Pennsylvania Highways: Interstate 276

One of four Interstate which comprise the Pennsylvania Turnpike system, which after the Western Extension opened in 1951, was the next logical expansion. A 33-mile section from the Valley Forge exit to Bristol and a proposed crossing of the Delaware River there would be necessary. With a bridge, travelers could access the New Jersey Turnpike, thus making it possible to travel from New York City to the Ohio line. In May and June of 1951, Governor John S. Fine signed a bill to construct the Delaware River Extension and a joint toll bridge with the New Jersey Turnpike.

Everything seemed fine; however, there was a problem. The 1948 indenture under which the Philadelphia and Western Extensions were financed allowed additional expansions. The problem was work could not start on a new extension until the previous project was open to traffic for two years, which would mean waiting until 1954 to begin financing. Governor Fine signed a bill in August of 1951 creating a new financing instrument, the Indenture of September 1, 1952. It was a supplement to the 1948 indenture and was intended to facilitate all future expansion.

To finance the Delaware River Extension, the PTC issued $65 million worth of bonds in September of 1952. The configuration at the Valley Forge interchange had to be converted from a terminus to an "off-line" interchange. It was built to connect to a future highway that would connect the Turnpike to Philadelphia: the Schuylkill Expressway. Construction started in 1952 with the ground breaking on November 20.

The 1,224-foot-long bridge over the Schuylkill River was the longest structure on the extension. On August 23, 1954, the Delaware River Extension opened to the Norristown and Willow Grove interchanges. The remaining interchanges opened as follows: Fort Washington on September 20, Philadelphia on October 27, Delaware Valley on November 17.

While the celebration of the opening was taking place, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission was not only looking to building the Delaware Bridge but also a spur to Scranton. In 1954, the commission combined the financing of both projects into one $233 million bond.

Ground was broken for the bridge on June 22, 1954. It was constructed and jointly financed by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. It cost $27,200,000 and opened on May 23, 1956 at 11:30 AM when Governors George M. Leader of Pennsylvania and Robert B. Meyner of New Jersey met in the middle of the span to cut the ribbon. The bridge is 135 feet above the Delaware River because of the ship traffic that utilizes the river. The significance of the bridge is that it would soon be possible to travel between Maine and the Indiana-Ohio border (and soon to Chicago with the completion of the Indiana East-West Toll Road) without encountering a traffic light, cross street, or grade crossing.

Originally designated as Interstate 280, the number changed in 1963 when Interstate 76 replaced Interstate 80S. With that change came the current Interstate 276 designation.

This highway has the distinction of being where the first Act 61 project began. Act 61 is in plain English the Turnpike Organization, Expansion, and Toll Road Conversion Act which was passed in September 1985 by the state legislature. On March 10, 1986, work began to widen the highway from the Northeast Extension to the Philadelphia Interchange from four lanes to six to accommodate the increased traffic. The $120 million project was finished on November 23, 1987. Improvements to the Fort Washington, Willow Grove, and Philadelphia Interchanges preceded the widening.

In late 1989, ground was broken on the Mid-County Interchange in Plymouth Township, Montgomery County. This project included the largest contract awarded by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. The interchange is the largest in the system and the first additional interchange on the mainline to be constructed since completion of the Scranton Interchange on the Northeast Extension in 1957. The interchange has the largest toll plaza with 17 lanes for entering and exiting traffic and eight ramps comprising 4.4 miles. The Mid-County and Norristown interchanges are connected via a fiber optic cable. This permits data sharing between the toll barriers and the main office in Harrisburg.

A $55 million general construction contract was awarded to the Hull Corporation of Syracuse, New York in late 1989. This included construction of the toll plaza, utility building, roadway, structures, signing, and lighting.

Mid-County Interchange under construction. The old Northeast Extension
interchange bridge is in the foreground. (Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission)

In 1990, the PTC awarded contracts totaling $131,000 to the Hull Corporation for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Thomas M. Durkin and Sons' contracted to handle wetland replacement totaling $316,097.

