pennsylvania turnpike

The Pennsylvania state auditor, Jack Wagner says the Turnpike is "drowning in debt" and faces bankruptcy if the state doesn't cease bleeding it for cash. The Turnpike Commission he writes "is sinking in debt because of financial obligations the General Assembly placed on it  through Act 44 in 2007."

Travelers insurance company says its $1 million policy for a Maryland trucker won't cover the damages costs from leaked asphalt on 40 miles of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is getting in with the greens - installing electric vehicle (EV) chargers at 17 service plazas. The chargers will be owned and operated by Car Charging Inc of Miami Beach FL but the Turnpike will spend $500k on electrical service upgrades to provide the extra amperage to support the charging units. Car Charging Inc uses EV chargers exclusively from Coulomb Technologies of Campbell CA, part of Silicon Valley so called, in the Bay Area.

Consultants McCormick Taylor and Wilbur Smith Associates (McCT&WSA) say in an interim report that all scenarios they model for the Pennsylvania Turnpike produce net revenue gains from a conversion to all-electronic tolling (AET). In addition AET would improve travel times and safety, reduce emissions, and provide management with more flexibility.

George Delaney the Maryland truckdriver who spread several thousand gallons of driveway sealant on 40 miles of the Pennsylvania Turnpike on the evening of November 22 has been fined $1,000 by a magistrate. He had been charged with "failure to properly secure a load."

A leaking valve on a tanker truck is thought to be the cause of a long black mess in the right eastbound lane of the Turnpike on an approximate 40 mile, 64km stretch north of Pittsburgh. The tanker was carrying a wholesale load of driveway sealant from Ohio east Tuesday night. Unbeknownst to the driver the tank behind began spewing the tarry liquid from about Mile Post 10 (MP10) near New Castle PA.

A colorful former officer of the Pennsylvania Turnpike George Hatalowich has been put on the payroll of Parsons Brinckerhoff in Camp Hill PA with the unusual title Director-Pennyslvania Strategic Operations. At the Turnpike Hatalowich, 46, was best known as a liaison with and fund raiser for politicians, and for drunken driving charges.

He was fired by the Turnpike March 15 this year after being asked to resign, and refusing.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission had ceremonial openings today of new Northeast Extension I-476 bridges over two closely located waterways, the Lehigh River & Canal and Pohopoco Creek in the Mahoning Valley. The $102m project begun Dec 2008 involved four new spans - one span each direction at the two locations.

We've had a number of calls and emails over the past several days from Pennsylvania Turnpike staff saying the  Turnpike "suspended" then "terminated" their Inspector General, Anthony Maniscola.  

One of the callers asked why we hadn't published "the news" about Maniscola.

The callers claim he was fired after being accused of some improper activity with subordinates, although the real reason was to get him off someone higher's back.

We got a call from a Pennsylvania Turnpike maintenance guy who told us he thinks the Turnpike and its workers deserve a write-up for their work to help in the cleanup of Harrisburg, the state capital.