By Brad Heigel

Chief Engineer, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission

The Pennsylvania Turnpike has been a significant part of our country’s history. Dubbed “America’s first superhighway” when it opened in 1940, the turnpike transformed America’s perception of time and transportation.

Much has changed in the intervening decades. We’ve added more than 400 roadway miles, built bridges where none existed and connected rural communities to critical infrastructure.

Yet we continue to undergo an innovative and historic transformation with the implementation of Open Road Tolling (ORT), a significant shift for our customers as part of the turnpike’s decade-long journey to modernize an 85-year-old roadway for 21st-century travel.

For travelers, the changes are visible.

Where ORT is live — east of t

See Full Page