Penn Pike to be part of History Center innovations exhibit

The Pennsylvania Turnpike says it is going to be celebrated at the Smithsonian affiliated Heinz History center in Pittsburgh in the city's "Tradition of Innovation" exhibition to open shortly. An announcement from the Turnpike quotes CEO Joe Brimmeier as saying: "We’re proud of the fact that the Heinz Center has invited us to participate in this wonderful display. It is an acknowledgement that the Turnpike indeed was America’s First Superhighway and a testament to the engineers, contractors and laborers who crafted the prototype for our great interstate highway system."

The Turnpike’s section in the exhibit will, the Turnpike's press release says, include parts of an original toll booth and various images and artifacts to help convey just how far ahead of its time the Turnpike was when the original 160-mile (257km) mainline opened between Irwin and Carlisle in Oct 1940.

Among the innovations for safer and faster motor travel established by Turnpike designers were:

- travel lanes 12 foot (3.66m) wide

- a maximum three percent grade to facilitate the movement of freight

- a minimum sight distance of 600 feet from driver to traffic ahead and

- fully controlled access

- full grade separation

- traveler service plazas

Heinz Center doesn't know about this yet?

Odd thing is the Heinz Center itself makes no mention of the Turnpike exhibit in its blurb for the exhibition:

see

http://www.pghhistory.org/Innovators.asp

Maybe they are still negotiating over the prominence to be given the lifesize wax figure of CEO Joe Brimmeier?

TOLLROADSnews 2008-09-05