Pennsylvania Highways Blog - Events

Turnpike 43 FINALLY Opens to the Mason-Dixon Line

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:42:00 -0400

Tom Petty said the waiting is the hardest part, and the Turnpike Commission can attest to that musical proclamation. The Mason-Dixon Link, the portion from said line of demarcation to Exit 8 of the Mon-Fayette Expressway, was built in the late 1990s and opened for the most part on March 1, 2000. The exception was the piece from West Virginia to Exit 2 which would remain unopened for a little over a decade due to construction of WV 43 taking longer than projected due to finance issues. Ironically that problem would be solved during the economic downturn of the latter part of the last decade when ARRA, or economic stimulus, dollars were provided to the states for "shovel-ready" projects.

At last, the time finally came to let that "new road smell" loose and allow vehicles other than construction company ones to drive across the state line. For it was on July 11, 2011 that not one, but two ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held: one south of the Mason-Dixon Line and one north.

West Virginia Department of Transportation was up first at 10:30 AM and they brought their starting line-up of dignitaries including Senator Joe Manchin III and Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. Below is some footage from the West Virginia ceremony.

After the ribbon was cut, it was time to jump into the shuttle buses that were provided or your personal vehicle and head back north into Pennsylvania. Our ribbon-cutting event was not as long nor as well attended by dignitaries as West Virginia's, and it seems the size of the water bottles each had for attendees was reflective of these traits of the respective ceremonies.

The people most responsible for the highway coming into existence are behind the sign, from left to right: PTC Commissioner J. William Lincoln, new PTC CEO William K. Lieberman, Senator Richard Kasunic, and former Senator J. Barry Stout.

The ribbon was cut and thus marked the end of the 11 year wait for the Mon-Fayette Expressway's "Mason-Dixon Link" to finally cross the Mason-Dixon Line.

Officials Open Yet Another Part of Mon-Fayette Expressway - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

2011 Williamsport Meet Notes

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 22:34:00 -0400

After the 65th Little League World Series champion was crowned last month, the first Williamsport Road Enthusiast Meet was held this month, specifically today. I'd like to thank all who attended and for making the trip for the first meet in north central Pennsylvania.

The meet began as usual at 12 PM at the Bullfrog Brewery in downtown Williamsport. The food was good as well as the conversations. Mike Pruett brought some Maryland official highway maps and I brought copies of the new Turnpike System map as well as some old copies of the Pennsylvania official highway map for everyone.

After lunch, we hopped in our cars and followed US 15 to see the improvements made to the corridor over the past decade in order for it to be designated I-99. There are numerous signs along the way denoting it as the "Future I-99 Corridor."

The first stop was at the Cogan House interchange just north of the PA 14 interchange. What is interesting about this particular interchange is that the road that connects the two directions of US 15 are the original southbound lanes. They needed to be replaced due to sharp curves at the bottom of the Steam Valley hill, but the section here was retained and turned into an interchange for Cogan House.

We continued north to the next stop, at the next interchange, at PA 184 in Steam Valley. Prior to 2010, this was an at-grade intersection but of course had to be upgraded to an interchange for the I-99 designation to be applied. In order to create the junction, the right-of-ways of both US 15 and PA 184 were changed. As I mentioned above, the existing southbound lanes could not be used so the new ones were shifted eastward and the alignment of PA 184 was shifted southward. An interesting anomaly was created in that PA 184 technically doesn't end at US 15, but rather just to the east of the diamond interchange at Steam Mill Road.

I asked the group if they wanted to clinch US 15 from Williamsport to the New York state line, and everyone agreed we might as well since we were that far north. Crossing into New York, the roadway narrows down to two lanes through an interesting temporary interchange with very modern-looking light poles to illuminate the path. We made the first right to head back into Pennsylvania onto a road that connects to the old route of US 15 now known as Steuben County Route 115. Once in Lawrenceville, a few continued onto PA 287, which was extended northward after the expressway was completed to the west, and the rest onto PA 49 to head south on US 15.

