At a cost of more than $61 million, the 160-mile roadway took 770,000 tons of sand, 1,200,000 tons of stone, 50,000 tons of steel, and more than 300,000 tons of cement to complete. For truckers, the down-hill travel on the low grades would be mechanically safer, and all motorists could enjoy a safe journey while also saving time. Called the "Tunnel Highway" or "America's Super Highway," the seven-tunnel Pennsylvania Turnpike opened 60 years later in the fall of 1940 as a four-lane highway. The construction began in the 1880s but was never completed, even though a combined total of 4.5 miles of tunnel had been dug through seven mountains. The Turnpike originally began as a railway route. Note the snow removal so that the area could be used. It's amazing that the tunnels look almost untouched after standing, unmaintained, for more than 40 years.Back in Time The Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpikeįor those motorists planning to travel the Pennsylvania Turnpike this week, have no fear-it is not abandoned.īut there is a 13-mile stretch of the Turnpike, with three tunnels and a travel plaza, east of the Breezewood area, that was bypassed in 1968 and dubbed "The Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike." To see what led up to the bypassing of this stretch of the highway is to go back in time to the Turnpike's origin.Ī bird's-eye view of today's Pennylvania Turnpike and the stretch of old Turnpike At one point a small stretch of the abandoned road was used to test the technology that brought safety features such as rumble strips, road reflectors, and guardrails. The abandoned Turnpike has had other uses in its retirement. It runs parallel to the modern turnpike, from Breezewood stretching east. The Abandoned turnpike is one of the oddest attractions in Pennsylvania. The Man and his son are forced to hide as the gang’s truck emerges from Ray's Hill Tunnel, on the disused Pennsylvania Turnpike a couple of miles northeast of Breezewood, Pennsylvania. It was even featured prominently in the 2009 movie, “The Road”, starring Viggo Mortensen because it looked so post-apocalyptic. Over the years, this section of abandoned turnpike in Pennsylvania had a variety of uses, including turnpike worker training and military training exercises. The road was bypassed in 1968 when a modern stretch opened to ease traffic congestion in the tunnels. It’s now owned by Nature Conservancy, and is being transformed into a biking and hiking trail. The property is officially closed to the public and ATVs, dirt bikes, and other motorized vehicles are prohibited on the property, but bicycle riders are free to use it at their own risk. It was a marvel of engineering and political achievement known as the Tunnel Highway because it traversed seven tunnels. Tucked away in northern Fulton County, the road was paved and opened in 1940. Located in the middle of a forest in south central Pennsylvania, near Breezewood, in USA, a 13-mile (21 km) stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was abandoned in the 1950's when bypasses were built over the mountains and the road was suddenly obsolete after the single-lane tunnels were found to cause massive bottlenecks.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |