[foreverfree]

I waited till today, the birthday of the original 160-mile Carlisle-to-Irwin segment, which I've driven (not in one fell swoop). I've also driven other segments.

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[foreverfree]

Make that "I waited till today, the birthday of the original 160-mile Carlisle-to-Irwin segment, which I've driven (not in one fell swoop), to post this. I've also driven other segments."

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[ConservativeInPA]

Here we have the poster child of an overpriced, poorly maintained road that employs hordes of lazy ass and overpaid government employees. Yes, let’s celebrate.

[BenLurkin]

Do they charge tolls on that turnpike?

Seem to recall that it was sold to voters on the idea that once the construction cost was recovered — tolls would be discontinued and the road would be free.

[SamAdams76]

Turnpikes are the greatest.

I remember driving the Massachusetts Turnpike all the way from Boston to the NY border and then back again. I would stop at the rest areas along the way to get coffee and food.

[EC Washington]

81 is still not connected to the turnpike. you have to get off in Carlisle and drive 2 miles on a pot hole filled road to enter 76. With all of the new warehouses in Carlisle, truck traffic is a nightmare.

[Olog-hai]

Originally the roadbed of the unbuilt South Pennsylvania Railroad.

[Dalberg-Acton]

The Dallas to Fort Worth section of I-30 began as a turnpike. It was paid off and opened. Part of it is now named for Tom Landrey.

[BluH2o]

Lived in CT for a number of years. Business trips by car took me across the entire length of the PA Turnpike numerous times, as well as I-80 that parallels the Turnpike across northern part of the state. Spent many nights in hotel/motel in Breezewood (Exit 161) over the years. The last time I drove the PA Turnpike, about six years ago, the traffic was horrific … practically bumper to bumper at 70 mph. Heavy rain as in a thunderstorm cause fatal accidents with distressing frequency on the turnpike.

[Fresh Wind]

...the thoughts that come to mind are: antiquated, too many trucks and, more than anything, ever-rising tolls.

Don't forget the perpetual construction zones.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Some of the potholes are at least 70.

[dfwgator]

If only Sonny had an EZ-Pass.

[JimRed]

My friends and I rode and raced our bikes on the not-yet-opened Garden State Parkway when we were 9-10-11 years old. It opened (the section serving our area) in 1954. Other parts had been under construction since 1947.

Still a newbie compared to the PaTpk.

[maddog55]

I won’t take any toll road period.

[fatboy]

I moved to PA in 2004, we live about 3 miles from interchange 74 on the North East Extension (opened in 1957-59) in the Poconos, the former PA SR-9 now I-476. I know people that work for the turnpike and I’m a volunteer firefighter, my fire company has the contract to respond to turnpike calls on 12 miles northbound and 14 miles southbound. The turnpike commission pays us for every dispatch and some months it’s quite a bit of money. We see some very nasty wrecks on this road.

Part of that (in Carbon County) has a bridge over the Lehigh River, it was replaced a few years ago at a cost of 106 million dollars, the most costly construction project in Carbon County history. Just south of that is the Lehigh Tunnel through the Blue Mountain. My understanding is that the northbound tubes will be refurbished soon which will probably take years and force traffic into/out of the Poconos onto the northbound tubes causing a huge bottleneck.

There are times when taking the turnpike makes sense but as others have said it’s expensive and the tolls go up all the time. So I try to avoid using the turnpike as much as possible.

The history of the PA Turnpike (or as known around here as the Penna Turnpike) is very interesting. The first time I was on it, was the East West portion in 1976, went from the NJ border to New Stanton. Even then there were short sections in the hills that traffic was reduced to 1 lane each direction. Mt thoughts at the time were that the PA Turnpike was quite crude in comparison to the Garden State Parkway or even the NJ Turnpike.

I recall driving the North East Extension in 1990 for a business trip, the Lehigh Tunnel southbound tube was under construction at that time.

I’m surprised that the author of the linked article didn’t mention in addition to I-80 traffic also will use I-78 whcih is positioned between the Turnpike East West and I-80. I-76 travels from New Jersey, through the Lehigh Valley ending in Harrisburg.

[hinckley buzzard]

I rode the PA Turnpike in the early fifties as a child. It was an exciting thing back then, the only real superhighway in the country. At the Howard Johnson restaurant/rest stops they sold souvenir packets of small photos, things like an aerial view of a cloverleaf interchange! Or a toll booth!

Historical note: when the Turnpike opened, it had no speed limit. Motorists were simply advised To “drive carefully.”

[cyclotic]

Here’s an idea Pennsylvania, either lower the tolls or fix the sinks in the rest areas. It’s amazing how few of them actually work.

[workerbee]

PA Turnpike?!?! Avoid at all cost. Freakin’ death trap!