Stay in the know. Sign up for The Road Ahead to receive the latest PA Turnpike news.

Chat With Us

PA Turnpike Skip to main content
Restore English
Restore English
  •  E-ZPass Login
  •  Pay a Bill
  •  Toll Calculator
  •  Open Road Tolling
  •  Help Center
  •  About Us FAQs
  • E-ZPass
    • About E-ZPass
    • Purchase an E-ZPass
    • Register my E-ZPass
    • Personal Account
    • Commercial Account
    • Toll Calculator
    • All-Electronic Tolling
  • Toll By Plate
    • About Toll By Plate
    • Pay a Bill
    • Toll Calculator
    • PA Toll Pay App
    • All-Electronic Tolling
    • Open Road Tolling
    • Unpaid Tolls/Enforcement
  • Traveling
    • About Traveling
    • Toll Calculator
    • Active Travel Advisories
    • Service Plazas
    • Safety
    • 511PA Travel Information
    • Construction Projects
  • Commercial
    • About Commercial Travel
    • Commercial E-ZPass
    • Permits & Restrictions
    • Service Plazas
    • Toll Calculator
    • Hazardous Materials
  • Business Hub
    • About Working with Us
    • Vendor Portal
    • Vendor Guide
    • Bids & RFPs
    • Vendor Resources
    • Investor Relations
    • Existing Innovation Submission

Milepost A53-A57 Reconstruction - Improvements

Milepost A53-A57 Northeast Extension Improvements
  • Overview
  • News
  • Improvements
  • Engagement
  • Contact

Improvements

Total reconstruction projects aim to address crucial issues to ensure safer and more efficient roadways. These projects involve the complete replacement of the pavement structure, safety and drainage upgrades, and widening to improve capacity. Additionally, they include replacing all bridges in the project corridor to meet current design standards. 

The reconstruction also addresses maintenance challenges such as milling and paving, which previously required extensive roadwork and exposed workers to traffic risks. Increasing the roadway's capacity is particularly important in high-traffic areas near Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and the Northeast Extension approaching Allentown, where six lanes are needed to handle growing traffic demands. Completing this corridor with three lanes in each direction will eliminate bottlenecks and enhance the overall flow of traffic. 

Project Benefits

Our projects are designed to bring significant improvements and benefits to the PA Turnpike. Each project aims to enhance the efficiency, safety, and overall experience for all travelers. Below are the benefits for this project:

Safety

Safety

Pavement

Pavement Condition

Capacity

Capacity

Corridor CompletionCorridor Completion

Overhead Bridge Reconstruction

Reconstructing overhead bridges is essential to make way for the widening of the PA Turnpike below, which will improve safety and road conditions.  See below for a list of both active and upcoming bridge reconstruction projects.

Tilghman Street Overhead Bridge (Milepost A57.06)

  • Traffic on Tilghman Street and I-476 are operating under the permanent configuration.
  • Mill and overlay of Tilghman Street and I-476 were completed this spring along with Polyester Polymer Concrete (PPC) overlay of the bridge deck.
  • Project seeding and stormwater management facility work is expected to continue through summer into fall.

  • Commuters using Tilghman Street and I-476 may encounter daytime or nighttime lane closures. These closures will be sporadic for various operations required to complete the project.

Construction Progress Photo

Tilghman Bridge

Lower Macungie Road Overhead Bridge (Milepost A53.38)

  • Traffic on Lower Macungie Road, Millrace Road, Little Spur Road, and I-476 are operating under the permanent configuration.
  • Final paving of Little Spur Road and I-476 were completed this spring along with demolition of the existing bridge.
  • Project seeding and stormwater management facility work is expected to continue through the summer into fall.
  • Commuters using Lower Macungie Road and I-476 may encounter daytime or nighttime lane closures. These closures will be sporadic for various operations required to complete the project.

Construction Progress Photo

Lower Macungie Bridge
Lower Macungie Rd Looking East – 04 Dec 2024Lower Macungie Rd Looking West – 04 Dec 2024

East Texas Road Overhead Bridge (Milepost A54.29)

  • Final design plans available for review 
  • Advertised for construction with a scheduled bid opening on August 26, 2026
  • PPL has completed initial relocation of the aerial line

I-78 Overhead Bridge (Milepost A56.18)

  • Final design plan available for review
  • 90% complete
  • Coordinating with PPL on outages needed for the 500kv line over the bridge

Hamilton Boulevard Overhead Bridge (Milepost A55.31)

  • Final design plan available for review
  • Design is progressing toward 75% completion by Fall 2028
  • Coordinating with utilities: PPL, Verizon, AT&T and UGI
  • Coordinating National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit application with Lehigh County Conservation District

Roadway Reconstruction & Widening

Below is a Typical Section graphic showing the configuration before and after a total reconstruction and widening project.

At project completion, the new roadway will accommodate three travel lanes in each direction, a 26-foot median, and 12-foot outside shoulders.

I476 Existing and Proposed Typical Section

Turnpike TV Videos

Check out Turnpike TV, the PA Turnpike’s video series highlighting our projects, daily operations, and team members. Watch below and visit our Turnpike TV page for the full series.

Total Reconstruction Video

Total Reconstruction

Right of Way Video

Right of Way

Final Design Video

Final Design

Noise Walls Video

Noise Walls

Documents

Explore our additional project documents for more information.

Future Detours - Proposed

A Work Zone Traffic Control Analysis was completed in conformance with PennDOT’s Traffic Engineering Manual, Publication 46, March 2013 Edition. The report includes analyses to identify anticipated delays that may result in detours during construction. See the project schedule below for the estimated construction start dates. The following detours are anticipated: 

  • The East Texas Road Bridge Replacement (T.R. 471), which crosses over the PA Turnpike at MP A54.29, will be reconstructed, resulting in a detour of traffic along East Texas Road and Hidden Valley Road. For more details, please review the second page of the design plan exhibit.
  • The Hamilton Boulevard Bridge Replacement (SR 0222), which crosses over the PA Turnpike at MP A55.31, will be reconstructed, resulting in a westbound, eastbound, or full westbound/eastbound detour of traffic along Hamilton Boulevard.

Detours will be further refined and coordinated with the municipalities and PennDOT District 5-0.

More Project Resources

Overview

Learn about this construction project.

Learn More

News

Learn the latest news about this project.

Stay Updated

Improvements

Learn about project improvements.

Learn More

Contact

Meet the team for this project.

Contact Team

  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Our Board of Commissioners
    • Commission Meeting Information
    • Our Executive Leadership
    • Design & Construction
    • PA Turnpike History
    • Investor Relations
    • Resource Library
    • Policies & Standards
    • Security & Fraud
    • About Us FAQs
  • News
    • Traffic Reports
    • The Road Ahead: Turnpike Newsletter
    • Stories from the Turnpike
    • Media Center
    • PA Turnpike Blogs
    • Right to Know Request
    • Law Enforcement Requests
    • Vehicle Registration Suspension Appeals
  • Responsibility Matters
    • Sustainability
    • Clean Water
    • Accountability
    • PA Mobility Partnership Reports
    • National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
    • Human Trafficking Awareness
  • Contract/PO Search
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • Employee Login
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • YouTube

©2026 The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission