News along the Pennsylvania Turnpike (drive, highway, difference)

[armourereric]

I am very curious to see what changes/upgrades occur at the Monroeville interchange.

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by armourereric

I am very curious to see what changes/upgrades occur at the Monroeville interchange.

I imagine it'll be a "directional T" interchange with flyover on- and off-ramps westbound. I also wouldn't be surprised if the westbound off-ramp and eastbound on-ramp are two lanes each.

[Craziaskowboi]

Preliminary design for MM 57 to MM 67 began last year and is ongoing. Like other recently reconstructed segments of the Turnpike, it will be reconstructed from the ground up and widened to six lanes. Final design is expected to begin in 2014, with replacement of all over- and underpasses beginning in 2016, and reconstruction of the highway itself beginning in 2018. Expect to slow down on this segment of the Turnpike within three years.

Here's a cross section of the existing Turnpike (top) and the proposed expanded Turnpike (bottom):



As you can see, complaints of a narrow highway won't be much longer. (For the record, this is how I envision an expansion to I-376.)

This project does not include any reconfiguration to the I-376 interchange (Exit 57), and the boundaries of the project end at the Northern Pike overpass just east of the interchange, which leads me to believe that any reconfiguration of the interchange will be done in conjunction with a reconstruction of the segment from MM 50 to MM 57. That segment will be the last between Cranberry and New Stanton to be widened to six lanes, and will more than likely be the most expensive project on the Turnpike in western Pennsylvania.

[Craziaskowboi]

Wow, look at all the design and construction activity on the Turnpike these days!

Everything you see on the map except for 'G' and 'H' involves at least one of the following:


1. Long-span bridge replacement
2. Interchange reconfiguration
3. Total reconstruction and widening to six lanes


The following is the status of every segment of the Turnpike in western Pennsylvania:


MM 0 to MM 10 - Total reconstruction and widening to six lanes complete
MM 10 to MM 12 - No immediate plans
MM 12 to MM 14 - Overpass replacements underway, Beaver River Bridge replacement imminent, total reconstruction and widening to six lanes imminent
MM 14 to MM 28 - No immediate plans
MM 28 to MM 31 - Overpass replacements imminent, total reconstruction and widening to six lanes soon thereafter
MM 31 to MM 38 - Total reconstruction and widening to six lanes complete
MM 38 to MM 40 - Total reconstruction complete, widening to six lanes necessary
MM 40 to MM 48 - Overpass replacement underway, total reconstruction and widening to six lanes imminent
MM 48 to MM 49 - Allegheny River Bridge replacement complete
MM 49 to MM 53 - Design work underway
MM 53 to MM 57 - Design work underway
MM 57 to MM 67 - Design work underway
MM 67 to MM 75 - Total reconstruction and widening to six lanes complete
MM 75 to MM 97 - Total reconstruction complete, widening to six lanes necessary
MM 97 to MM 104 - Excavation underway, overpass replacements imminent, total reconstruction and widening to six lanes soon thereafter
MM 104 to MM 109 - Overpass replacements underway, total reconstruction and widening to six lanes imminent
MM 109 to MM 122 - Total reconstruction complete, widening to six lanes necessary
MM 122 to MM 124 - Design work underway for Allegheny Mountain Tunnel replacement


The segments shaded in RED were all reconstructed over a decade ago, before the Turnpike Commission made the decision to widen the entire Turnpike to six lanes. As a result, these segments only have four lanes, and will require partial reconstruction in the future to widen them to six lanes. More than likely, the partial reconstruction will involve digging down along the outer edges of the relatively new existing roadbed and laying more roadbed materials adjacent to it. Unfortunately, it will also require replacement of a handful of relatively new overpasses that don't have enough room under them for a six-lane right of way. The segment from MM 38 to MM 40 will need to be corrected soon because both adjacent segments will soon have six lanes, creating a two-mile-long bottleneck, but the other two segments will more than likely be intermediate-term corrections.

[armourereric]

IIRC, the PA 8 overpass was never replaced. I suspect you may see an elimination of the trumpet connection to 8. However, the West Hardies Road bridge is relatively new and will need replacement.

