State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

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

Governing: 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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