The Pennsylvania Turnpike is moving forward with several projects that could improve connections to the highway in key freight corridors across the Commonwealth, including new access to PA 283 near Harrisburg, a long-awaited direct connection between the Turnpike and Interstate 70 at Breezewood, and a new interchange in Westmoreland County.

While the projects vary considerably in size and scope, they share a common theme: improving access and mobility by creating new connections to the Turnpike. Several are also possible because of the Turnpike's transition to Open Road Tolling (ORT), which eliminates the need for traditional toll plazas and significantly reduces the cost and physical footprint required to build new interchanges.

New PA 283 Ramps Planned Near Harrisburg

The most recently announced project could be particularly significant for freight movement in the Capital Region.

In August, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission announced plans for two new ramps connecting the Turnpike directly with PA 283 in Londonderry Township, Dauphin County, between the Harrisburg East and Lebanon-Lancaster interchanges.

One ramp would allow traffic traveling eastbound on the Turnpike to connect directly to eastbound PA 283. The other would allow westbound PA 283 traffic to enter the Turnpike heading west.

The connections would provide an alternative to the heavily traveled I-283/PA 283 interchange. According to the Turnpike, traffic queues approaching that interchange routinely exceed a mile during peak periods, and more than 200 crashes have occurred in the corridor over the past four years.

For trucking, the project could provide a more direct connection between the Turnpike and PA 283, an important corridor connecting the Harrisburg area with Lancaster and the region's distribution, manufacturing and commercial activity.

PennDOT Secretary and Turnpike Commission Chairman Mike Carroll specifically cited the movement of goods in announcing the project, saying the new connection would improve how "people and goods move through this busy corridor."

The project is still in the early stages of development, with additional traffic, roadway, environmental and community analysis to come. The Turnpike has said it anticipates completing the ramps within approximately five years.

Breezewood Project Will Finally Create a Direct I-70 Connection

Farther west, one of the Turnpike's most significant projects for interstate trucking is now in preliminary design.

The Turnpike formally began the preliminary engineering phase this year for a redesign of the Breezewood Interchange, which will create a direct, free-flowing connection between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I-70.

Today, I-70 traffic must leave the interstate, travel along U.S. 30 through Breezewood and navigate traffic signals, businesses and local traffic before entering the Turnpike. The unusual configuration has existed for decades and makes Breezewood one of the few places in the Interstate Highway System where through traffic encounters traffic signals.

The implications for commercial traffic are substantial. According to the Turnpike, 2.65 million vehicles exited and 2.83 million entered the Turnpike at Breezewood in 2022 — and 37 percent of that traffic was trucks.

The redesigned interchange will maintain access to U.S. 30 and the Breezewood business district while providing a separate direct connection for I-70 through traffic. The Turnpike says the design will allow long-distance travelers and commercial vehicles to remain on the interstate, reducing conflicts between through traffic and local vehicles.

In addition to improving travel time and reliability for trucks moving between I-70 and the Turnpike, the project is intended to improve safety and reduce congestion in Breezewood itself.

The project is currently in preliminary engineering, which is expected to continue through 2028. Final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction will follow.

Turnpike Moving Forward With New SR 981 Interchange in Westmoreland County

The Turnpike Commission also approved another new interchange in August, this one at SR 981 in Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County.

The interchange will be located near Turnpike Milepost 80.8 and will provide a new connection to the Turnpike in an area where PennDOT has already invested more than $220 million in improvements along the Route 981 corridor.

Turnpike officials say the interchange will improve regional mobility and connectivity in the Greater New Stanton area while creating additional opportunities for business investment and economic development.

The project could also provide businesses and commercial traffic in the surrounding area with another option for accessing Pennsylvania's primary east-west highway rather than traveling to existing interchanges.

The SR 981 interchange is in the early stages of development, and the Turnpike has not yet announced a construction schedule or cost.

SR 130 Project Paused After Traffic Study

The Turnpike had also been developing a new interchange at SR 130 in Penn Township, between the Pittsburgh and Irwin interchanges.

That project was intended to improve Turnpike access for Pittsburgh's eastern suburbs, ease congestion on roads currently used to reach existing interchanges and support economic development in Westmoreland County.

However, the Turnpike recently paused the project after a comprehensive traffic analysis determined that traffic generated by the new interchange would require substantial improvements to SR 130 and nearby roads.

According to the Commission, the scope, cost, community impacts and additional time associated with those improvements outweighed the benefits of moving forward with the interchange at this time.

Funding that had been available for SR 130 is now helping advance the SR 981 interchange.

Open Road Tolling Creates New Options for Turnpike Access

There is another connection among these projects that may be less obvious to Turnpike customers.

The transition to Open Road Tolling is making it easier — and considerably less expensive — for the Turnpike to add new access points.

Under the Turnpike's former tolling system, a new interchange generally required substantial land and infrastructure for toll booths and plazas. ORT instead collects tolls electronically from gantries over the highway, allowing vehicles to continue traveling at highway speed.

Without the need for a toll plaza, the Turnpike says new interchanges can be constructed with a significantly smaller footprint and at a significantly lower cost.

The Commission specifically says the PA 283 and SR 981 projects are possible because of ORT. The Turnpike has also cited ORT as a key factor in making the Breezewood redesign possible, and the SR 130 project similarly benefited from the new tolling configuration before it was paused.

That could have implications well beyond these individual projects. The Turnpike says the flexibility provided by ORT gives it greater ability to consider additional access points that support mobility, community connectivity and economic development across Pennsylvania.

For the trucking industry, that could mean something particularly important: more opportunities over time to connect major freight routes, employment centers and commercial areas directly to one of Pennsylvania's most important freight corridors.