The final stop of the tour was the beautiful Tioga Welcome Center, just south of the PA 287 interchange, which overlooks the Tioga Reservoir. Many have compared the recent flooding in the northern part of the state to that seen in the wake of Hurricane Agnes in 1972. That event was the impetus for construction of the reservoir, as the Allegheny Reservoir demonstrated the need by saving Western Pennsylvania the destruction seen in the east.

I showed the group the original path below of US 15 through Tioga and how it's alignment is now under water. Everyone was able to pick up brochures and maps, not only the 2010 official state one but also the 2008 Trucker's Guide to Pennsylvania. It is a black-and-white version of the regular map and the only colors on it denote the various truck routes as well as specific information for "gear jockeys" such as low clearance points and locations of steep grades. After taking the group picture there with the spectacular backdrop, we said our farewells, and headed to our respective destinations.

2010 SEPA Meet Notes

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:47:00 -0400

After a six year hiatus, the second SEPA Road Enthusiast Meet was held today. I'd like to thank all who attended and for making the trip for the second meet in the Greater Philadelphia area, which has taken the record for attendance at a Pennsylvania meet from the 2003 SWPA.

The meet began as usual at 12 PM at the Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery, home of the Route 113 India Pale Ale, on what else, PA 113 in Phoenixville. Some of the attendees did partake of the Route 113 IPA, or as PennDOT would call it the SR 0113 India Pale Ale, which just might be the official beverage for road enthusiasts over the age of 21. The food was good as well as the conversations. Many of the attendees brought road-related materials to peruse as well as to keep: Adam Froehlig - various state official maps from Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania; Doug Kerr - I-87 Northway maps; H. B. Elkins - goodie bags full of Kentucky maps and other Kentucky Transportation Cabinet paraphernalia and I brought a planning map for the Keystone State's Interstate System from the early 1960s which I had acquired from eBay in the mid-2000s.

After lunch, we hopped in our cars and followed PA 23 to the first stop which was at the Philadelphia Traffic Management Center in the PennDOT District 6-0 headquarters in King of Prussia. Thanks go to Len Pundt, who worked for PennDOT, who helped arrange the tour. The TMC, which was called the Traffic Control Center when I toured it in 2004, has been upgraded and now includes two video walls with feeds from traffic cameras around the Philadelphia area as well as content from the Internet and TV. In what seems to have become a constant in Pennsylvania meets that involve visiting a traffic management center, we were witness to an accident on the Platt Bridge tying up traffic.

Continuing east on PA 23, we stopped at the Schuylkill Parkway overpass just north of Bridgeport. Len described what was to have happened with that project, which would have been the eastern end of the "Goat Path" Expressway. Len gave us some background on this abandoned project, which is now used as a driver training course for the State Police. He also explained how PennDOT got into the funding predicament which led to it cancelling this and numerous other expressway projects around the Commonwealth in 1977. One of the points he made was that cancelling these projects did initially save money, but now there is no way to build these to solve the traffic issues of the 21st Century because right-of-way acquisition alone would be astronomically high to carve these highways through dense urbanized areas.

We bid Len adieu and took I-276/PA Turnpike eastbound to PA 309 northbound to observe some of the rehabilitation project that has been taking place since 2003. As soon as joining the Fort Washington Expressway, the attendees could see a vastly improved expressway from the one that had been serving commuters since it was built as a new route for US 309. We encountered the last remaining section to be undergoing rehabilitation heading north and exited in the construction zone at Norristown Road to go west to Bethlehem Pike which was the pre-expressway route of US 309. Traveling north to Cedar Hill Road, which crosses over PA 309, allowed us to view the progress on reconstruction of the northern-most segment.

After stopping at the overpass to see the work, we continued northeast to PA 63 then turned northwest to go to the intersection with US 202 to see the progress on the US 202 Parkway project. A new alignment is underway at PA 63 and work is taking place south along the current alignment. We passed some of the work along US 202 as we headed back to the Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery where we said our farewells, and headed to our respective destinations.

If You Cater it, They Will Come

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 21:56:00 -0500

I attended the ground breaking ceremony for the Uniontown to Brownsville section of the Mon-Fayette Expressway today. I have already updated the PA Turnpike 43 Exit Guide and MFE/SB Progress Map. Pictures of the ceremony are on the PA Turnpike 43 page.

