May 2026: Trucker Edition
More Truck Parking Planned for Western PA Turnpike
The PA Turnpike is working to expand its truck-parking spaces around the system, and 30 new spots are in the works at the westernmost interchange. Engineers are drafting the documents now to add those spots at the Gateway Interchange.
Work on Direct Connection to I-70 at Breezewood Begins
The congestion headaches truckers face trying to connect to Interstate 70 from the PA Turnpike will be a thing of the past with the Breezewood Interchange Project. Preliminary engineering has started on a project that will benefit both travelers and the Breezewood community.
Open Road Tolling Expanding Statewide
Open Road Tolling is live east of Reading and along the Northeast Extension, and it is expanding to the rest of the PA Turnpike. It’s a cashless, free-flowing system, and truckers will enjoy the fact that it reduces idling and slowing at interchanges.
More Truck Parking Planned for Western PA Turnpike
Good news for truck drivers entering the Keystone State – roughly 30 new parking spots for truckers to stop and get their mandatory rest time are coming to the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
“This is a chance to provide some more much-needed places for truckers to park on our system,” said Senior Engineer Project Manager Steve Brousse, who is heading up the project.
Those 30 spots are planned for the Gateway Interchange at the Ohio line.
The PA Turnpike is planning on adding 30 new parking places for truckers at the Gateway Interchange. This comes on top of the 150 additional spots added at several service plazas over the last few years.
As Open Road Tolling expands across the PA Turnpike, creating a free-flowing, cashless system, the old toll plazas will no longer be needed and are being demolished to create more open interchanges. Some create the potential for other uses.
Brousse explained the Gateway Interchange is a little different and is the ideal place to add a few more spots. The interchange there is already bypassing the old toll plaza, which already has some of the existing infrastructure like restrooms. The site also has a long enough ramp into and out of the bypassed toll plaza – where the new parking spots will be added – so that trucks can safely pull in and pull back out and get up to speed.
The design phase is about 75% complete and is expected to wrap up in early 2027 with construction starting as soon as late 2027 or early 2028.
Most PA Turnpike truck parking is located at service plazas, said Senior Engineer Project Manager Matt Blough, who is working with Brousse on the project. But with a growing number of warehouses in Pennsylvania and an increasing amount of truck traffic on the PA Turnpike, finding safe and convenient parking for truckers is crucial.
These additional spots come on top of about 150 new truck parking spots added over the last few years at the Lawn, Highspire, and Sideling Hill service plazas. More are in the works, too. PA Turnpike officials announced last year they are evaluating opportunities to add 600 spaces across the system, and at the same time, PennDOT officials are adding 1,202 truck-parking spaces at 133 locations statewide by the end of the year.
You can find availability on PennDOT highways and on the PA Turnpike on the 511PA website and app.
Work on Direct Connection to I-70 at Breezewood Begins
The Pennsylvania Turnpike has started the preliminary engineering design phase on an area with heavy truck traffic that will allow long haulers to bypass one of the most congested interchanges – a project made possible by Open Road Tolling.
A direct connection between the PA Turnpike and Interstate 70 at Breezewood is in the works and will be a benefit to both travelers and the community.
The new Breezewood Project will:
- Create a direct connection between the PA Turnpike and Interstate 70 bypassing Breezewood.
- Be a smoother and safer commute.
- Reduce idling and save time.
The redesigned Breezewood Interchange will maintain local access to State Route 30 in Breezewood, while also providing commercial and passenger traffic with a direct connection to Interstate 70, accommodating travelers who want to remain on the PA Turnpike while offering those visiting Breezewood a safer, less congested entry to the community.
For truckers, that means no idling, less wear and tear, and less diesel burned.
"It's a smoother transition," Breezewood Project Manager Mohammad Mohammad previously told The Road Ahead. "For truckers, time is money, and idling is money, too."
