Turnpike hires Chicago-based firm to redesign Breezewood interchange, join to I-70

It could take as long as 10 years to complete, but the Pennsylvania Turnpike has taken the first direct step toward redesigning its Breezewood interchange to provide a direct connection with Interstate 70.

The agency has hired Alfred Benesch and Co. under a $20 million contract to serve as the lead designer for the project, estimated to cost $170 million at today’s prices. The commission chose Benesch, which is based in Chicago with offices in Cranberry and Pottsville, over 12 others who submitted proposals for the work.

The agency had put out a request for proposals in September.

In a news release, the turnpike said it chose Benesch because the company “demonstrated a strong understanding of the anticipated project issues and challenges, proposed a sound approach to evaluating potential alternatives and creating effective public involvement plans, displayed significant relevant experience, and will staff the project with highly qualified team members.”

For decades, millions of drivers had to exit the turnpike and drive through a busy commercial stretch of Route 30 known as a tourist trap if they wanted to get on I-70. In 2022, 2.65 million customers exited the turnpike at Breezewood and 2.83 million got on, 37% of them truck drivers.

Over the years, that led to congestion on the 2-mile stretch of Route 30 between the turnpike and the interstate, and businesses thrived. When the turnpike opened in 1940, federal law prohibited a direct connection between an interstate and a toll road, and once the business district was established, locals resisted any change when the law allowed it.

Then the pandemic happened and driving patterns changed. The area once considered quaint and iconic saw a sharp downturn in its commercial activity.

Now, the political leaders and the business community are changing their focus to concentrate on outdoor recreation, expanding the area’s trail system and opening businesses to serve that community. Instead of forcing drivers to pass through Breezewood, groups such as the Bedford County Development Association and the Bedford/Fulton Joint Recreation Authority want to attract motorists who want to visit there, making the direct turnpike-I-70 connection a benefit rather than a detriment.

The authority already has partially developed more than 8 miles of the TOPP Trail along the border of Bedford and Fulton counties, with plans for much more.

The turnpike’s elimination of toll plazas – the agency is changing to open-road tolling where fees are charged when vehicles pass under gantries – will allow the agency to complete the project on property it already owns. The work will include building the 2-mile connection with I-70 and widening the turnpike to three lanes in each direction for three miles around the interchange.