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Thursday, September 27, 2018

It Was America’s First Superhighway. Now Much of It Sits Abandoned

Known at the time as “America’s Super Highway,” the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940 as the first limited-access highway in the country. Considered state of the art, it served as a model for the Interstate Highway System and other freeways. But the road’s popularity resulted in miles-long backups at its tunnels. (The turnpike was also known as the “tunnel highway” because it traversed seven tunnels.) To alleviate congestion, two additional tunnels were bored. Eventually, a 13-mile stretch of the turnpike was abandoned in favor of a more modern bypass that opened in 1968. But the old highway has not been completely forgotten. It’s been used as a roadway test site and a movie location. Not officially open to the public, it is popular with bikers, hikers and explorers.

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2 comments:

  1. Love the site-- extremely individual pleasant and lots
    to see!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I used to take the Pa. Turnpike at Breezewood every time I traveled to Columbus Ohio.

    ReplyDelete

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