AMVETS Memorial Highway

It is one of the first Interstate to be completed from border to border in Pennsylvania.  OK, so it was only 46 miles long and is only in one county, but who's paying attention?  Actually, the real reason that it was completed so fast was that it had help from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

Prior to the signing of the bill that ushered in the era of the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways, the PTC had envisioned a similar plan but in the scale of Pennsylvania.  During the 1940s and 1950s, many highways were proposed as toll expressways and so was this one which would be known as the Northwestern Extension.  It was even shown on the 1956 Pennsylvania Turnpike map as under construction; however, on the 1957 it was not shown at all.  What a difference a year makes!

By the time the bill was signed by President Eisenhower on June 29, 1956, the status on this section of highway had gone from preliminary design to final design.  When the legislation went into effect, the Turnpike engineers packed all of their plans, correspondence, and soil reports and shipped them to the Department of Highways.  Most of the other proposed highways ended up the same way, as Interstates.

Construction on the entire route began in 1958.  In 1959, the state of Ohio began to build their section of I-90 up to the border.  They did not open their section and what happened was a repeat of when the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened to the Ohio/Pennsylvania border and dumped cars into Petersburg, Ohio.  The first section of I-90 opened from the Ohio border to Exit 6 on June 1, 1960.  The section from Exit 6 to the New York border opened on October 28, 1960 at 10 AM.  The ribbon-cutting ceremony began with a motorcade over the newly opened expressway that began at Exit 24.  A luncheon, also a part of the ceremonies, was attended by more than 200 local, state, and federal dignitaries at the Lawrence Hotel in Erie.

Secretary of Highways, Paul H. Martin spoke at the luncheon.  He said that the Thruway had accomplished two basic requirements:  "It removes the heavy flow of through traffic from urban streets; and it reduces the time consumed in travel between New York and Ohio.  He went on to say that "When the Pittsburgh-Erie expressway [I-79] is built, the economy and resources of Erie and this section of Pennsylvania will be further enriched."

Facing eastbound on the then uncompleted I-90.
(Pennsylvania Department of Highways)

When it opened, the Interstate had a speed limit of 50 MPH, which was 10 MPH lower than ones on New York state or Ohio expressways.  However, Martin mentioned that it would be temporary.

Finally, this interstate is finished undergoing a major overhaul.  The project included every section from the Ohio Line to the New York Line.  It seemed that every time I went to Canada, this highway was under construction.  The construction concluded in 1999 and the highway is back to the way it is supposed to be:  whole.

The overpasses in western Erie County were taking a beating, literally, in the 2010s.  The Platz Road overpass in Fairview Township was the first to succumb to its "injuries" after a truck struck it in 2011.  In 2018, the Pond Road overpass in Springfield Township had to be removed after being hit numerous times.  The latest to feel the wrath of an overheight truck was the PA 215 overpass on January 11, 2021, as one traveling in the right eastbound lane struck the bridge.  In the aftermath, an eastbound lane on I-90 and northbound shoulder on PA 215 were closed on January 12.  Demolition began the night of January 13 and continued through the following Tuesday with traffic detoured onto the on- and off-ramps in both directions.  The silver lining is that this bridge was scheduled to be replaced as part of the Interstate 90 reconstruction project.

Speaking of, the first phase of that project began in 2019 and focused on reconstructing the Interstate between the Ohio state line and mile-marker 3.5 near the US 6N interchange.  The $37.6 million contract included removing and replacing the Huntley Road (SR 3012) overpass, which offers a higher clearance for Interstate traffic, opened on October 11, 2019.  Also included was preservation work between mile-marker 10.5 and mile-marker 18 which finished that year, as well as resurfacing the expressway's westbound lanes between Ohio and just east of US 6N and both directions between mile-marker 10.5 and mile-marker 18 which took place in the 2021 construction season.  Work also included a new right-of-way fence and cable median barrier, brush removal, updated guiderails, and updated signage which all wrapped up in 2021.

