Heading west from the truck parking entrance, and the last photo is the original I-76 WB ramp to Breezewood. I should state here that this section of the Abandoned Turnpike is not part of the Pike2Bike trail, and is technically off-limits. I did not know this at the time.


Finishing the eastbound photos, where as you can see, the four-lane original Turnpike merges into the current Exit 161 ramp, which by the way is the I-70 mainline.


Like most Turnpike interchanges, this was originally a trumpet (still is, but relocated further west), and here I climb down the northern embankment to get the best photo I can of the original eastbound ramps. The ramp on the left was I-70 EB to Breezewood.


Behind the construction vehicles, the eastbound ramps begin to loop around to the west. The only original ramp not abandoned was the westbound onramp, which was covered by the current ramps.


Now heading east toward the Pike2Bike trail. The connection to the truck parking lot is to the left in the second photo and prominent in the third photo. Up ahead is one of many stripe test areas.


Continuing east toward the end of pavement, and looking back west one more time. The pavement had been continuous here until recently, when the overpass at US 30 was removed. The overpass at the other end of the Pike2Bike trail, across Pumping Station Road, was also removed, isolating the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy ownership (of the bike trail) from the Turnpike-owned roads at either end.


These embankments are all that remains of the original US 30 overpass. The first photo looks east at the beginning of the Pike2Bike trail (currently you have to follow a dirt trail to get up there, but that's supposed to be improved), and the second photo is looking west from the Pike2Bike trail at the western stub I wasn't supposed to be on. That stone embankment does a great job of keeping bikers from getting up OR down, let me tell you. I didn't even try to fight it when I returned at the end of my journey, opting for the smoothness of US 30

Head east on the Pike2Bike Trail
Back up and face westward on the Pike2Bike
Back to Abandoned Turnpike main page
Back to I-76 main page

Onto I-70
Onto US 30
Back to PA Roads
Back to Roads