Breezewood is among the first communities that will benefit from the flexible interchange design now possible thanks to Open Road Tolling, which goes live across the entire system in January 2027. Since toll plazas are no longer needed at interchanges with the cashless, free-flowing tolling system, access points like the Breezewood project or new interchanges to new communities require a significantly smaller footprint at a lower cost and potentially inspire economic development.
Construction is still about a decade away with preliminary engineering continuing through 2029. Over the next few years, the project will explore design options, study traffic patterns, view environmental and noise impacts, and start geotechnical engineering work on the road, bridges, drainage, and stormwater management facilities. They will also perform field work related to utilities, property boundaries and permitting.
You can track the progress here: Breezewood Interchange Project
Next Big Step: Open Road Tolling Equipment Installation Moves Into Central, Western PA
Open Road Tolling (ORT) successfully launched more than one year ago in the eastern part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and on the Northeast Extension, and crews are now hard at work on the next phase: Installing and connecting tolling equipment across the rest of the state.
Open Road Tolling (ORT) is live east of Reading and is expanding to the rest of the PA Turnpike.
ORT is a free-flowing, cashless system that allows customers to travel at highway speeds without slowing down at toll booths. Instead, tolls are collected electronically as vehicles pass beneath overhead gantries. The system went live east of Reading and on the Northeast Extension in January 2025, but much work remains.
Get caught up on how this new system tolls truckers here.
Throughout 2025, crews constructed 18 gantries between interchanges across the rest of the PA Turnpike’s mainline. With construction complete, the focus has shifted in 2026 to installing the tolling technology itself.
So far this year, 15 total gantry sites are in various stages of installation as crews mount lights, cameras to capture license plate images, and antennas and readers that detect E-ZPass transponders from vehicles traveling below. Roadway “loops” were also installed to count axles of passing vehicles, while scanners measure vehicle height to ensure proper toll classification.
Benefits of Open Road Tolling:
- Meets customer preferences for cashless payment options
- Increases access, boosts economy, improves mobility
- Safer for drivers at entry and exit points
- Saves time and improves efficiency
- For truckers, coming online with ORT is our Automated Vehicle Classification system, under which the PA Turnpike aligns with national standards and tolls by axle count and height rather than weight
Recharge at PA Turnpike Service Plazas During Busy Summer
If you’re looking for a break from the road this summer, be sure to visit the PA Turnpike’s service plazas to relax and recharge.
And along with food, fuel, and restrooms, plenty of activities are in store for this busy sunny season, and one particular service plaza will give you a unique connection to the great outdoors.
The NFL Draft in Pittsburgh back in April was the start of a busy few months at the PA Turnpike. Be sure to stop by our service plazas during your breaks and join in on the fun this summer.
In June and July, Philadelphia is home to six FIFA World Cup matches, and we are celebrating at several service plazas in the area. Stop by for the FIFA fun June 14 through July 4 at the Allentown, King of Prussia, Valley Forge, Peter J. Camiel, and Bowmansville service plazas.
Also in July, we will be hosting similar events in the Philadelphia region for the Major League Baseball All Star Game. These events are similar to what we ran for the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh last month, with activities, promotions, artwork, and more.
Beyond that, America’s First Superhighway is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, planning activities this summer aligning with America250PA.
If your travels take you through the central part of the state, be sure to visit Sideling Hill. Not only does this service plaza – located just east of Breezewood and accessible from both the eastbound and westbound directions – have more than 60 new truck-parking spaces, but it’s a chance to take in some fresh air and exercise.
The Sideling Hill Trailhead opened last fall as a place where the highway meets the wilds. From this adventure starting point, travelers have access to more than 600 miles of nearby trails connecting to destinations like the Buchanan State Forest and Raystown Lake. You can even hike or bike The Old PA Pike Trails – a short jaunt away -- to check out the PA Turnpike’s abandoned tunnels, taking in a bit of history.
And if you just want to soak in the rays at the Trailhead itself, you can enjoy the picnic area, a bike wash station, and all of the amenities of the service plaza.
Find out more about the Sideling Hill Trailhead here. You can also learn more by signing up for our Sideling Hill newsletter here.