History The Ghost Highway-the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike

It lies quietly in the Pennsylvania countryside. Its pavement is crumbling, its medians are overgrown with tall grass, and the treeline is encroaching on its shoulders, taking back the land. This is a ghost highway; the thirteen miles of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, America's first Superhighway, bypassed and abandoned in 1968.




The history of the Pennsylvania Turnpike actually began in the 1880s when railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt sought to build a railroad to compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad. The South Pennsylvania Railroad was to link the capitol city of Harrisburg and the industrial center of Pittsburgh 160 miles to the west. The right-of-way was graded and ten tunnels were partially dug through the mountains of central Pennsylvania before the project was abandoned in 1885.


Rays Hill 1880s. Andrew Carnegie, center

In 1937 the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission was established to build and operate a high-speed limited access toll road along the old SPRR right-of-way. Construction began in 1938 using Federal Works Progress Administration funds. Seven of the original ten tunnels were completed (none were bored all the way through originally). The Turnpike opened to traffic in October 1940.

This was America's first Superhighway. Four lanes, two in each direction, Seven tunnels; three over a mile in length. And not a single traffic light, stop sign, or intersection along the entire route.


The tunnels featured similar modernist facades with ventilation equipment housed in glass-fronted structures above each opening with the name of the tunnel appearing on the glass in stainless steel block letters. The interiors of the structures were brightly lit at night, backlighting the names. The tunnels were:

Laurel Hill Tunnel: Length: 4,541 ft.
Allegheny Mountain Tunnel: Length: 6,070 ft.
Ray's Hill Tunnel: Length: 3,532 ft.
Sideling Hill Tunnel: Length: 6,782 ft. (longest)
Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel: Length: 5,326 ft.
Kittatinny Mountain Tunnel: Length: 4,727 ft.
Blue Mountain Tunnel: Length: 4,339 ft.

One mile = 5280 ft.

World War II- Drivers entering the tunnels were stopped and questioned by guards posted at each entrance.






Unfortunately the tunnels had only two lanes, one in each direction. This wasn't a problem at first, but by the late 1950s they became a major source of traffic congestion. Something needed to be done.


The decision was made to bore second tunnels at Allegheny Mountain, Tuscarora, Kittatinny, and Blue Mountain, and bypass Laurel Hill, Ray's Hill, and Sideling Hill entirely. Construction began in 1962, and Laurel Hill was bypassed first in 1964. In 1968 the bypass was complete and thirteen miles of Turnpike with its three tunnels was closed to traffic forever.
1973:

1980:

Today:


The Abandoned Turnpike is now owned by the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy. The road, along with Ray's Hill and Sideling Hill tunnels, are open to cyclists and hikers. The tunnel structures, with the massive ventilation equipment still in place, are open to urban explorers.


Laurel Hill tunnel is leased to a secretive private tenant; rumored to be a racing team operating a wind tunnel inside!
EDIT: It's Ganassi Racing.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/features/a24696/racings-secret-hideout-ganassi-tunnel/

The Pennsylvania Turnpike has been extended, widened, and extensively modernized over the past 69 years. The Abandoned Turnpike is the only section that largely retains its original 1940s appearance.

I ran across a cool old home movie from 1953 of the turnpike and its tunnels:




Here's a few links to picture albums:
Library of Congress collection: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search?q=pennsylvania turnpike
http://picasaweb.google.com/floor9/AbandonedPennsylvaniaTurnpike#
http://www.pike2bike.org/history.htm
http://www.pahighways.com/toll/abandonedturnpike.html
http://www.pumpwarehouse.com/pat.html

 

very cool

 

Cool!
thanks for posting

Zach

 

Neat read, thanks.

 

very cool yet very sad at the same time. thanks for that little bit of history.

 

Sweet, love this kind of history.

 

thank you, a good read.

 

That was a really good read. Thanks!!! That movie was really cool too..

 

Thanks - I guess the roadway is closed to vehicle traffic of any kind. Too bad - it would be great scenery for movies of the period.

 

Wow! I dig that kind of stuff especially if there aren't any no trespassing signs involved. By the way if you are ever in Jerome AZ. don't let the law catch you checking out old mines.

 

Nice....

Thanks!

 

Very cool read! Thanks for posting it.

 

Very cool. Thank you for posting.

 

Funny you should mention that. The portion at Rays Hill tunnel was the site of filming for the upcoming movie, "The Road", based on the Cormac McCarthy novel.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/54LibzhuUNc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/54LibzhuUNc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Glad you like the post. I grew up in PA and never knew this existed. I remember taking the Turnpike to Carlisle with my Dad, and still remembered the tunnel names: Tuscarora, Kittatinny, Allegheny and Blue Mountain. Central PA has some of the most scenic drives in the country; especially in the fall when the leaves are changing.

 

Yeah, I was thinking great location for some period looking car shoots....nice post, it's funny how old (dumb) movies become so important at a later date....it's wonderful that your Grandparents had enough foresight to shoot it..............

 

very cool, thanks for the history lesson

 

is there any access on to the road ..or has the two ends closed off and no way to ever get a car on it?

Reason Im asking is..it would be a kick ass place to have a car show Ala HAMB....and maybe if a section of road 1 or 2 miles long was in good shape..A Drag run maybe?

or at least some photo opps.

 

THIS is why I love the HAMB. Thank you !

 

Thanks, but they weren't my grandparents. I've never been there, but I'll go next time I visit my family, and I'll bring my camera!

 

Awesome history. Id love to go in and check the guts of those tunnels out. I bet there are places in there people dont know exist!

 

Nice story about our local history. Thanks.

 

thats what I was thinking.....very cool read by the way.....

 

Thanks for a great story!
I remember well our summer family trips to visit the Grandparents on the Turnpike from lower Bucks County in southeast PA all the way across the state 370-plus miles to New Castle on the far side not far from Ohio. First in a '54 Ford Ranch Wagon (the fancy one with Crestline trim), and later a '58 Del Rio Ranch Wagon. No air conditioning... in July, sharing the back seat with little sis; no doubt we drove Mom and Dad crazy with the classic kid question "Are we there yet?" and it's popular variation, "WHEN are we gonna get there?"

 

Hey, thanks for posting this. It was a great read. I've lived in PA for over 30 years and didn't know that there was a previous turnpike and an abandoned section. I have traveled the current turpike many times during my trips to Western PA and Ohio and didn't even know. Now I'm going to have to try to visit the area.

I found out about 10 years ago that there had been a MA-PA railroad that came out of Harford County Maryland and ran up to York PA. There had been wooden trestle bridges across wide ravines and all of the other neat stuff associated with steam trains. It was abandoned years ago and finding it has been difficult. Hopefully I will be able to get to the old turnpike more easily.

Thanks again for a great post and the history lesson.

 

Thanks! That long straight section looks like a good place to rebuild and start the Penn Turnpike Racing Association.

 

I run it maybe twice a month.

My late Father in Law was on the concrete gang doing the original cement work on the "Pike" I forget how many miles or sections he said they had to do a day.

I was also told the Laurel Hill Tunnel is a secret US Government storage area. I know it has tons of security & fencing around it.

 

I bet that's where that Stargate thing is...........All kidding aside, this was a facinating read. Thank You!!!!

 

That is so freaking cool!!!!!

 

Thanks for the posting, pictures and film. I grew up in that part of the country and've been on the Turnpike a few times as a kid. Hadn't recalled those memories in awhile.

Thanks again.