PA Turnpike Ready to Kickoff Summer Travel Season with Busy Memorial Day Weekend

PA Turnpike Ready to Kickoff Summer Travel Season with Busy Memorial Day Weekend

Travelers should plan ahead and prepare for increased traffic

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Turnpike (PA Turnpike) is gearing up for a busy Memorial Day weekend and the start of the summer travel season.

During the holiday weekend, from May 23 to May 26, the PA Turnpike projects 2.19 million motorists will travel the PA Turnpike to get to their destination, a 2.9% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

Daily PA Turnpike traffic projections for the 2025 holiday period are as follows:

With a high number of motorists traveling the PA Turnpike this weekend, the PA Turnpike maintains its dedication to providing a safe and efficient travel experience for all and urges everyone to drive responsibly and adhere to all traffic regulations.

To ensure as many travel lanes are open as possible, PA Turnpike maintenance and construction crews will suspend all work beginning at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 22 until 11 p.m. on Monday, May 26. As part of the GEICO Safety Patrol initiative, PA Turnpike personnel will have increased patrols on the roadway, along with PA State Police.

Those heading westbound in the Somerset (Exit 110) to New Stanton (Exit 75) corridor Sunday, May 25 should note traffic could be slower from 3 to 5 p.m. as the Run for the Wall veteran’s organization is hosting their annual  300+ unit motorcade that travels from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. and the Flight 93 National Memorial, Somerset County. Riders will travel west from the Somerset Interchange starting at approximately 3:15 p.m. Sunday. The motorcade is planning a fueling stop at the New Stanton Service Plaza (MP 77.6) around 4 p.m. before exiting at New Stanton around 5 p.m. and continuing onto Interstate 70 toward their final destination at the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial in Illinois.

Travelers in the west will notice the construction of pillars and metal beams over the highway as the PA Turnpike continues its conversion to Open Road Tolling (ORT). In an ORT system, tolls are charged electronically as customers drive at highway speeds without slowing down or stopping beneath overhead structures — called gantries — located between interchanges. Equipment on the gantry and in the roadway processes E-ZPass or Toll By Plate transactions. ORT reduces confusion and lane switching associated with traditional, stop-and-go tolling. The switch to ORT occurred in January for areas east of the Reading Interchange (Exit 286) and the entirety of the Northeast Extension, while the launch on the western section of the mainline PA Turnpike is scheduled for early 2027.

Here are some tips for traveling this holiday weekend:

• Practice safe driving habits, including driving responsibly, powering off your devices and removing unnecessary distractions.
• If you see an emergency responder on the road, follow Pennsylvania’s Move Over Law and move over into an adjacent lane if it is safe to do so, or slow down to a speed of not more than 20 mph less than the posted speed limit.  
• Take advantage of the most cost-effective way to travel on the PA Turnpike with E-ZPass. Sign up online or find a nearby retailer to save 50 percent on your tolls.
• Be sure to properly mount your transponder for a more seamless trip.
• Regardless of whether you want to save with E-ZPass or travel with Toll By Plate, get ahead of your travel and easily manage your tolls through the PA Toll Pay App.
• Find out exactly how much your toll is going to be ahead of time with the PA Turnpike Toll Calculator.
• Know that help is just a call away, thanks to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Safety Patrol, sponsored by GEICO. Dial *11 via mobile phone to get support or report an incident or other emergency on the PA Turnpike.
• And remember, you will never receive a text from the PA Turnpike for unpaid tolls after your travel. Instead, you can access your account safely through the PA Toll Pay App or your E-ZPass Account to manage your account activity. When in doubt, go directly to the portal and avoid interacting with unsolicited texts, calls or emails.
  

To learn more about PA Turnpike conditions, use one of these resources:

ON THE TURNPIKE

511PA Smartphone App: real-time, hands-free PA traffic advisories

Changeable Message Signs: more than 200 boards along the PA Turnpike

ON THE WEB

511/511pa.com: live, interactive map

X/Twitter: @PATurnpikeAlert

BY PHONE

511: dial from any PA roadway for local travel information

Pennsylvania Turnpike Customer Assistance Center: 877-736-6727, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A national transportation leader, the Pennsylvania Turnpike (PA Turnpike) is the second largest tolling facility in the United States with the most miles. The PA Turnpike proudly supports safety and convenience for its more than 550,000 daily customers through 24-7 roadside assistance, round-the-clock food and fuel at 17 service plazas and a dedicated maintenance force and State Police Troop. The PA Turnpike’s approximately 1,400-person local workforce is unified in its mission; to operate a safe, reliable, customer-valued toll road system that supports national mobility and commerce. For more information about the PA Turnpike’s mission, vision and values, please visit Home | PA Turnpike.

 

 

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Media Contacts:

Marissa Orbanek, Press Secretary: (267) 408-5151, morbanek@paturnpike.com 

Crispin Havener, Assistant Press Secretary: (717) 870-2841, chavener@paturnpike.com