August 2026

Two new projects creating new connections get green light from Commissioners

Travelers will have more convenient connections to America’s First Superhighway in central and western Pennsylvania with a pair of projects that are only possible thanks to Open Road Tolling.

A set of new access points connecting PA 283 to the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Harrisburg and a new interchange at State Route 981 in Westmoreland County both got the green light from the PA Turnpike Commissioners last month. Their vote puts the projects on the PA Turnpike’s Capital Plan and could have them built in the next five years or so.

The new ramps, located at approximately Milepost 251, would provide travelers in either direction on PA 283 with an alternative route to avoid congestion at the interchange of Interstate 283 (I-283) and PA 283. One ramp will be from eastbound PA Turnpike to eastbound PA 283 and another ramp will be from westbound PA 283 to westbound PA Turnpike.

“By taking pressure off PA 283 and providing a more direct access to the PA Turnpike, we’re improving how people and goods move through this busy corridor and strengthening the transportation network in Dauphin County,” said Michael Carroll, Chairman of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and PA Secretary of Transportation.

You can learn more about this project here.

And for the new interchange, it will be located around Milepost 80.8 in Mount Pleasant Township near the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport.

 “By building on investments already made along Route 981, this new access point will improve mobility, strengthen access to a major transportation network and create new opportunities for businesses, jobs and economic growth in Westmoreland County and across the Commonwealth,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton.

Funding is available for this project due to changes to the similar, nearby SR 130 Interchange Project, which is currently paused for further study on significant traffic mitigation needs associated with the proposed interchange.   

Find out more here.

Both the new access point to 283 and the new interchange to 981 are now possible due to the PA Turnpike Commission’s transition to Open Road Tolling (ORT), a cashless, free-flowing mode of collecting tolls without traditional toll plazas or toll booths, which reduces the cost and footprint of new connections to new communities.

PA Turnpike, state police toll enforcement crackdown holds drivers accountable

The Pennsylvania State Police called it Operation Light Speed.

It wasn’t a new kind of engine for their cruisers, but it did give a warp-drive boost to their toll-enforcement collaboration with the Pennsylvania Turnpike and contributed to the collection of more than $2 million in unpaid tolls.

And some of the enforcement tools they used were pretty high tech.

“We used ALPR, which is Automated License Plate Recognition technology in our vehicles,” said Pennsylvania State Police Troop T spokesman Cpl. Rick Levan. “If a vehicle drove by with a suspended registration for unpaid tolls, that would pop up automatically.”

State police enforcement teams were out in April targeting both aggressive drivers and those driving with a registration suspended over unpaid tolls, stopping more than 200 vehicles, including a single-day, record-setting 23 stops. More than 90% of those stops resulted in drivers taking action to pay toll balances or comply with regulations. Some of those who were stopped were able to enter into payment plans.

Unpaid tolls collected from that record-setting day exceeded $48,000, with the opportunity to collect more than $130,000 in past-due toll balances. Another day’s enforcement action stopped one customer owing the PA Turnpike more than $100,000.

“As we refine and enhance future enforcement efforts, drivers who continue to ignore invoices will face consequences,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “While the majority of our 550,000 daily customers follow the law and pay their tolls on time, we will continue to target evaders and make measurable progress on claiming what we’re owed.”

Drivers who owe $250 in unpaid tolls and fees – or four unpaid Toll by Plate invoices – are referred to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for registration suspension. If they’re driving with a suspended registration, it can trigger enforcement.

The PA Turnpike successfully collects 92 to 94% of transactions, which is in line with industry standards, and strategic enforcement efforts like Operation Light Speed have resulted in increased payments from that small percentage of toll absconders. In total for April, the PA Turnpike collected $2.1 million from toll-enforcement efforts – a 23% increase over the previous month.

Levan said state police targeted areas known to be frequented by the biggest offenders to maximize their efforts. Increased state police presence alone was expected to encourage some to pay.

It was a successful operation and one he’d like to continue to ensure everyone is paying their share.

“It’s not fair for other operators out there on the PA Turnpike who are paying their tolls to have people getting free rides,” Levan said.

Find out more about the April enforcement efforts here.

Longtime sustainability champion earns PA Turnpike’s first Sustainability Impact Award

A pioneer in sustainability at the Pennsylvania Turnpike has been recognized for his efforts in making more than the Keystone logo green.

Assistant Chief of Facilities Operations Keith Jack last month received the inaugural Sustainability Impact Award.

“It’s an honor, but it’s also a team effort,” Jack said after receiving the award. “I really do have to thank a lot of my team for putting all this together, believing in the mission of sustainability, and keep moving it forward every day.”

PA Turnpike Assistant Chief of Facilities Operations Keith Jack (holding award) received the first annual Sustainability Impact Award last month. He’s pictured with PennDOT Secretary and PA Turnpike Commission Chair Mike Carroll, GreenGov Council Deputy Director Matthew Reis, and PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. 

You can watch a video of the first annual Sustainability Impact Award presentation here:

2026 Sustainability Impact Award Presentation: Keith Jack

The PA Turnpike's Sustainability Committee created the award to recognize employees who demonstrate exceptional leadership and a steadfast commitment to advancing sustainability across the PA Turnpike Commission by driving measurable results, fostering innovation, and advancing the PA Turnpike Commission's vision of becoming America's First Sustainable Superhighway by 2040.

Jack, who oversees the maintenance, management and upkeep at 140 facilities across the 565-mile stretch of the PA Turnpike, was the co-founder of the Sustainability Committee and co-chaired the committee for five years.

Under his leadership, the PA Turnpike Commission became the first, and still only, agency to achieve a perfect score from Pennsylvania’s GreenGov Council and has done so for  our consecutive years. He oversaw the installation of the PA Turnpike Commission’s first-of-its-kind 3,300 panel solar microgrid that powers the Greensburg Maintenance Facility and District Trades Building.  This inspired the PA Turnpike’s energy-management strategy to include constructing a series of solar generation facilities along the PA Turnpike’s right-of-way areas, building a solar canopy at its Central Administration Building, and more.

Getting to this point was no easy feat.

“There was a lot of persistence,” Jack said, pleased that sustainability has become engrained in almost everything at the PA Turnpike in some form or another. “The culture is here now, and that’s great.”

He received the award from Sustainability Committee Co-Chairs Leslie Gervasio and Kathryn Hartzell.

“There’s no one more deserving than Keith for this award,” Gervasio said. “He’s done a lot to bring sustainability best practices to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, so it was an honor to be able to present it to him.”

The Sustainability Impact Award will be presented annually, and each year starting next year, the committee will take nominations to determine the honoree based upon their impact on sustainability and more.

But even after this first award, the work doesn’t end for Jack or the Sustainability Committee. They will continue to forge their roadmap to becoming America’s First Sustainable Superhighway by 2040.

Learn more about the award and the PA Turnpike’s sustainability efforts here.