When the Coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic swept into the country in March 2020, PennDOT took measures to stem the spread to their employees and staff.  At 12:01 AM on March 17, all rest areas and welcome centers across the state, including both in Erie County, were closed to the traveling public.  Also all Driver License and Photo License centers were closed for two weeks and construction projects on roads under the Department of Transportation's jurisdiction were stopped.  Hearing that construction work was halted could come as welcome news, the idea of closing down the rest areas did not sit well with truckers, trucking firms, nor some elected officials.  It was then announced that on Thursday, March 19, barricades would come down at 13 rest areas across the state and they would be reopened with portable restroom facilities while the permanent facilities would remain closed.  "Every decision made has been in the interest of mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and we are constantly reevaluating our response," said PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell.  "That said, we also recognize that drivers need and deserve access to rest areas."  PennDOT announced on March 24 that an additional 10 would reopen, and including the original 13, all would provide normal service with additional cleaning and maintenance.  An additional five were reopened on Friday, March 27 which included the rest area/welcome center east of the Ohio state line, with the one west of the New York state line reopening April 6.

Two contracts to continue the rehabilitation project of Interstate 90 began in 2021:  mile-marker 3.5 to mile-marker 10.5 and mile-marker 35 to the New York state line.  The former $66.1 million contract included the replacement of the PA 215 overpass, which had to be demolished earlier than expected due to the overheight truck hitting it, intersection improvements at Underridge Road and Rea Road, preliminary work on a new PA 18 overpass, and preservation work on the McKee Road overpass which took place that same year.  In 2022, reconstruction of the eastbound lanes, completion of the PA 18 bridge and the two "teardrop" roundabouts at that interchange and replacement of the eastbound bridge over Neiger Road took place.  The following year, reconstruction of the eastbound lanes and replacement of the westbound bridge over Neiger Road was completed.  Updates to the drainage, guiderail, cable median barrier, highway lighting, landscaping, and pavement markings rounded out the work which was completed by August 2024.

The latter $18 million contract included repaving the Interstate from mile-marker 35 at the Interstate 86 interchange to the New York state line.  Work included repairs to the culvert that carries Interstate 90 over Mile Creek near the PA 89 interchange.  In 2022, work included milling, paving, bridge repairs, and drainage upgrades on the east and westbound lanes, while the 2023 construction season only involved minor finishing work as the contract's major work was completed a year early.

In 2022, a $6.4 million resurfacing contract was performed between mile-marker 18 and mile-marker 23.  Work included milling, paving and concrete patching repairs between those two points, as well as resurfacing the ramps at the PA 832 and Interstate 79 interchanges.  Updates to the drainage, guiderail, signing, and pavement markings wrapped up the work in that same construction season.

Mother Nature was not kind to Erie County at the end of November and beginning of December 2024.  Lake-effect snow bands began piling up snow, affecting post-Thanksgiving travelers using the Interstate on November 29.  It was not helped by a multi-vehicle accident in the westbound lanes near the PA 531 interchange, causing traffic to come to a complete stop.  Later that day, due to accidents and deteriorating conditions, Interstate 90 was closed between Interstate 79 and the New York state line.  Fortunately, no lives were lost and the stranded drivers were safe to continue their journeys the following day when the road was reopened albeit with speed and vehicle restrictions which themselves were completely lifted by December 4.

The next weather-related accident to occur was on December 3, 2024 when a multi-vehicle crash ended up closing the westbound lanes between the PA 98 and PA 18 interchanges.  Emergency personnel responded to the scene and were able to get the highway cleared and reopened around 6:45 PM that night.

Links:
Exit Guide
Interstate 90 Ends
Interstate 90 Pictures
Interstate 90 - Andy Field/Alex Nitzman
Interstate 90 - David Steinberg
Interstate 90 Pictures - Andy Field/Alex Nitzman
Interstate 90 Pictures - Steve Alpert
Interstate 90 Photos - Valerie Deane

INFORMATION