. The new Lehigh Tunnel is 4,380 feet long.
June 30, 1992		South (Turnpike 60) - First main line weigh barrier.
September 2, 1992		Main line weigh barrier at Clarks Summit replaced the Scranton (ticket) Interchange. Wyoming Interchange was removed and the new Wyoming Plaza became northern terminus for ticket system.
November 20, 1992		Opening of the James E. Ross Highway (Turnpike 60). Customers traveling on this section utilize the world's first weigh barrier toll system.
December 15, 1992		Opening of the new Mid-County Interchange.
July 13, 1993		Opening of southern section of Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass (Turnpike 66) in Greensburg.
December 9, 1993		Opening of northern section of Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass (Turnpike 66) in Greensburg.
November 1, 1994		Groundbreaking on the Mon/Fayette Expressway, West Virginia to Uniontown transportation project.
February 1, 1995		Opening of the Keyser Avenue Interchange.
May 26, 1995		Opening of the Allentown and Sideling Hill Farmers' Markets.
June 2, 1995		Groundbreaking on the Mon/Fayette, I-70 to Route 51 Transportation Project.
November 1, 1996		Northeastern Extension Redesignated as I-476.
March 1, 2000		Opening of the Mon/Fayette Expressway's Mason-Dixon Link (7.8 miles, Pennsylvania side).
December 2, 2000		Regional implementation of E-ZPass (electronic toll collection) for passenger vehicles only between the Harrisburg West Interchange (#18/242) and the Lehigh Valley Interchange (#33/56).
May 7, 2001		Four hundred Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission employees move into new $25 million renovated and expanded central administration building in Highspire, PA.
May 11, 2001		Opening of Mon/Fayette Expressway, I-70 North to Coyle Curtin Road (3.4 miles).
May 19, 2001		Regional implementation of E-ZPass for passenger vehicles only is expanded by six additional interchanges between Carlisle Interchange (#16/226) and the Wyoming Valley Toll Plaza on the Northeastern Extension.
November, 2001		Dual-numbering system installation completed. The Turnpike converted its interchange-numbering system to a "dual-numbering" system incorporating milepost designations along with existing interchange numbers on all roadway signs.
December 15, 2001		System wide implementation of E-ZPass on the ticket system for passenger vehicles. E-ZPass now available from the Delaware River Bridge to the Ohio Turnpike on the east-west mainline and from the Mid-County Interchange to the Wyoming Valley Toll Plaza on the Northeastern Extension.
April 12, 2002		The $588 million, 17-mile Mon/Fayette, I-70 to PA Route 51 Transportation Project opens for traffic.
December 14, 2002		Implementation of E-ZPass on the ticket system for commercial vehicles.

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Turnpike Speed Limit History

Date		Description

October 1, 1940		Turnpike opens to traffic with no speed limit established by law.
April 15, 1941		70 mph for passenger cars; various lower commercial speeds depending on vehicle weight.
December 1941		Wartime restriction of 35 mph imposed on all civilian traffic.
August 1945		Wartime restriction lifted; speeds limits revert to those of April 15, 1941.
July 9, 1951		70 mph for cars, buses, motorcycles. 50 mph for all other traffic.
January 15, 1953		Gateway (Ohio line) to Breezewood: 60 mph for cars, buses 45 mph for trucks.
May 7, 1956		Breezewood to Valley Forge: 70 mph for cars, buses 50 mph for trucks. Bridges: 45 mph for all traffic.
July 24, 1966		65 mph for cars, buses, motorcycles. 50 mph for commercial vehicles.
November 1973		55 mph restriction nationwide, enforced on Turnpike beginning December 2, 1973.
July 13, 1995		65 mph for cars, buses, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. 55-mph speed limit signs are posted along urban areas, prior to Turnpike tunnels, main line toll barriers, and 1 mile before construction zones. 40-mph signs are posted throughout construction zone areas.
April 3, 2001		55 mph from milepost 75 to milepost 130 ("55 for 55") for all vehicles.

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