July 2026
New Ramp Officially Opens On PA Turnpike
Pennsylvania Turnpike and local government officials from Montgomery County officially cut the ribbon Tuesday on the Fort Washington Zip Ramp. This limited-access ramp improves mobility and reduces congestion with a direct connection from the PA Turnpike’s Fort Washington Interchange to the Greater Fort Washington District at Commerce Drive.
Allegheny Tunnel Guards Share Their Story
The vehicle fire in the Allegheny Tunnel last month was the biggest incident the tunnel guards there had ever seen, but their training and teamwork paid off as they helped evacuate 150 people and stopped traffic in time for fire crews to arrive.
New Work Zone Cameras Coming This Summer
The award-winning Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Program has reduced work zone crashes by up to 50% when cameras are present, and this summer, both the PA Turnpike and PennDOT are expanding the program and adding more cameras to their arsenals.
PA Turnpike Opens New Ramp Connecting to Commerce District at Fort Washington Interchange
It’s a short distance of roadway, but it will make a big difference to commuters and to economic development in a busy area of suburban Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and Upper Dublin Township officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, officially opening the new Fort Washington Zip Ramp.
“Our strategic focus is to be a better neighbor,” PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton said. “Open Road Tolling enables us to do projects like this to be a better neighbor.”
PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton speaks at the Fort Washington Interchange Zip Ramp ribbon cutting ceremony.
Previously, commuters exiting at Fort Washington could access State Route 309 or continue to Pennsylvania Avenue. The new limited-access ramp gives them a third option that connects directly with the growing Fort Washington District at Commerce Drive to improve mobility, reduce congestion, and enhance access throughout the region.
This project was made possible by Open Road Tolling, the cashless, free-flowing system that tolls customers from overhead gantries on the roadway rather than funneling them through the old-style interchanges with tolling plazas. Senior Engineer Project Manager Steve Dale, who oversees the toll plaza demolition and interchange reconfiguration portion of ORT, was pleased to attend the ceremony and watch the ceremonial first vehicle drive on the new ramp and open a world of possibilities.
“It will definitely be beneficial with much easier access to the downtown Commerce Drive area,” he said.
For local officials, it’s been a long-time coming.
PA Turnpike and Upper Dublin Township officials officially open the Fort Washington Interchange with a ribbon cutting.
Kurt Ferguson, Executive Director of the Municipal Authority of Upper Dublin Township, said the group had undertaken an aggressive campaign to transform the region into the center of commerce it is today, and the new zip ramp is a milestone event in creating a connection for commuters.
“Thank you to the (PA) Turnpike Commission for continuing to work toward this goal and support this ramp,” Ferguson said. “It would have been much easier to use the Open Road Tolling as a reason to say ‘no.’ Instead, the Turnpike Commission embraced the vision of this ramp’s meaning to Fort Washington and worked to incorporate it into Fort Washington’s interchange’s future.
Compton added partnerships like this can happen across the state now with ORT.
“It’s nice to see the plan come together,” Compton said. Working with great local partners opens many possibilities for the community and economic development, he said, adding this project is a model for future projects across the state.
About 70% of the $1.8 million cost of the project was covered by grants.
Guards On Duty for Vehicle Fire in Allegheny Tunnel Share Their Story
Most days, it’s business as usual for Banner Mann as he keeps an eye on a wall of monitors from his office, carved into the side of the mountain. But June 4 was no ordinary day at the Allegheny Tunnel.
“I started noticing brake lights,” Mann said.
He scanned the monitors, connected to cameras throughout the 6,070 feet of the tunnel, until he found the source of the backup – a pickup truck hauling a trailer. And he knew right away there was a problem.
“I could see flames coming out of the fenders and the wheel wells.”
Tunnel Guards (from left) Chad Leppert, Banner Mann, and Scott Shroyer, and Tunnel and Field Training Supervisor Todd Porter had never seen anything quite like the Allegheny Tunnel fire, but their quick actions helped all 150 customers get to safety without major injury.
Mann and his fellow tunnel guards jumped into action and were the first on the scene of a vehicle fire in the Allegheny Tunnel.
As Mann monitored the situation from above, Tunnel Guard Scott Shroyer rushed to the east end, pulled his truck into the roadway, and waved a flashing stop sign to close the road and prevent additional vehicles from entering the tunnel.
At the same time, Tunnel Guard Chad Leppert drove into the tunnel for a closer look, and when he couldn’t bring his truck any further because of the stopped vehicles – the red glow of brake lights filling the tunnel -- he got out and ran the rest of the way. Toward the fire.
“(The truck) was fully engulfed, and the smoke – you couldn’t see anything,” Leppert recalled. “I couldn’t even see my handheld radio.”
But he managed to call the incident back to Mann and the Traffic Operations Center to give them the details. Leppert, afraid the fire would spread to other cars, started evacuating people from the tunnel, knocking on windows and leading them to the other end of the tunnel – nearly a mile away to safety. While many of those closest to the fire were already on the way out, others needed to be coaxed from their cars, afraid to leave their belongings.
Soon after Shroyer had stopped traffic and Leppert led the 150 customers to safety, state police arrived followed by firefighters from several volunteer companies and PA Turnpike crews with industrial fans to clear the smoke.
After the team escorted the customers out of the tunnel, emergency crews gave them blankets and water, and they were soon bused to the nearby Kegg Maintenance Facility, where they waited for several hours for fire crews to finish their work and for the tunnel to reopen. The fire was contained to one vehicle and did not spread, though it caused some damage in the tunnel – but not enough damage to threaten its structural integrity.
For the Allegheny Tunnel crew, Tunnel and Field Training Supervisor Todd Porter is proud of their quick actions in a difficult situation.
“The guards here did their job. They did what they were trained to do,” Porter said, adding the scenario changes drastically when a tunnel fills with smoke. “They were outstanding.”
They were calm and handled the emergency well in a situation that none of them had ever experienced before, he added. But it all came down to their training and dedication.
“That’s what we do,” Shroyer added. “It’s just a part of the job.”
New Work Zone Cameras Coming This Summer
With more Pennsylvania Turnpike Maintenance workers and construction crews on the road during the summer, it’s important for drivers to slow down and pay attention when they see orange.
This award-winning Work Zone Speed Safety Camera program is expanding during this construction season because it works, reducing work zone crashes by 50% when the mobile units are present.
Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras, like the one pictured above, set up recently in Lancaster County, have helped reduce work zone crashes around the state. The PA Turnpike and PennDOT are adding more cameras to the program this summer and will have a dozen each.
“It’s very satisfying, and it’s something the whole commission can be proud of,” said Senior Engineer Project Manager Chad Smith, who heads up the program at the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
The Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Program started as a five-year pilot to slow drivers down in work zones. It was so successful that Gov. Josh Shapiro signed legislation in December 2023 to make the program permanent.
The way it works is speed cameras mounted on pickup trucks parked in work zones catch speeders and send them a warning at first, followed by citations for subsequent violations. The PA Turnpike and PennDOT currently share 17 Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras, but under an expansion of the program, both agencies will have a dozen each by mid-summer.
“With these new cameras, we can cover more work zones simultaneously,” Smith said. “They will help promote consistent safe-driving behavior.”
Last year, the program won the American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania’s Grand Conceptor Award, the top prize in the organization’s Diamond Award for Engineering Excellence.;
But the important thing for Smith is that the program is working, and it is slowing drivers in work zones. And other states are taking notice.
“It’s definitely a national success story,” Smith said. “The Pennsylvania program is seen as the gold standard with work zone speed safety cameras. Other agencies have reached out to us for information as they try to get legislation and build their own programs.”