Pennsylvania Highways Blog

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

2009 Official Pennsylvania Map

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:32:00 -0400

This past weekend I stopped at the welcome center on I-70 at the Maryland state line in Warfordsburg and picked up a copy of the latest official state highway map. Here are the changes since 2007's edition:

Berks County/Chester County
PA 82 removed between Elverson and Birdsboro

Blair County/Centre County/State College Inset
I-99 completed from Bald Eagle to State College and indicated from there to I-80

Fayette County
PA Turnpike 43 completed between Exit 15 and Exit 22 and shown under construction between Exit 22 and PA 88

Lehigh County/Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Inset
US 222/Trexlertown Bypass completed from PA 100 to I-78

Tioga County
US 15 finished from PA 287 to New York and PA 287 extended along old US 15 to Lawrenceville

New Castle Inset
US 224 extended eastward on State Street and Falls Street

It has the same dimensions as the the previous years and this year's cover is of an Amish buggy driving on one of the newly designated Civil War Trails. You can see the cover on the Official State Highway Maps page and view the map at PennDOT's GIS page.

If the Departments of Transportation and Tourism would have waited, they could have given a shout out to our three professional sports teams that won championships in the past year much like NCDOT did on their 2007 cover for the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Commonwealth of Champions

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:47:00 -0400

How appropriate is it that Super Bowl 43 is won by the team from the city where PA Turnpike 43 will end...someday...hopefully. Many will debate whether this was the best Super Bowl of all time, maybe it was and maybe it wasn't. I would say it was, but then again I am partial because my team won. Although, I would have much rather seen that 20-7 score last until the game clock read all zeros instead of the roller coaster ending.

Congratulations goes to the team, staff, and especially Dan Rooney and Art Rooney II, both of whom I have had the chance to meet. Art II was the commencement speaker at my college graduation which is also the summer home of the now six-time Super Bowl Champion Steelers. They were only four-time champions when I attended and lived in the dorm named after the family.

The win gave the team that was the "first to win three" and "first to win four" the title of "first to win six." Not only that, but Mike Tomlin becomes the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl and did it sooner than his predecessors Bill Cowher and the great Chuck Noll who delivered two-thirds of the total.

Unfortunately, we were denied a chance for a "Turnpike Bowl" when the Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. I congratulate them for a great game and also Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt and Assistant Head Coach Russ Grimm (both former Steelers coaches) for what they have done with that organization. I would have rooted for Arizona if they were playing anyone but Pittsburgh.

Only four months removed from that celebration, the Penguins stepped up to the challenge. The 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs saw them take on their rivals from the other end of the Turnpike, the Flyers, then the Washington Capitals, and the Carolina Hurricanes to win the Eastern Conference for the second year in a row. However, it was déjà vu all over again when they went on to face the Detroit Red Wings who knocked them out on home ice to win the Cup in 2008.

No one figured this team to make it into the playoffs, let alone to the Cup Finals, as they manged to fall five points out of the playoff hunt until a little-known coach by the name of Dan Bylsma was hired to right the ship. Some way, some how, he managed to unite the "young bucks" and the "old hands" for a common goal (no pun intended). While this year's series began the same way, with the Wings up 2-0, the end was much different. The Pens became the first visiting team to win a decisive Game 7 in one of the four North American major professional sports leagues since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates. It provided a little payback as the Pens hoisted the Stanley Cup at the Joe Louis Arena.

Pittsburgh became the first city to win a Super Bowl and Stanley Cup in the same calendar year, Dan Bylsma became the second rookie head coach to win a Cup, and the team was the first since the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning to come from down two games to win the series. While this was playing out in Detroit, the Hershey Bears of the AHL were winning the Calder Cup in Winnipeg. To steal a line from "Badger" Bob Johnson, who led the Pens to their first Cup win, "It's [was] a great day for hockey [in the Commonwealth]!"

So in three-quarters of a year, Pennsylvania can lay claim to the 2008 World Series Champions, the 2008 Super Bowl Champions, and now the 2008-2009 Stanley Cup Champions. Going back a year, the 2008 Arena Bowl Champions in the Philadelphia Soul. So who is next in the Commonwealth?

Route 2.0 Meets Web 2.0

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:24:00 -0400

There is a lot of talk the days about the newest revolution on the Internet: Social Networking. It started with this blog which I use to write not just about the roads across the Commonwealth, but musings about Pennsylvania. However, other means of social networking have come along since blogs were all the rage. I began to think how these new tools could benefit Pennsylvania Highways. So today, the ninth anniversary of when I purchased the pahighways.com domain, I created a couple new avenues of communication.

Twitter
The new cultural buzz-word. Everyone seems to be Twittering, from Oprah to Senator John McCain. I've seen other Twitter pages such as CNN's and the Washington State Department of Transportation's and thought how it could work for my site. PennDOT and the PTC do have a system where people can receive text messages; however, it doesn't have the immediacy of a Twitter post. So using the WSDOT "template" I created an account that will not only be used for updates to the site, but news items pertaining to the highway system. Also in the true sense of social networking, it will allow fellow Twitter users to post their own traffic reports so others can avoid a jam. If you have a traffic tip, just begin your tweet with @pahighways. LEGAL DISCLAIMER: While not illegal, texting while driving is dangerous and reckless and is not condoned by Pennsylvania Highways. Either pull over or make sure traffic has come to a complete stop before posting a Tweet.

http://twitter.com/pahighways

Facebook
Another phenomenon that seems to have come out of nowhere and taken the Internet by storm is Facebook. It seems that everyone from 9 to 90 has a Facebook page, even people's pets! So I figured why not create a Pennsylvania Highways presence on this platform as well. The page will be used to share news articles as well announcements of upcoming road enthusiast meets and other events.

http://www.facebook.com/pahighways

YouTube
No doubt you have spent time on this site, probably at work trying not to get caught by the boss while watching a clip of a skateboarding bulldog. YouTube is nothing new to the road enthusiast community as others have been taping their journeys and uploading them to this popular website. So now Pennsylvania Highways has entered the fray, but trying to find its niche will take a little longer than it took to get the page set up. One issue is that PennDOT has saved me the work by going ahead and videotaping all state routes. Another issue is that I need a newer videocamera than my family's circa 1991 Panasonic camcorder that is as big as a half loaf of bread, or just buy the A/V dongle from Hauppauge so I can record the video from it onto my computer's hard drive. Basically this idea is still on the burner.

http://www.youtube.com/pahighways

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.

It's a Bouncing Baby Business Route

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:47:00 -0400

Congratulations Brownsville, you're the proud parents of the newest auxiliary route in Pennsylvania!

With the completion of the new alignment of US 40 east of the borough, PennDOT decided to sign the former route with the business moniker. The new designation keeps the US 40 shields on the former route from Redstone Way to PA 166 and returns them to the former alignment into Brownsville for the first time since 1970!

Make sure to send all gifts and cards to PennDOT District 12-0.

Business US 40 (Brownsville)
Application to Establish Business US 40 - AASHTO

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

Route Changes End Three Decades of Futility

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:51:00 -0500

It seems the route change that was expected, I-376 being extended, did not take place as expected. However, it did not mean that the Pennsylvania road map was left unchanged after the opening of Interstate 99.

In December, PennDOT decided to truncate PA 82 at PA 23 in Elverson and renumber the remainder of the route in Chester County SR 4082. In Berks County, the route became SR 2082 north to Birdsboro and the PA 345 designation was extended to replace PA 82 to its northern terminus at US 422.

When Hurricane Agnes decimated Pennsylvania in 1972, it destroyed several bridges that carried PA 82 across Hay Creek south of Birdsboro. The Department of Transportation wanted to rebuild them but local opposition was strong as the residents who lived nearby became accustomed to the lack of traffic and wanted to keep it that way. PA 345 was signed that year as a detour route to bypass the missing section.

Route 82 Change - Exeter Township

Interstate 99 FINALLY Opens on Skytop

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:22:00 -0500

Those who live along and those who have had to travel the narrow and dangerous US 220 in the Bald Eagle Valley have another reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving. As of 3 PM today, the Bud Shuster Highway is finally open to both northbound and southbound traffic across Bald Eagle Mountain.

PennDOT had previously opened both directions from Bald Eagle to Port Matilda in December 2007, but from there north it was only open northbound due to continuing clean-up of the pyritic rock that was unearthed during construction. Southbound traffic was still using the old alignment. So it is now official: PennDOT has slain the acid rock dragon.

The new highway is signed as Interstate 99. However, since it is only one of two Interstates to have its designation signed into law, legislation has to be passed to amend the definition of the route. It has not as of yet, so it is illegally designated as such but then again some people would already say it is due to being west of Interstate 81.

I-99 Open to All Traffic - Centre Daily Times

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

Route 30: The Movie

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:15:00 -0400

The sections I drive could be classified as horror, but comedy is the genre of John Putch's independent movie Route 30. The Chambersburg native filmed the movie along the highway last October with such stars as Dana Delany of Desperate Housewives and Curtis Armstrong best known to audiences as Herbert Viola on Moonlighting. Fellow Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor board member Ed Gotwalt, owner of Mister Ed's Elephant Museum, also has a part.

The premier of the movie will be at the Majestic Theatre in Gettysburg on September 27, 2008 at 8 PM with a cast and crew Q&A to follow. Tickets to the screening are $16 per person and a portion of the proceeds benefit the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor and Totem Pole Playhouse non-profit organizations. You can purchase tickets at the Totem Pole Playhouse, Mister Ed's Elephant Museum, Majestic Theatre, or online.

LET'S GO...PENNSYLVANIA!

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Sun, 04 May 2008 21:54:00 -0400

It was just a couple weeks ago that the Commonwealth was thrust into the political spotlight when we held our primary. Well it's another month, and another spotlight as both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers will meet in an old fashioned Turnpike battle in the NHL's Eastern Conference Final.

Both teams won their respective series four games to one; Penguins finishing off the New York Rangers today, and the Flyers beat the Montréal Canadiens last night.

So while our roads may be the Second Worst in the country, no matter how you slice it, the Commonwealth will be represented in the Stanley Cup Finals. Personally, I'm hoping the "march of the Penguins" continues.

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.

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

2007 Official Pennsylvania Map

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 00:27:00 -0400

Last month I received a copy of the latest official state highway map from the Map Sales office just before the state shut down over not being able to pass a budget. Here are the changes since 2006's edition:

Allegheny County/Washington County/Pittsburgh Inset
PA Turnpike 576 completed between US 22 and PA 60

Berks County
US 222 shown as completed now with the red expressway stripe between PA 272 and Shillington

Fayette County
PA Turnpike 43 indicated under construction north of US 40 from US 119 to Brier Hill

Tioga County
US 15 indicated as under construction from PA 287 to the New York state line

Altoona Inset
Osgood Drive completed on the eastern side of I-99/US 220 between Exit 32 and Exit 33

New Castle Inset
PA 65 removed between PA 108/PA 168 and Business US 422

It has the same dimensions as the the previous years and this year's cover is from America's Most Livable City, with a man creating a mural in chalk on the West End overlook. You can see the cover on the Official State Highway Maps page and view the map at PennDOT's GIS page.