The Glory Years of the Pennsylvania Turnpike by Dakelman Mitchell E.;Schorr Neal A.;

Author:Dakelman, Mitchell E.;Schorr, Neal A.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: unknown
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2016-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

The date is September 5, 1940. The location is the Straightaway east of Blue Mountain. After nearly two years of construction, the highway is ready for opening day.

FOUR

THE GLORY YEARS

As the summer of 1940 wore on, the late June deadline for completion was missed, as were several extensions. Finally, work drew to a close near the end of September. The announcement went out that the turnpike would be thrown open to traffic at midnight, October 1, 1940. No ceremony was planned. Instead, motorists and the curious alike began to line up at tollbooths, referred to as “ticket offices” at the time, waiting to be amongst the first to drive on the new highway.

The road they would see that day was unlike any ever built up to that time. No express highway had ever been constructed that passed through such rugged territory or rigidly adhered to such consistent engineering and geometrical standards throughout its length. Even more amazing was the fact that 160 miles of four-lane highway was opened in one fell swoop.

Unforeseen by the men who planned it, the turnpike immediately became the object of public fascination and admiration. Motorists flocked from throughout the country to take a drive on the brand-new Pennsylvania Turnpike. Most wondrous of all were the seven tunnels that pierced the ridges of the “Endless Mountains.” For those who used it solely as a means of transportation, the time required to traverse the mountains of Pennsylvania was cut in half. Gone was the need to negotiate the curves and hills of the Lincoln and William Penn Highways along with the constant shifting of gears and use of brakes.

In its first year of operation, there was no posted speed limit on the new superhighway. Motorists would race along the road while attempting to traverse its 160-mile length as quickly as possible. Once home, they would compare notes to see who made the journey the quickest.

The turnpike became more than a means of getting somewhere. It became an attraction and a tourist destination in and of itself. Families flocked to the new facility to have their photographs taken at the tollbooths, along the roadside, and of course at the seven amazing tunnels.

The service plaza structures were built of quarried fieldstone to represent typical Colonial Pennsylvania architecture. None was as famous as South Midway, flagship of all the service plazas. A special treat was to stop at “the Midway” for a meal in the formal dining room. In that era, travelers took the time for a sit-down dinner in an elegant setting that included a huge fireplace. Food service was provided by the famed restaurateur Howard Johnson. While the other service plazas were much smaller, their names, such as Cove Valley and Blue Mountain, would become part of the turnpike’s mystique.

Those travelers seeking a less formal meal would often dine on a picnic lunch packed before their journey began. As incredible as it seems today, while most usually picnicked alongside the road, some brave souls actually ate their meal

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