October 2025
Stuck in an Unexpected Backlog? Try Our New Service
Not knowing what is causing a traffic delay or how long you’ll be stuck there can be frustrating, so the PA Turnpike has a solution. While we work to keep backlogs rare, when they do occur, our new 47676 service will keep customers informed.
Historic Moment for Open Road Tolling
In the early morning hours of Sept. 25, crews installed the final overhead gantry, spanning across the PA Turnpike between Harrisburg West and Harrisburg East. That makes 42 total gantries across the system as Open Road Tolling expands to the entire PA Turnpike.
First-of-Their-Kind Tools Boost Safety for Workers, Travelers
PA Turnpike crews use the Lift-a-Loft to change lights inside the Tuscarora Tunnel. This lift can be swapped between trucks and is a first of its kind -- but it's not the only unique new gear the PA Turnpike has deployed.
New 47676 Text Service Keeps Customers Informed During Unexpected Backlogs
Occasionally, traffic backlogs happen, and Mike Pack knows just how frustrating that can be.
That’s why Pack, who is the PA Turnpike’s Manager of Incident Management and Traffic Operations, and his team launched a service earlier this year that is unique to the PA Turnpike and will give customers vital information when they are in an unexpected backlog.
It’s called 47676, and since its launch in March, Pack is thrilled that about 8,500 people have used the service.
Here’s how it works: While at a complete stop in a safe location during an unexpected backlog on the roadway, customers can use a hands-free device with voice command or ask a passenger to text “Info” to 47676. Users will be guided through some prompts to verify their location and will receive automated updates about what happened and how long it will take to clear the incident every 15 to 20 minutes. Texts stop after the incident clears.
Customers should use the service for unexpected backlogs only and not the usual, daily commuter traffic or construction.
The 47676 service uses the PA Turnpike Traffic Ops Center’s Advanced Traffic Management System, or ATMS, drawing from the same data feed that sends traffic information to 511PA, Waze, Google, and all the other traffic and GPS services.
While there are many ways to get information, 47676 is unique, Pack said, because “If you’re stuck in a backlog, you can get specific texts sent to your phone. It’s more personalized.”
It's all part of the PA Turnpike’s Culture of Innovation. Back in 2022, Pack and his team pitched the idea to the PA Turnpike Innovation Council during their Shark Tank event. Like the television show of the same name, it’s a fun way to encourage inventions and innovations from within the ranks of the PA Turnpike.
And what was once a spark of an idea and a pitch to a panel of “sharks” has become a reality for customers, and for this and other advancements in transportation, Pack was recently recognized as the Intelligent Transportation Society of Pennsylvania’s Person of the Year.
Although it launched in March, 47676 is still evolving. One customer recently reported that traffic was not moving an inch, but 47676 showed no incident. That’s because the customer was stuck in the residual delays often found after a backlog, Pack said. He and his team got to work on an update, and in the next few months, 47676 users will receive a message indicating, “incident has cleared, expect delays as traffic returns to normal conditions” in those situations.
It's a great service that came from within and that Pack would like to see continue to grow.
“I think it’s great for our customers, and I’m happy they’re using it,” Pack said. “It speaks volumes about our culture of the Turnpike. We want to hear new ideas and be leaders in the industry, and the Turnpike will support our projects going forward.”
Final Gantry Installed as Part of Open Road Tolling
Construction work with the Open Road Tolling (ORT) project hit a significant milestone last month as crews installed the final overhead gantry, located between the Harrisburg West and Harrisburg East interchanges.
Using a crane, a crew from contractor Road-Con hoisted the huge monotube on top of the two columns on either side of the highway and slowly lowered it into place and made the proper connections, all in about 20 minutes in the early morning hours of Sept. 25.
Here's a look at them on the job:
ORT tolls customers while they’re traveling on the highway rather than at the old toll booths for a seamless travel experience. It launched east of Reading and along the Northeast Extension in January and is coming to the rest of the PA Turnpike in January 2027.
The overhead gantry between Harrisburg West and Harrisburg East, like the 17 others in central and western Pennsylvania, will soon hold the equipment that registers E-ZPass transponders and photographs license plates of customers driving underneath.
Since the old toll plazas will no longer be needed, they will be demolished. That process has already started in the east, where ORT is live, and you can read all about that in last month’s edition of The Road Ahead.
