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| Abandoned Section of the Pa. Turnpike |
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| Abandoned Laurel Hill Tunnel |
There are two sections of the Pennsylvania Turnpike that are ABANDONED ?
There are three Pa. Turnpike tunnels that are ABANDONED ?
There are two more tunnels that were never used ?
Most of the western half of the Pa. Turnpike roadbed was originally laid for a railroad ?
The Pa. Turnpike originally had two lanes in each direction divided by a grassy strip. But when it came to the tunnels, the Turnpike narrowed to only one lane in each direction. This seemed sufficient at first. But, as traffic increased over the years, this caused much congestion.
In the 1960's, when it was decided to upgrade the tunnel situation, some of the tunnels had a second tunnel bored through the mountain. But for others, for one reason or another, the tunnel was abandoned and the Turnpike re-routed to avoid tunneling altogether.
All of the abandoned sections and tunnels are in the western half of the turnpike. Between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.
Joe's Pa. Turnpike Page - A Really Good History of the Turnpike and the Abandoned Sections
Michael's Page - He has Topographical Maps with the Abandoned Sections and Tunnels Highlighted ! A Great Page !