[Craziaskowboi]

Average daily traffic volume by segment of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (2012)

11,000 - Ohio state line to Exit 10
11,000 - Exit 10 to Exit 13
11,000 - Exit 13 to Exit 28
31,000 - Exit 28 to Exit 39
34,000 - Exit 39 to Exit 48
39,000 - Exit 48 to Exit 57
45,000 - Exit 57 to Exit 67
35,000 - Exit 67 to Exit 75
35,000 - Exit 75 to Exit 91
32,000 - Exit 91 to Exit 110
30,000 - Exit 110 to Exit 146
34,000 - Exit 146 to Exit 161
21,000 - Exit 161 to Exit 180
22,000 - Exit 180 to Exit 189
22,000 - Exit 189 to Exit 201
21,000 - Exit 201 to Exit 226
21,000 - Exit 226 to Exit 236
27,000 - Exit 236 to Exit 242
30,000 - Exit 242 to Exit 247
26,000 - Exit 247 to Exit 266
26,000 - Exit 266 to Exit 286
34,000 - Exit 286 to Exit 298
44,000 - Exit 298 to Exit 312
44,000 - Exit 312 to Exit 320
63,000 - Exit 320 to Exit 326
76,000 - Exit 326 to Exit 333
117,000 - Exit 333 to Exit 339
105,000 - Exit 339 to Exit 343
90,000 - Exit 343 to Exit 351
43,000 - Exit 351 to Exit 358
38,000 - Exit 358 to New Jersey state line

Originally Posted by armourereric

IIRC, the PA 8 overpass was never replaced. I suspect you may see an elimination of the trumpet connection to 8. However, the West Hardies Road bridge is relatively new and will need replacement.

Expect every overpass to be replaced along that segment, regardless of age. It'll need to be done soon, considering MM 31 to MM 38 and MM 40 to MM 48 will both be six lanes.

[gg]

Sure is expensive! Should make the roads out of gold. Of course the tolls were supposed to go away once the Turnpike was out of debt. Reminds me of the Johnstown Flood Tax stuff. What a crock of crap.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

Average daily traffic volume by segment of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (2012)

11,000 - Ohio state line to Exit 10
11,000 - Exit 10 to Exit 13
11,000 - Exit 13 to Exit 28
31,000 - Exit 28 to Exit 39
34,000 - Exit 39 to Exit 48
39,000 - Exit 48 to Exit 57
45,000 - Exit 57 to Exit 67
35,000 - Exit 67 to Exit 75
35,000 - Exit 75 to Exit 91
32,000 - Exit 91 to Exit 110
30,000 - Exit 110 to Exit 146
34,000 - Exit 146 to Exit 161
21,000 - Exit 161 to Exit 180
22,000 - Exit 180 to Exit 189
22,000 - Exit 189 to Exit 201
21,000 - Exit 201 to Exit 226
21,000 - Exit 226 to Exit 236
27,000 - Exit 236 to Exit 242
30,000 - Exit 242 to Exit 247
26,000 - Exit 247 to Exit 266
26,000 - Exit 266 to Exit 286
34,000 - Exit 286 to Exit 298
44,000 - Exit 298 to Exit 312
44,000 - Exit 312 to Exit 320
63,000 - Exit 320 to Exit 326
76,000 - Exit 326 to Exit 333
117,000 - Exit 333 to Exit 339
105,000 - Exit 339 to Exit 343
90,000 - Exit 343 to Exit 351
43,000 - Exit 351 to Exit 358
38,000 - Exit 358 to New Jersey state line

You'd think for as Midwestern some claim Pittsburgh to be there would be so much more traffic from people traveling west than there currently is.

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Sure is expensive! Should make the roads out of gold. Of course the tolls were supposed to go away once the Turnpike was out of debt. Reminds me of the Johnstown Flood Tax stuff. What a crock of crap.

The only reason the Turnpike is expensive is because of the Act 44 nonsense after Ed Rendell and company blew open a giant hole in the state transportation budget. They wanted to toll I-80, and they set their transportation budgets assuming that they could toll I-80, but the federal government said no, so Act 44 was enacted that basically uses Turnpike tolls to subsidize other PennDOT projects.

Act 89 is a step in the right direction, but Act 44 needs to go entirely in order for the Turnpike tolls to stop going up so fast. Also, ironically, the federal government is now considering letting states toll their Interstates to help pay for transportation projects, so it seems like Rendell was ahead of his time, though it could also be that he was accidentally so.

[Craziaskowboi]

Here's a picture of the reconstructed and widened Turnpike near MM 45, facing eastbound:



MM 44 to MM 48 has been reconstructed and widened, and they've started clearing trees in preparation for reconstruction and widening from MM 40 to MM 44. Every overpass from MM 40 to MM 48 has been replaced. Here's a picture of one of the new overpasses near MM 42, plus trees being cleared, facing eastbound: