Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Currently Pike2Bike Trail
Crosses
Sideling Hill
Operation
Work begun
1881 (South Pennsylvania Railroad) 1938 (Pennsylvania Turnpike)
Constructed
1881–1885 (South Pennsylvania Railroad) 1938–1940 (Pennsylvania Turnpike)
Opened
October 1, 1940 (1940-10-01)
Closed
November 26, 1968 (1968-11-26), I-76
Owner
South Pennsylvania Railroad abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission abandoned Pike2Bike Trail
Character
Hiking, biking and skateboard trail (rail trail)
Technical
Length
6,662 ft (2,031 m) (South Pennsylvania Railroad) 6,782 feet (2,067 m) (Pennsylvania Turnpike)
No. of lanes
2
Lowest elevation
1,277 ft (389 m)
Sideling Hill Tunnel is one of three original Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnels abandoned (this one in 1968) after two massive realignment projects. The others are nearby Rays Hill Tunnel, and farther west, the Laurel Hill Tunnel. It was less expensive to realign the Turnpike than to bore a second tube for four lane traffic. Sideling Hill Tunnel is 6,782 feet (2,067 m) long.
It was the longest of the original tunnels on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The Ray's Hill Tunnel and Sideling Hill Tunnel are now part of the Pike2Bike Trail. Together, the two tunnels as well as the roadway are commonly known as the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike.[1]
From the Turnpike's opening in 1940 until the realignment projects, the tunnels were bottlenecks; opposing traffic in the same tubes reduced speeds. Four other tunnels on the Turnpike – Allegheny Mountain, Tuscarora Mountain, Kittatinny Mountain, and Blue Mountain – each had a second tube bored, the least expensive option.
All of the original tunnels except for the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel were part of "Vanderbilt's Folly", the never-completed South Pennsylvania Railroad.
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and 25 Related for: Sideling Hill Tunnel information
SidelingHillTunnel is one of three original Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnels abandoned (this one in 1968) after two massive realignment projects. The others...
The SidelingHillTunnel, through SidelingHill in Pennsylvania east of Breezewood, is currently in its third phase of life. In the 1880s, a tunnel was...
opened to ease traffic congestion in the tunnels. In this case, the SidelingHillTunnel and Rays HillTunnel were bypassed, as was one of the Turnpike's...
tunnel, as well as bypassing the tunnels completely as was done for the Laurel Hill, Rays Hill and SidelingHillTunnels. On December 24, 2014, the PTC...
Sideling may refer to: In the United States: SidelingHill, part of the Allegheny Mountains SidelingHill Creek (Aughwick Creek), a tributary of Aughwick...
3. The tunnel was built for the never-completed South Pennsylvania Railroad, as were two other tunnels to its east—SidelingHill and Rays Hill—that were...
The 1.3-mile-long (2.1 km) SidelingHillTunnel is the longest overall, but was abandoned in 1968. Allegheny Mountain Tunnel is the longest in active use...
while the other three (Laurel Hill, Rays Hill, and SidelingHill) were bypassed in the 1960s; the latter two tunnels are on a bypassed section of the Turnpike...
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Pennsylvania Turnpike bypassing the Laurel HillTunnel in 1964, followed by the bypass of the Rays Hill and SidelingHillTunnels in 1968. In February, 2022, the...
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This is a list of tunnels documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. List of bridges documented by the...
and crosses numerous mountain ridges along its route. A road cut at SidelingHill exposed geological features of the mountain and has become a tourist...
This is called pre-split, it's a technique to leave a smooth face. SidelingHill road cut formed by rock blasting Tire blasting mats for fly rock prevention...
240 culverts to cross smaller streams, and the 3,118 ft (950 m) Paw Paw Tunnel. A planned section to the Ohio River at Pittsburgh was never built. The...
and Paw Paw, West Virginia. The project included construction of four tunnels, two bridges, and many deep rock cuts. The B&O continued to use the original...
Pocomoke River Pocomoke Sound Prather's Neck Ridenour Swamp Riverside SidelingHill Sinepuxent Bay South Marsh Island Strider Tar Bay Taylors Island Warrior...
in the areas of Bedford west of the SidelingHill travel service plaza and east of the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel. Listeners outside WHHN's signal area...
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