This was the first ground breaking I have attended. It was pretty much what I expected with local and state officials there to give speeches on how each helped to create the Mon-Fayette Expressway. Then there was the ceremonial first spade toss of dirt to signal the start of construction followed by a catered lunch for all who attended which included Stromboli, hot wings, barbecue wings, vegetables, cake, and cookies. I gave it four out of five stars.

One of the speakers was Senator J. Barry Stout, who is one of many state officials who spearheaded the project. He also happens to be the Chairman of the State Transportation Committee. After the ceremony I introduced myself and asked if I could interview him. He gave me his business card and told me to call his office sometime.

Officials Launch Expressway's Uniontown-to-Brownsville Link - Uniontown Herald Standard

Winter 2010 SWPA Meet Notes

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 22:33:00 -0500

It has been three years since there was a holiday edition of the longest running road enthusiast meets in southwestern Pennsylvania, but that and the streak of Saturday-only meets came to an end today. I'd like to thank all who traveled both near and far to attend, even with the snow that was falling in the area and the winter storm churning up the Eastern Seaboard.

The meet began at 12 PM at the Route 40 Classic Diner on what is now Business US 40 in Brownsville. Food was good as well as the conversations. My Maryland counterpart, Mike Pruett, brought a copy of an old trails guide book, a precursor to the modern road atlas, from the late 1920s for everyone to peruse and I brought some recent Pennsylvania officials from 2006 to 2010 for anyone who needed to fill gaps in their collections.

Since these holiday meets are on a smaller scale than the ones during warmer months, the tour was not too extensive. After lunch, we headed down Business US 40 into Brownsville for a taste of the old National Road and to check out the work on connecting PA Turnpike 43 to the PA 88 expressway in West Brownsville. The new alignment, which leaves PA 88, is quite evident as swings east to cross the Monongahela River. The former intersection of old and new PA 88 has been reconfigured to be a continual route through the future interchange, which leaves up for debate whether or not PA 88 will be moved back to its former route into West Brownsville or become multiplexed with PA Turnpike 43 to US 40.

The cloverleaf at PA Turnpike 43 and US 40 is temporarily a partial one due to ongoing construction to upgrade the segment of PA 88 that will be incorporated into the Mon-Fayette Expressway. The northbound lanes are being rebuilt and what is interesting is that the overhead gantry that was before the cloverleaf has been replaced with a blue, mono-tube gantry that is seemingly becoming standard on the Mon-Fayette.

Back across the Lane Bane Bridge, we picked up the old road and stopped at the Searights Toll House. Unlike the last Winter SWPA Meet, there were no broken windows nor damaged screen doors to report. It was good to see that a security system was installed as indicated by a sign by the entrance. Here we said goodbye to half of the attendees and the rest of us continued east on US 40 to drive through the new PA Turnpike 43/US 119 stack interchange. As we took the old route east, we took the new route back to Brownsville where we said our farewells, and headed to our respective destinations.

Winter 2007 SWPA Meet Notes

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 17:14:00 -0500

Saturday was the latest edition of the longest running road enthusiast meets and I'd like to thank all who traveled both near and far to attend.

The meet began at 12 PM at Garfield's in the Uniontown Mall on US 40 near the US 119 interchange. The food and conversation was excellent as always. I provided each attendee with a copy of the 2007 PennDOT map.

After the lunch portion, we headed down US 40 to see the new Brownsville Connector. We decided to make the Searights Toll House the first stop, and it's best that we did. I noticed that one of the windows appeared to be open. Upon further examination, it wasn't open but rather someone had taken one of the bricks from the steps and smashed the window. Also the screen door at the entrance had been ripped and pulled at in several places. The police were called and they said they'd notify the proprietors.

The next stop was to see the new US 40 connector that just opened east of Brownsville. What struck those of us who attended the 2006 gathering was that the former partially constructed interchange just north of PA 166 where US 40 traffic had to turn to continue has been replaced by an at-grade intersection. Even though last year, we noticed grading for what appeared to be the other entrance/exit ramps had taken place which is noted on the US 40 page. Also, PA 166's northern terminus has not moved to intersect the new US 40 alignment, but still ends at the former intersection a block to the south. There is grading for the future PA Turnpike 43 interchange which will be a temporary end until the loop around Brownsville is completed.

Heading back to Uniontown, we took a small detour over a new connector road that has been built between PA 51 and US 40 and will also serve an interchange of PA Turnpike 43. It is five lanes wide (four travel lanes and a center turn lane), and it was built through the location where I attended the groundbreaking for the Uniontown/Brownsville section seen on the PA Turnpike 43 page.

We took PA 43/PA Turnpike 43 south and stopped at the current end at Gans Road before continuing south into West Virginia to see how they are progressing on their section. From PA 857/WV Secondary 857, you can see the bridge on the state line has been finished complete with a "Welcome to West Virginia" sign gantry at the southern end. Turning off onto Morgan's Run Road we got an up-close look at another pair of spans taking shape and saw a completed section of WV 43 with signage already installed. Back at 857 we kept heading south to the Cheat Lake interchange to see the construction taking place in preparation of the directional T interchange between I-68 and WV 43.

After turning around we headed back to Garfield's where we said our goodbyes, Merry Christmases, Happy New Years, and headed to our respective destinations.

National Road Enthusiast Meet (Day 2)

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 23:35:00 -0400

Today was the second day of the first National Road Enthusiast Meet. We began the day at Primanti Brothers on PA 60/Steubenville Pike in Robinson Township. Everyone seemed to enjoy this slice of Pittsburgh, and I highly recommend stopping to have a Primanti's sandwich...or a Roethlis-burger at Peppi's, unless you're a Browns fan.

After that we jumped in our vehicles and traveled down PA 60 to Crafton to see the Industrial Highway. It is the remnant of one of the many cancelled highways in the Pittsburgh area, and now relegated to an access road.

Following that small excursion we headed back north on PA 60 to I-79 south for a visit to the Pittsburgh Regional Traffic Management Center at the PennDOT District 11-0 office in Bridgeville. South of the Parkway West interchange we saw some of the I-79 reconstruction taking place.

Dominic Munizza of PennDOT gave us an extensive tour of the center and demonstrated some of features of the ITS network. He showed how the VMS boards can be changed as well as the HAR (Highway Advisory Radio) stations can broadcast messages. We also got a demonstration of the cameras that line the expressways. In fact, we got to the TMC just after legendary Pittsburgh Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope had just been involved in an accident at the Banksville Road interchange.

The group met in the evening for dinner at another local chain with a road motif: Quaker Steak & Lube at The Pointe at North Fayette. Afterwards we took to our vehicles and headed into the city to check out the view from Mount Washington which overlooks the "Golden Triangle."

All-Star City

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 23:30:00 -0400

We don't have much to celebrate in terms of the American pastime in the Steel City; however, we did tonight. The eyes of the baseball world turned to Pittsburgh for the 77th annual "Mid-summer Classic" and fifth to be played in the city.

The American League has won every All-Star Game since 1996, and the last that was played in Pittsburgh in 1994 was won by the National League. Don't fret NL fans; at least your team-by-association has only been in a win-less slump for a decade and not your favorite and/or hometown team. The Pirates have not produced a winning team in 14 years and counting. At least this edition of the All-Star Game featured two of the hometown team's players: Jason Bay and Freddy Sanchez. Jason Bay managed to get a starting gig with a campaign blitz spearheaded by the club to get him in the line-up.

The National League was winning going into the last inning, and it looked like the streak of them winning All-Star Games in Pittsburgh would continue. That was until the final inning when Pirate fans know all to well what happens: the lead was erased. The NL would fall to the AL, for the 11th consecutive year by a score of three to two. A one run loss, which is all too familiar for the regular home team.

Aside from baseball, it was a time for the "City of Champions" to shine in the spotlight. The All-Star Game was the most watched program that week with 14.5 million tuning into view the yearly AL/NL battle. People from all over the country and world came to not only see the game but partake in the activities before.

What I do not understand is people still have the idea that Pittsburgh is the "Smoky City" as seen in film reels from the 1940s. Even Jason Bay, who was the first Pirate to start an All-Star Game since Andy Van Slyke (who once bashed Pittsburgh for not having a beltway; wonder what he thinks of PA Turnpike 576?), mentioned people coming up to him saying they were expecting a smoky, gloomy city.

I'm sorry, but I can not understand in this day and age why people would still think that! All it takes going to Google Image Search, and typing in "Pittsburgh," or even going to the picture pages of I-279, I-376, I-579, etc. to see what it looks like nowadays. I guess they aren't football fans or don't own a TV, since the most successful team in Pittsburgh is usually featured at home at least once a season on Monday Night Football.

Pittsburgh Gives Red-Carpet Welcome - WPXI-TV Pittsburgh

State College 2009 Meet Notes

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:58:00 -0400

Today was the second State College meet but unlike the first edition, Mother Nature gave us a rain-free day. I'd like to thank all who attended and for making the trip for the second meet in Happy Valley.

The meet began at 12 PM at Hoss's Steak & Sea on Business US 322 (North Atherton Street). Food was good as well as the conversations. Many of the attendees brought road-related materials to peruse as well as to keep: Steve Alpert - Florida Turnpike maps; H.B. Elkins - new Kentucky and West Virginia maps; Doug Kerr - I-87 Northway maps; and I brought some recent officials from Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania for anyone who needed to fill gaps in their collections.

After lunch, we hopped in our cars and drove down via former US 220/US 322 to PA 550 to the first stop of the 2005 Meet to see the completed I-99. Where the two roads cross is where some of the acid rock problems had occurred, and even today the large retaining pond that was constructed on the south side of the Interstate to catch run-off was partially filled.

Continuing down former US 220/US 322, which is now known as SR 3042, we stopped at the top of Skytop Mountain which overlooks the Interstate everyone loves to hate. This area is where construction crews discovered the pyritic rock which stalled work on I-99 until a solution was devised which included removing the disturbed rock and keeping the remainder at the location. It is easy to see where the undisturbed acid rock is located as it was covered with mesh then rocks to prevent erosion.

We continued on SR 3042 to SR 3040 to Port Matilda, passing through the trumpet interchange where "END" signage still exist for Alternate US 220. With no mention of that route on new signage on I-80 or before the trumpet, I'd expect it to be decommissioned before the next PennDOT official map is released.

It was in the now traffic-thinned Port Matilda where we took I-99 north back to State College. The view from the alignment as it climbs Skytop is fantastic and will be spectacular in Fall. We got to see in greater clarity the acid rock remediation as we headed back to the restaurant.

A few of the attendees had to leave, and the rest of us continued into State College on Business US 322 and then north on PA 26 to the southern stub of the Bellefonte Bypass. It is now a ramp onto I-99/US 220, but there were plans to continue it south to the end of the US 322 expressway north of Lewistown.

Following northbound I-99/US 220/PA 26, we turned off onto the former route of 26 right before the current interchange with I-80. There is earth moving taking place for the relocation of Jacksonville Road which is part of the plan for the future I-80/I-99 directional Y. After which we head back to Hoss's where we said our farewells, and headed to our respective destinations.

Community Day on the Expressway

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:23:00 -0400

Today was the latest installment of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission's "Community Day on the Expressway" event, taking place just outside of Uniontown on the newest section of the Mon-Fayette Expressway. It is a nice event that the PTC holds prior to opening a new section of expressway as a public preview of the new highway and make it a real community gathering.

The day started off with a "Modes of Transportation" parade down the alignment at 10 AM. There were food vendors and a children's area with balloon art courtesy of Airheads and the Rainbow Expressway trackless train. For the road enthusiasts, there were informational booths from the Turnpike Commission and the National Road Heritage Corridor.

Steps to a Healthier Fayette County sponsored a Family Fun Walk which began an hour earlier. The public was welcome to walk or bike the four miles of roadway, but you could also take a shuttle bus and get a quicker view of Turnpike 43.

This is the first section for which I attended the groundbreaking and Community Day.

Residents Get Close-Up View of Expressway - Uniontown Herald Standard

National Road Enthusiast Meet (Day 3)

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 23:55:00 -0400

The final day of the meet featured differing modes of transportation. We started out by taking PA 60 into the city for a cruise on the Gateway Clipper to see some of the numerous bridges as well as some of the sights along the Allegheny River. We had lunch at the Red Star Tavern in Station Square, where I had announced a mere 364 days earlier of my intention to hold a National meet.

Back on land we turned back to the west to take in PA Turnpike 576 at the US 30 interchange. Once on the expressway ROW itself, I heard what sounded like a car traveling at a quick pace. Turning around as we headed northbound, I didn't see anything until I looked over the median mound that is common place on PTC extensions only to see the "Christmas Tree" lightbar of a State Police cruiser. He caught up to us and only said to turn around; however, I was only yards away from getting Adam Prince the first PA Turnpike 576 northern end picture. Considering the alternative, we were very fortunate. Even on foot, I get pulled over by the Pennsylvania State Police!

The final event of the three day meet was to take in a ball game at the site of the 77th All Star Game at PNC Park. Surprisingly the Pirates managed to win 3-2 over the Saint Louis Cardinals, while the Steelers playing the NFL's version of the Cardinals on the same day lost.

After the game, we returned to the Comfort Inn on Steubenville Pike where I thanked all for attending and being part of the first National meet. Then we called it a night and went on our respective ways.

States represented/number attended:
California - 1
Georgia - 1
Kentucky - 1
Maryland - 1
Michigan - 2
New York - 2
Pennsylvania - 2
Tennessee - 2
Virginia - 1
West Virginia - 1

It's Their Party, and They'll Toll if They Want To

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 23:47:00 -0400

Today was Community Day on the Findlay Connector (PA Turnpike 576/Southern Beltway), but my second visit to the completed roadway. However, unlike during the National meet, the State Police did not chase me off the expressway.

The event was much like the first one I attended, and the first the PTC did, prior to PA Turnpike 66 opening. There were food booths and entertainment in the form of at Exit 2/US 30. The PTC had a booth with information on the entire Southern Beltway project, Turnpike maps, and E-ZPass applications. Port Authority buses made continual loops of the six-mile-long section between PA 60 and US 22, that will open this Wednesday, for people to see the expressway, while others hiked and biked the alignment. Pictures of the event will be posted on the updated PA Turnpike 576 page that will debut on Wednesday.

Getting Around: Did You Too Miss the Turnpike's Party on Route 576? - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Happy Birthday Interstate System!

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 20:21:00 -0400

Today I had the honor to be a part of Pennsylvania's celebration of the signage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 which took place at the Eisenhower National Historic Site in Gettysburg.

Dignitaries, media, and those who were a part of the re-enactment of the 1919 Army convoy that showed a young kid by the name of Eisenhower the necessity of good transportation, gathered at the Gettysburg Middle School for a shuttle bus to the event at the farm, which ironically can not be accessed via any Interstate. The bus ride was a nice jaunt through the historic borough. I sat next to a gentleman from Omaha, Nebraska who was representing Werner Enterprising trucking. He gave me a foam stress reliever in the shape of a Werner 18-wheeler. He mentioned he had never visited anything in Pennsylvania, but had driven through it many times. Not surprising, considering only two routes from New England to the rest of the country bypass the Commonwealth.

At the farm, we got a tour of the house where dignitaries such as Winston Churchill and Nikita Khrushchev visited the Eisenhowers. After everyone had taken the tour, it was time for the press conference.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Allen Biehler was appropriately the first speaker. Others included Joe Brimmeir, CEO of the PTC, J. Richard Capka from the Federal Highway Administration, and Ted Leonard from the Pennsylvania AAA Federation.

After the press conference, I introduced myself to Rich Kirkpatrick who is PennDOT's Press Secretary and invited me to the event. He praised the work I have done on the site and said it is a great resource, especially the history of the highways. While talking with him, Secretary Biehler came over to speak with Rich. At that point, I introduced myself and Mr. Kirkpatrick remarked, "This is the guy who does that website." He gave me a Interstate 50th pin, similar to the graphic on the AASHTO site.

While waiting for the bus back to the school, I overheard a man talking about the weather. I introduced myself and he did as well, mentioning he was a representative from the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors which owns pahighways.org. I mentioned that I own the .com and that I had discovered they owned the .org one day.

Back at the middle school we had a lovely catered meal. I had the honor to sit at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation's table. While standing in line, I got to talk with Director of ODOT Gary Ridley. I mentioned that I liked the new Oklahoma shield, and we began discussing the states that used their outlines for their shields. I also mentioned that I have been to Oklahoma storm chasing, and that I had talked with Gary England of KWTV-TV for a paper in college. Mr. Ridley mentioned that Gary helps them with winter forecasts to determine where ODOT crews will be needed. The others at the table asked me what organization I was from, I said, "I do a website called Pennsylvania Highways." Mr. Kirkpatrick happened to be walking behind me and said, "It is a great website and resource."

All in all, I had a great time and was honored that PennDOT even considered inviting me. Many thanks to Rich Kirkpatrick and the PennDOT Press Office.

Pennsylvania Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Interstate System - PennDOT

The World Comes to the Commonwealth

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:25:00 -0400

When White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced in May that the next G-20 Summit would be held in Pittsburgh, there was more than a few snickers from the White House Press Corp. And why not, what does anyone there know about finance and banking or surviving an economic downturn? After all, it is an area where people pay a fair market value for a house. How quaint!

The reason "City of Champions" was chosen by President Obama was due to the trips he made through the area during his 2008 presidential campaign. He saw how it had morphed from center of steel production to one with a more diversified economic base focused on bio-medical (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Western Pennsylvania Health System), financial (PNC Financial, Bank of New York/Mellon), and high-tech (Carnegie Mellon University) industries. Fortunately, the industrial fore-fathers of the city were not misers and gave back to their community in the form of institutions such as libraries and universities from which Pittsburgh could pull it self up by its bootstraps and start over.

Dignitaries began to arrive on Wednesday which prompted rolling roadblocks on the Parkway West between Pittsburgh International Airport and Downtown. The motorcades passed through the US 22/US 30-PA 60 interchange project, which is partially funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which was passed to dig (no pun intended) the country out of the global recession which would be discussed the following two days.

While the leaders of the 20 largest economies and the European Union were arriving, so were the protesters.
Members of Greenpeace repelled off the West End Bridge with a banner protesting the lack of attention paid to the environment by these leaders. Five others tried to do the same on the Fort Pitt Bridge, but were quickly apprehended. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl deputized 1,000 men and women from police departments as far away as Miami and as close as Johnstown, which in addition to National Guardsmen and state police troopers, made up a force of more than 3,000 officers.

The world's leaders had an easier time getting around the city than the denizens. Only residents, with a driver's license with proof of a Downtown address, delivery trucks (with deliveries made between 5 AM and 7 AM), taxis, hotel shuttles, armored cars, ACCESS vehicles, and medical suppliers were allowed into the Golden Triangle. Three police checkpoints were established on the Smithfield Street Bridge at PA 837/West Carson Street, Fifth Avenue at Ross Street, and the Roberto Clemente Bridge and Isabella Street but motorists could exit anywhere. Ramps from I-279, I-376, and I-579 and other bridges and street were barricaded.

The two-day summit went off without a hitch, and Pittsburgh was able to do something no other city could: host a bloodless G-20. Police arrested only 193 people, a few minor fires were reported, and some minor damage to stores occurred. Only about 5,000 protesters came which were outnumbered by the nearly 6,000 law enforcement personnel. Needless to say crime dropped steeply, as did the need for paramedics which for times every ambulance in the city was idle. Perhaps the most surprising was the thousands of police vehicles, being driven by mostly out-of-towners, managed to navigate the labyrinthine of city streets without a single accident.

VisitPittsburgh hopes that the G-20 Summit helps tourism and attracting conventions. The city was awarded another international gathering not long after the conclusion of the summit. Pittsburgh will be the North American host city for the 2010 United Nations World Environment Day. Perhaps the highest praise came from the Italian-born songwriter, singer, former model, and current French First Lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy who said, "I think I wish I could stay a little longer because we only stay one-and-a-half days," and added "But I think it's beautiful." I don't think VisitPittsburgh could have asked for a better spokeswoman.

G-20 Summit - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Three Mile Island: 30 Years Later

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 20:45:00 -0400

Time flies when you're splitting atoms. It's hard to imagine that it has been three decades to the day since the worst nuclear power accident in the United States took place. For ten days the residents of the Mid-State were teetering on the brink of disaster. Luckily the outcome was only a partial meltdown of the TMI-2 reactor core, and far less disastrous as it could have been. By April 9 the worst was over and the residents of the surrounding area could stop walking on egg shells.

Three Mile Island
Three Mile Island Accident Remembered After 30 Years - WFMZ-TV Allentown

Looking to the Past, Planning For the Future

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:51:00 -0400

One of the things that we're not that good about in Pennsylvania is planning for the future. Tonight myself and others in my area decided to do something about that. During this week, Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County has been holding a public Charrette at the University of Pitt at Greensburg campus.

We were put into groups and asked to evaluate different plans for the area of US 30 in Latrobe near the shopping centers. The first plan would create almost another town along 30 from PA 981 to PA 982 which no one liked because the minimum building height would be six stories. Obviously this would destroy the views of the Laurel Ridge and trying to keep the area rural. The second plan would be to keep more of the area in a rural setting but enhance the existing developments along the corridor. The third plan would be a "Greenway" solution where most of the businesses would be removed and more of the area returned to a natural state.

While most seemed to prefer the latter, I was in favor of the second plan. The first plan and last plan would eliminate the shopping areas of Latrobe 30 Plaza, Mountain Laurel Plaza, Wildcat Commons, and Unity Plaza. Stores such as Giant Eagle and Wal*Mart would be gone. I highly doubt Wal*Mart will have gone the way of Montgomery Wards by the year 2020. Although people probably said the same about Wards in 1980 so who knows.

I also threw out the idea of completely bypassing current US 30 with an expressway to remove the through traffic from the highway and sign the current alignment as Business US 30. Actually not my idea, but the "Route 30 Relocation" proposal from the Pittsburgh Area Transportation Plan devised in the 1960s. An existing demonstration of this can be seen between Sadsburyville and Exton where the current 30 is an expressway and the original is a business route. Then you could redesign any area along the corridor without having as much traffic as before to contend with. However, my idea was shot down...again. Oh well, so much for trying to undo past mistakes.

Route 30 Masterplan - Smart Growth

National Road Enthusiast Meet (Day 1)

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 22:27:00 -0400

Pennsylvania has been the site of many firsts: first computer (Philadelphia), first commercial radio station (Pittsburgh), and first road enthusiast meet (Greensburg). What a better site to hold the first National Road Enthusiast Meet than where it all began.

The first day was a journey back in time with some aspects of the present. Myself and four attendees traveled the Lincoln Highway from Robinson to Somerset County. We were joined for a while by Brian Butko, who has authored several books on the Lincoln Highway and other road-related products.

We began our trip by taking PA 60 from the US 22/US 30 cloverleaf into Pittsburgh then south on PA 837 to the Fort Pitt Bridge and the Boulevard of the Allies to the Parkway East. Taking the US 30 exit, we followed it to Greensburg where we then traveled on Toll Gate Road to enter the city as those who traveled then PA 1 did many times. On the eastern side of the city, we followed old segments near Westmoreland Mall, Hyundai of Greensburg, and a long section known locally as Frye Farm Road.

In Latrobe, we turned south on PA 981 to access the old alignment where we spotted a rare Lincoln Highway marker that is located in the front lawn of a home. We passed the Latrobe Country Club which is owned by professional golfer Arnold Palmer in Youngstown and continued through to where the alignment joins the current eastbound lanes.

We stopped at the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor office in Ligonier where a few picked up some Lincoln Highway merchandise. Continuing eastward on US 30 we stopped at the Flight 93 Memorial and the site of the Quecreek Mine Accident.

I offered to show everyone the Sipesville Fire Hall, where the families waited for word of their trapped family members. While we were waiting, a member of the Sipesville VFD stopped and asked us if we wanted to see inside. It was quite a change from when I remember it in 2002 when I was in The Pennsylvania Miners Movie and filming took place there. Then we got to see the new hall that was built to replace the old, which was to be moved to the Quecreek site. However, the building could not make the journey in one piece, but would have to be cut into four sections. More than likely, it will just be demolished.