The new 17 lane toll plaza. The ramps on the edges of the picture are for
the Germantown Pike interchange. (Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission)

Workers pouring concrete for the deck of the new southbound bridge.
(Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission)

Since the construction took place in a highly developed area of suburban Philadelphia where there are many active roadways, maintaining a smooth traffic flow posed a challenge. To prevent problems, the project was divided into phases and stages. The purposes of this was to maintain at least four lanes of traffic on the mainline Turnpike and to provide access to the Northeast Extension while the ramps are under construction. Solution cavities posed an even greater problem to the construction. These are formed when groundwater has worn away earth between limestone rocks, thus creating an underground cavern. To guarantee that the bridge supports at the south end of the culvert for the Plymouth Creek sat on firm ground, an addition $400,000 was needed. This paid for extra excavation and concrete work. A concrete grout mixture was pumped underneath and around the bottom of the bridge pilings required an additional $350,000. On December 15 1992, the first interchange on the Turnpike to have "fly over" ramps opened to traffic.

In other news, on July 9,1998 a massive pothole opened up on the Delaware Bridge. It took days to fix, and and traffic had to be diverted off the bridge.

In January 1999, the PTC began a feasibility study on widening the highway from the Valley Forge interchange to the Norristown interchange. The entire project, including widening work on the Northeast Extension, will cost approximately $200 million. Work was already underway to widen the existing bridge over the Schuylkill River which began in spring 1997 and wrapped up in June 1999. Widening the highway to six lanes will begin in 2003.

The completion of Interstate 95 between Philadelphia to New York City is inching ever closer with construction of the I-95/PA Turnpike interchange. Upon completion, I-276 will end at another Interstate rather than disappearing at the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border. Until the late 1960s, I-95 followed the US 13 alignment in the area. It would have provided a direct connection to the Turnpike, but because of environmental reasons the Interstate could not be built north of the Turnpike.

Stage One involves building a high-speed interchange between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 95, a new mainline toll plaza, and widening the Turnpike from Exit 351 to the Delaware River. Stage Two will involve constructing a parallel span across the Delaware River south of the existing span. The projected completion date is 2016 for both stages, but the interchange is expected to be completed sooner. The following are the plans for the new toll plaza, interchange, and bridge:

Modified Toll Plaza West will be built west of I-95 to allow free-flowing traffic
between the Turnpike and I-95. The plaza will consist of 18 lanes and be located
behind the Philadelphia Park Racetrack. (Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission)

Single Loop A Interchange will link
the Turnpike and I-95 where they
currently cross.
(Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission)

Bridge Proposal
Delaware River Bridge South will be located 75 to 100 feet south of the existing
bridge and feature three lanes for carrying New Jersey-bound traffic. The current
span will be rehabilitated and be reconfigured for three lanes for westbound
traffic. The current Delaware River Bridge toll plaza will be modified as a
westbound-only facility. (Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission)

On January 6, 2004, the US Department of Transportation approved the environmental impact study. "Late 2007" is the "optimistic forecast" for groundbreaking for the first part, a new toll plaza, said PTC spokeswoman Christina Hampton after the announcement was made. Project website: http://www.paturnpikei95.com/

Current I-276/I-95 crossing at the left and conceptual drawing of the future I-276/I-95
interchange on the right. (Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission)

E-ZPass, an electronic toll collection system, was unveiled on December 2, 2000 on the entire stretch of I-276. This system is, or will be, used for toll collection on every toll highway and bridge in the Northeast. It was only available to personal automobiles for the initial unveiling and expanded to include commercial vehicles on December 14, 2002.

With the implementation of the E-ZPass system, the PTC was able to open its first two slip ramps at Virginia Drive at the Fort Washington Office Center Park. The interchange is the first unmanned exit, and first to be numbered using mileage-based exit numbers, on the mainline Turnpike, utilizing only the E-ZPass system to charge tolls for vehicles entering or exiting the westbound Turnpike. Construction of the ramps began in early 2000. Additional slip ramps are being planned along the Turnpike near large businesses or corporate parks, to allow drivers to enter or exit the highway closer to their workplace.

