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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 22, 2015 12:36 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Madeleine Dean |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Concurrent Resolution Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Opening of the Pennsylvania Turnpike |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce a concurrent resolution commemorating the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. As midnight of October 1, 1940 approached, citizens from across Pennsylvania gathered for the grand opening of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the nation's first superhighway, lining up in their automobiles at the first tollbooths in Irwin and Middlesex. When the moment arrived, impromptu celebrations took place, with those gathered blasting their car horns and cheering as they received their brand new yellow tickets. On October 1, 2015, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of this tremendous moment in our Commonwealth’s history, when Pennsylvanians joined together to usher in the spirit of motoring. Financed through President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, it took over 150 construction companies and 15,000 workers only two years to complete this historic achievement of infrastructure. During its first year of operation, the Pennsylvania Turnpike consisted of 160 miles of roadway and carried 2.4 million vehicles. As the nation’s first long-distance limited-access highway, the Pennsylvania Turnpike would inspire similar toll roads in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, New York and New Jersey, as well as the Interstate Highway System authorized by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956. In the years since its opening, the Pennsylvania Turnpike has facilitated tremendous economic growth throughout the Commonwealth. Today, the Pennsylvania Turnpike is far larger than it was 75 years ago, consisting of 552 miles of roadway, and carrying more than 194 million vehicles traveling an estimated 5.5 billion miles each year. Additionally, over 1,800 people are employed in the daily operation and maintenance of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and its facilities. The Turnpike even has its own song, “Pennsylvania Turnpike, I Love You,” composed by Vaughn Horton and recorded by Dick Todd and the Appalachian Wildcats. Please join me and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in commemorating the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. |
Introduced as HR455