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The Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike is the common name of a 13-mile (21 km) stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike that was replaced in 1968 by a new stretch. This was done to eliminate traffic congestion caused by the two lane Sideling Hill Tunnel and Rays Hill Tunnel .
Sideling Hill Tunnel is 6,782 feet (2,067 m) long. It was the longest of the original tunnels on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The Ray's Hill Tunnel and Sideling Hill Tunnel are now part of the Pike2Bike Trail. Together, the two tunnels as well as the roadway are commonly known as the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike. [1]
Map of the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike; red line shows road open for pedestrians/cyclists, dashed red line shows closed-off portions of the road, red/white alternating show tunnels: Date: 13 March 2013: Source: Own work, data from U.S. Census Bureau
The abandoned tunnel can be seen where there is a path of trees removed from the top of the mountain. Notice the jersey barriers end with the beginning of a wide grassy median. The tunnels on the Turnpike had been bottlenecks ever since the Turnpike's opening in 1940 due to reduced speeds and two-way traffic in a single tube.
Rays Hill Tunnel is 3,532 feet (1,077 m) long. It was the shortest of the seven original tunnels on Pennsylvania Turnpike. Due to its short length, its ventilation fans were installed only at its western portal. Its eastern portal is the only one of the 14 tunnel portals on the original turnpike that has no ventilation fan housing.
The Tuscarora Mountain tunnels measure 1.1 miles (1.8 km) in length and are the second-longest active tunnels on the Pennsylvania Turnpike system. The 1.3-mile-long (2.1 km) Sideling Hill Tunnel is the longest overall, but was abandoned in 1968. Allegheny Mountain Tunnel is the longest in active use. The Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel sits on the ...
I-76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) 4,727 feet (1,441 m) [49] Laurel Hill Tunnel: Cook and Jefferson Townships Pennsylvania Turnpike (abandoned) 4,541 feet (1,384 m) 1940 [50] Lehigh Tunnel: Lehigh and Carbon counties I-476 (Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike) Blue Mountain: 4,400 feet (1,300 m) 1957, 1991 [51] Liberty Tunnel: Pittsburgh
It is one of seven tunnels completed for the Pennsylvania Turnpike mainline, and at 4,339 ft (1,323 m) in length, is the shortest of the four still in use today. The Blue Mountain Tunnel is 600 ft (180 m) to the east of the Kittatinny Mountain Tunnel , separated by the Gunter Valley. [ 1 ]