Pennsylvania Highways Blog

It is that time of the year that is commonly referred to as the holiday let down. That period in the calendar when we go from ushering in a new year to hiding eggs. People start looking forward to the Summer and vacation time it will bring.

It is also that time of the year when the trucking industry magazine, Overdrive, releases the results of their latest "Worst Roads" survey. For most of the 1990s, Pennsylvania held the dubious distinction of "Worst Roads" in the United States. The state's fortunes began to change in the late 1990s when Pennsylvania slid down to second place. For the past decade, the number one slot has been relinquished to newcomers such as Arkansas and Louisiana but Pennsylvania has taken the top, or bottom, billing 13 out of 19 years the survey has been conducted and takes it again in 2009. I find this distinction particularly amusing this year, considering all of the structurally deficient bridges that are being replaced or rehabilitated thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In fact, a Congressional committee named Pennsylvania as the top-ranked large state, third overall, for starting and completing projects funded by the ARRA.

The states are not just judged by the conditions of their highway systems, but other things related to truck traffic. Interstate 80 still retains the title of "Most Improved Road" from last year, but in 2008 it was second under "Best Highway Segment" and forth under "Worst Highway Segment." Pennsylvania still retains third place, but shares it with Maryland this year, for "Toughest on Truck Inspections and Law Enforcement." The strangest change is our truck stops have gone from third best to being tied with California and New York for third worst. Now that's some swing!

You're probably wondering how something like that, or the aforementioned I-80 ranking, or the one year Pennsylvania was second under "Worst Roads" and fifth under "Best Roads" can happen. As I learned from an editor with Overdrive, when the votes are tallied, instead of averaging the good and bad, the good and bad are separated then averaged.

Unfortunately no shout out this year for me or the website, which is just as well since Pennsylvania highways (the ones made of concrete and asphalt) are back on top, or bottom.

The Good, The Bad, The Better - Overdrive

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

Due to the snow/ice storm that hit the Commonwealth, numerous vehicles were stranded along I-78, I-80, and I-81. PennDOT has closed down sections of those Interstates to clear the vehicles as well as snow. They are asking cross-state traffic to use the Turnpike's mainline and Northeast Extension as alternate routes. For the first time since the first day of the collector strike in 2004, tolls are being waived on those sections of the Turnpike System.

Toll Waiving - Disaster Emergency - PTC

From North to South, and East to West, there was no hiding from the wrath of Mother Nature the past two days. Whatever your mode of transportation was, it was either slowed or outright stopped as the first major storm of 2007 made its trek towards the Atlantic. The following is a round-up of road-related stories from all points inside the Keystone State.

Northwest
Keeping Snow Away from the Street
http://www.wicu12.com/news/index.vnss?newsid=2923&type=News

Snowy Side Streets Trap Drivers, Towing Warning
http://www.wjettv.com/news/default.asp?mode=shownews&id=7122

Northeast
Roads Called "Horrible"
http://www.wnep.com/global/story.asp?s=6089340

Interstates Closed for Icy Conditions
http://www.wnep.com/global/story.asp?s=6093785

Storm Brings Mixed Bag
http://www.sungazette.com/News/articles.asp?articleID=14819

Southeast
Colossal Traffic Mess Strands Motorists For Hours
http://cbs3.com/local/local_story_046074755.html

Logjam Gone, But I-78 Closed
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=local&id=5036181

Hundreds Stranded on Interstate 78
http://www.abc27.com/news/stories/0207/397612.html

Southwest
Valentine's Day Storm Causes Treacherous Commute
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/weather/11008574/detail.html

Local Woman's Frightening Ordeal On I-78 Ends
http://kdka.com/topstories/local_story_046135436.html

Crash in Snow Causes I-79 Closure
http://www.wpxi.com/video/11014926/index.html

Rendell Declares State of Emergency
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07046/762430-100.stm

Where I live east of Pittsburgh, or "ice-burgh," we received about 7 inches and it would have been more if the precipitation didn't turn to freezing rain through Wednesday morning. Even taking public transportation wasn't a choice as the T through the South Hills was shut down due to ice on its overhead wires. When I checked my e-mail this morning, I had almost 130 travel bulletins from the PTC and PennDOT!

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