Breezewood in the Fall....The Abandoned PA Turnpike

Editor's Note: Bernie Newman's Breezewood in the Fall was the first real feature that I had on my fledgling website in late 1999. It was also one of the first online features about the abandoned turnpike and its tunnels. From November 1999 to about 2003-04, I would receive numerous e-mails about the tunnels and accessing the old roadway as a result of Mr. Newman's work. Today, there are numerous webpages and social media groups devoted to this abandoned stretch of highway.

In 1968, The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission successfully completed a bypass of two tunnels - Sideling and Ray's Hill - one service plaza - Cove Valley - and nearly 13 miles of roadway. Since then this forgotten section of road has been a destination point for turnpike enthusiasts, hikers and bicyclists, curiosity seekers, and the Turnpike Commission itself. The abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike serves as a living history of the nearly 80 year old highway.

The Breezewood Interchange incorporates a small segment of the old Turnpike alignment - serving as a connector route for Interstate 70 from the Turnpike to the Town of Motels. It is just prior to the connector's interchange with US 30 that the abandoned section of the turnpike begins.

This where the former alignment of the PA Turnpike begins - just prior the ramps at the Breezewood Interchange (Bernie Newman)

The former ramps of the Breezewood Interchange. Like nearly all turnpike interchanges, the original Breezewood interchange was of a trumpet design. (Bernie Newman)

What would have been the Breezewood interchange ramps going underneath the turnpike. (Bernie Newman)

What was most likely the last of the original turnpike guardrail. (Bernie Newman)

Another view of the original interchange ramps and cement median from the former Turnpike overpass. (Bernie Newman)

Beyond the former Breezewood Interchange is 13 miles of the old turnpike. In 2001, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission sold nearly all of the former alignment to the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy for $1. THe Conservancy's goal was to convert the abandoned Turnpike into a bike trail. However, in the over 15 years since that transaction there has been minimal progress towards that goal. The Pike 2 Bike Trail is "unofficially" open and all users travel at their own risk.

Old turnpike bridge over US 30. The PTC actually painted the bridge in the 1980s, the bridge would be demolished in 2005. (Bernie Newman)

The bridge in the photo above once carried the abandoned turnpike over US 30. The Turnpike Commission dismantled this bridge - along with a similar overpass at Pump Station Road - to eliminate the liability and expense in maintaining the two structures and also to restrict access to parts of the abandoned Turnpike still owned by the PTC. As a result, an ad hoc parking lot off of nearby Tannery Rd. was built for trail access.

Looking East on the abandoned Turnpike towards Ray's Hill. (Bernie Newman)

The western portal of Ray's Hill Tunnel. When compared to Bill Symon's photo of this same entrance in 1981 - the 'RAYS HILL' lettering above the entrance is gone and graffiti is much more prevalent. (Bernie Newman)

The short distance allows for you to see the "Light at the end of the tunnel". I am guessing that the double yellow line in this photo was from a PTC paint test. (Bernie Newman)

Most likely an original streetlight near the western entrance of Ray's Hill Tunnel. (Bernie Newman)

Site Navigation:

Return to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Collection Index

California State Route 88 the Carson Pass Highway

Between 2016 and 2017 I drove the majority of California State Route 88 from CA 99 in Stockton east over Carson Pass to CA 89.

CA 88 is a 122 mile state highway from CA 99 in Stockton east over the Sierra Nevada Range to the continuation route Nevada State Route 88 at the Nevada State Line. CA 88 is known as the Carson Pass Highway. Carson Pass at 8,574 feet above sea level along CA 88 is an all-year Mountain Pass in the Sierras and on occasion designated as Temporary US Route 50 when conditions are bad over Echo Summit.

CA 88 was not one of the original Signed State Highways. CA 8 was the original designation over Carson Pass which can be seen on the 1938 California State Highway Map.

1938 State Highway Map

CA 8 was substantially different than CA 88 west of Jackson as it largely follows the current route of CA 26. From US 99E in 1934 and later US 50/99 in 1936 from Stockton CA 8 originally used the following route to reach Jackson:

- Legislative Route 5 from US 99 in Stockton …

California State Route 85

Last week I had the opportunity to try out several Bay Area roadways. The first route on my list was California State Route 85 from CA 17 west to US Route 101.

CA 85 is an approximately 24 mile freeway starting at US 101 in San Jose which loops back to US 101 in Mountain View. I drove the entire route back in 2016 but my recent trip had me starting CA 85 at about the mid-way point in Los Gatos from CA 17 northbound.

CA 85 west of CA 17 briefly skirts the City limits of San Jose before entering Saratoga.

CA 85 dips back into the westernmost limits of San Jose at De Anza Boulevard. De Anza Boulevard was part of the original surface alignment of CA 9.

CA 85 in Cupertino is the location with the junction with I-280. The section of CA 85 north of I-280 is the original part of the freeway which means there is plenty of button-copy shields still posted.

CA 85 briefly dips into Sunnyvale before entering Mountain View. CA 85 encounters CA 82 which runs on the El Camino Real which obvious…

California State Route 49; The Golden Chain Highway (CA 41 north to CA 16)

Last year I traveled California State Route 49 from CA 16 north to CA 89 in one continuous trip. The prior two years I traveled the rest of CA 49 south to CA 41 in Oakhurst. This blog post consists of photos of the highway from that time period and historical information about the southern part of CA 49.

This blog post is meant to be a continuation of the previous one I did regarding CA 49 from CA 16 north to CA 89. A link to said blog post can be found below:

California State Route 49; The Golden Chain Highway (CA 16 north to CA 89)

As stated in the previous blog post; CA 49 is an approximately 295 mile long north/south highway which traverses the traditional Gold Rush Country of California. While I intend to discuss county level historical alignments of CA 49 as I did in the first blog post I thought this would be a good place to discuss the backstory of highway.

CA 49 was first signed in 1934 along a series of Legislative Route Numbers ("LRN") that were largely located…

Sure, Why Not?

Search This Blog