Ground was broken on October 14, 2004 for the next widening project in the Philadelphia area. PTC CEO Joe Brimmeier, PTC Chairman Mitchell Rubin of Philadelphia, and Vice Chairman Timothy Carson of Montgomery County led the ceremony on the lawn adjacent to the Norristown Interchange Toll Plaza. Governor Ed Rendell said commuters will benefit from the $181 million project noting, "This is the most heavily traveled four-lane section of the PA Turnpike, and it’s located in our state’s most densely populated region. Renewing and widening this road is vital to improving the transportation network in the greater Philadelphia area."

Construction will involve a total rebuild and widening to six lanes a seven mile section from Exit 326/Valley Forge to Exit 333/Norristown. It will be the largest project in the southeastern Pennsylvania region since the building of the Mid-County Interchange. The widening will occur on either side of the Schuylkill River Bridge, which was already widened, with work beginning on a two mile section east of the bridge in November 2004. Construction will begin next summer on the five miles from the bridge westward. East of the bridge will total $31 million and west of the bridge coming in around $85 million. Bridges in the sections will be replaced, such as the US 202 and Flint Hill Road overpasses along with seven others. The Norristown Interchange will be rebuilt as part of a $14.3 million project to provide 11 new and improved tollbooths, upgraded E-ZPass lanes, a new fare-collection building, and reconfigured lanes. To complete the widening project, five sound barriers will be installed, the shoulder widened from 10 to 12 feet, and the steel median guide rail replaced by a 52-inch-high Jersey barrier. Project website: http://www.sixlanewidening.com/.

Thanksgiving travelers got an early present on November 24 when toll collectors and maintenance personnel walked off the job for the first time in 64 years at 4 AM, forcing the PTC to wave tolls on the busiest day of the year. No major backups were reported, but traffic did slow around 5 PM near Exit 57 due to an accident. At the Bedford Interchange, two truck drivers were citied by State Police after they attempted to block the toll plaza in a show of solidarity. Teamsters Local 77 and 250 walked off the job due to not receiving raises unlike non-union employees. The Commission offered a raise of $21 per hour over three years, fully paid health care package, 15 paid holidays, an average of four weeks of vacation a year, and a no-layoff clause for three years. The union rejected the offer, but would not comment on the reason. Around 220 PTC managers were pushed into service at toll plazas across the state starting at 12:01 AM on November 25. No tickets were issued and instead a flat rate of $2 for passenger vehicles and $15 for commercial vehicles. E-ZPass customers were charged the regular fare up to $2.

A tentative agreement was reached through negotiating sessions that began November 29 at 2:30 PM and ended on November 30 around 10 PM, ending the seven day strike. Executive Director Joe Brimmeier commended the management employees who filled in at 36 Turnpike interchanges for "their exemplary service. These men and women, representing every level of management, performed magnificently, provided a high level of customer service and ensured the safe and smooth flow of traffic during the busiest holiday travel period of the year. I cannot thank them enough for their dedication and commitment." At 9 AM on December 1, tickets began to be reissued and commercial cards accepted. An eight-hour grace period until 5 AM December 2 was allotted for travelers who entered the Turnpike when tickets were not being issued. After this period, they would be charged the lost ticket fare which is the toll from point of entry to the farthest exit.

Western Terminus:	I-76 at Exit 326 in King of Prussia.
Eastern Terminus:	New Jersey state line at the Delaware Memorial Bridge in Bristol.
Length:	33 miles
National Highway System:	Entire length
Names:	Pennsylvania Turnpike East-West Expressway
SR Designation:	SR 7276
Counties:	Montgomery and Bucks
Multiplexed Routes:	None
Former Designations:	I-80S (1957 - 1958) I-280 (1958 - 1963)
Emergency:	*11 and call boxes every mile
Highway Conditions:	http://www.paturnpike.com/rttc/ 1-800-331-3414 - 2 - 1
Traffic Conditions:	Valley Forge to Fort Washington Fort Washington to NJ Turnpike #211/215-567-5678 - 276*
Traffic Cameras:	Valley Forge Plymouth Meeting Fort Washington Willow Grove Philadelphia
Travel Radio:	1640