First-of-Their-Kind Tools Boost Safety for Workers, Travelers
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is rolling out some cutting-edge technology, designed to improve safety for both highway crews and travelers.
The first is the Mobile Lane Signaling (MLS) system, which originates from the Netherlands and is making its U.S. debut to help guide traffic through construction sites and major events like the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. The MLS system is a trailer-mounted, overhead set of digital signs that can be positioned over multiple highway lanes, giving real-time guidance about lane restrictions, speed adjustments, and merging instructions.
"With traditional static signs, we are limited to where we can place overhead signs,” Director of Traffic Engineering and Operations for the PA Turnpike Tom Macchione said. “This equipment allows us to provide advanced communication to our drivers on which lanes they should be in or upcoming speed variables, particularly with truck drivers.”
The MLS features a retractable LED display, a crash cushion, and 24-hour autonomous operation.
At the same time, the PA Turnpike is expanding its Maintenance fleet with two first-of-their-kind Lift-a-Lofts.
These truck-mounted platforms can elevate a crew to reach high-up places, like a tunnel roof. While trucks with attached platforms are nothing new, these Lift-a-Loft platforms can be removed and swapped between trucks, allowing crews to share the platforms. It saves roughly $300,000 on new-vehicle purchases since trucks that are not using the Lift-a-Loft can be dedicated to other jobs.
“We are proud to keep raising the bar when it comes to transportation innovation and this industry-first piece of equipment is no different,” said Craig Shuey, PA Turnpike Chief Operating Officer. “That success is possible thanks to a workforce eager to find and implement new ways of addressing everyday challenges.”
PA Turnpike tunnel crews have already deployed the platforms for lighting replacement, inspections, and other elevated work. Their design allows employees to work on a spacious, push-out deck with mounted lighting, a self-closing gate, and an emergency stop system — all features that improve safety and reduce risk of falls.
For Maintenance Fleet Supervisor Von McGee, who helped drive the project, the lifts are a game-changer.
“It’s a part of my job that I really enjoy. I’m a fabricator and a mechanic, so these types of projects are really up my alley,” McGee said. “Beyond tunnel work, this new platform can serve multiple functions that maximize its value and provide smarter, cost-effective tools for our maintenance operations."
These new tools join a growing list of recent field innovations, including debris-removing LaneBlades and portable solar-powered generators to snowplow simulators, drones for traffic monitoring, and enhanced rear-facing air horn systems for work zone protection.
PA Turnpike to Harness Sun to Power Office Near Pittsburgh
Construction is underway at the Western Regional Office for the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s second solar microgrid that will power the 27,000-square-foot office, as well as the Pennsylvania State Police Troop T New Stanton barracks.
Crews are installing 3,500 solar panels, along with a natural gas generator, which is expected to output a minimum of 1.2 megawatts to 2.75 megawatts at peak conditions. It is scheduled to become operable in early 2026.
"All of the panels have been put on piece by piece; it's very painstaking," Regional Facilities Manager Matt Ceroni said. "Southwest Pennsylvania is notorious for being very rocky underneath, so it can present some challenges when installing solar rack support posts, which we had here and which we've overcome."
VIDEO: Solar Grid Nearing Completion
Ceroni said at least 80% of the power generated at the Western Regional Office will also be returned to the grid, allowing for the PA Turnpike to generate revenue. An added benefit is the need for more electricity to power the PA Turnpike's forthcoming backup data center.
"Data centers require tons of power and this is going to allow us to power that data center without impacting the local grid," Ceroni said.
The Greensburg District Maintenance Shed, located on the Amos K. Hutchison Bypass (PA Toll 66) in Jeanette, is also powered by a massive solar array. A tolling industry first when it became operational in 2021, the Greensburg microgrid saves the PA Turnpike more than $400,000 a year by selling energy back to the grid.
"It's a very similar setup (at the Western Regional Office) and we did learn many lessons, and we've applied some of them here and of course we've learned some new lessons here as well, which we're going to apply to the future jobs and honestly I don't think you're ever going to quit learning," Ceroni said.
In all, the PA Turnpike is also working on a plan for up to 15 solar generation systems on PA Turnpike-owned land adjacent to its roadway.
The PA Turnpike is the only agency in Pennsylvania to achieve a perfect score from the PA GreenGov Council. The PA Turnpike has also set a goal to become America's First Sustainable Superhighway by 2040.