Breezewood, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Breezewood is an unincorporated town
in Bedford County
in south-central Pennsylvania
.
Along a traditional pathway for Native Americans, European settlers, and British troops during colonial times, in the early 20th century, the small valley that became known as Breezewood was a popular stopping place for automobile travelers on the Lincoln Highway
, beginning in 1913. Greyhound Lines
opened a Post House facility in the town in 1935; it closed in 2004.
In 1940, Breezewood was designated exit 6 on the just-opened Pennsylvania Turnpike
. In the 1960s, Breezewood became the junction of the Turnpike and the new Interstate 70
. Later renumbered exit 12, it is now exit 161 on the Turnpike following a change to mileage-based exit numbering.
A highway funding anomaly gave rise to a gap of less than 1 mile on I-70 that was not built to Interstate Highway standards
and features traffic light
s, which are rarely found on Interstate highways.
(1776–1781) and the Conestoga wagon
s of the westbound settlers, a wagon road passed through. A British military trail was built in 1758 by General John Forbes
from Chambersburg to Pittsburgh during the French and Indian War
. It was later known as the Pittsburgh Road and the Conestoga Road. Through the tiny valley was built the Chambersburg-Bedford Turnpike, a private toll road
which came later.
(NYC) dreamed of building an east-west railroad across southern Pennsylvania through the Breezewood area to compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad
(PRR). Over $10 million was spent and 26 lives lost when work on William H. Vanderbilt's planned South Pennsylvania Railroad
project was halted in 1886. Control shifted to financier J.P. Morgan, and PRR interests. The potentially competing South Pennsylvania Railroad was promptly abandoned and never completed, although much grading and tunneling work had been done.
.
With the advent of the automobile, by the early 20th century, the area in a small valley between Rays Hill and the Maple Lawn Inn had become known locally as Breezewood. The name was applied to a repair garage built in 1937.
and other automobile enthusiasts and industry officials announced plans for the Lincoln Highway
, the first transcontinental paved roadway in the United States to be created specifically for motorists. Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt
and Thomas A. Edison, both friends of Fisher, sent checks, as well as the current President Woodrow Wilson
, who has been noted as the first U.S. President to make frequent use of an automobile for what was described as stress-relief relaxation rides.
In 1919, as World War I
was ending, the U.S. Army undertook its first Transcontinental Motor Convoy
. It followed the Lincoln Highway from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
to San Francisco, California
, passing through Breezewood. The trip demonstrated the potential military importance of such a roadway, as well as the need for consistency in both improvements and maintenance. One of the young Army officers was Dwight David Eisenhower, then a Lt. Colonel. The convoy was memorable enough for him to include a chapter on the trip entitled "Through Darkest America With Truck and Tank," in At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends (Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1967). During World War II
, then-General Eisenhower was also deeply impressed with the German autobahn roadway network. Those experiences combined to convince him the need to support construction of the Interstate Highway System when he became President of the United States in 1953. The portion of the Lincoln Highway from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh received the transcontinental U.S. Route 30
designation, which it still bears.
was built in the 1930s, the tiny eastern Bedford County locality made sure it wasn't left out. It was located at exit 6 when the new road initially opened at 12:01 A.M. on October 1, 1940. The new turnpike utilized much of the earlier South Pennsylvania Railroad project for its right-of-way, grading and tunnels.
Breezewood, with a faded sign proclaiming it the "Town of Motels" and the "Traveler's Oasis", boomed after the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened, with one gas station and the first traveler's stop, the Gateway Motel and Restaurant. Gateway remains open today as a truck stop
affiliated with T/A
, competing with other gas stations, hotels, restaurants, and a Pilot Travel Centers franchise.
was built through Pennsylvania, it was co-located with the Pennsylvania Turnpike for an 86 mile-long stretch between Breezewood and New Stanton, Pennsylvania
which includes tunnels under the eastern continental divide
of the Allegheny Mountains
and Laurel Hill
, and crossed some of the state's most rugged terrain.
About the same time as I-70 was built, in the early and mid 1960s, a major group of improvements was made to the original turnpike. These included roadway capacity improvement along the portion shared with I-70 at the two major mountains, where traffic had been reduced to two lanes in tunnels, and a realignment of the Breezewood exit and the turnpike to the east from there
.
s to connect the freeway heading south to Hancock, Maryland
with the ramp to I-76, which through this section is the Pennsylvania Turnpike
toll road
. According to the Federal Highway Administration
, a division of the United States Department of Transportation
, the peculiar arrangement at Breezewood resulted because at the time I-70's toll-free segment was built, the state did not qualify for federal funds under the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956
to build a direct interchange, unless it agreed to cease collecting tolls on the Turnpike once the construction bonds were retired; a direct interchange would have meant that a westbound driver on I-70 could not choose between the toll route and a free alternative, but would be forced to enter the Turnpike. However, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission was not willing to build the interchange with its own funds, due to the expected decrease in revenue once Interstate 80
was completed through the state. Accordingly, the state chose to build the unusual Breezewood arrangement in lieu of a direct interchange, thus qualifying for federal funds because this arrangement gave drivers the option of continuing on the untolled US 30.
When the Turnpike was later realigned through the area, resulting in what is now the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike
, the connection from the Turnpike to Breezewood was realigned, shortening the US 30 concurrency slightly.
Although laws have been relaxed since then, local businesses, including many traveler services like fast food
restaurants, gas stations and motel
s, have lobbied to keep the gap and not directly connect I-70 to the Turnpike, fearing a loss of business. This short stretch is one of only two locations in the U.S. where there are traffic light
s on a two-digit Interstate Highway (the other being I-78
in Jersey City, New Jersey
). Pennsylvania State Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer
is not in favor of building a direct interchange between the two interstates.
There are a number of gasoline and diesel fuel choices, including several equipped to handle trucks and buses. Within the several block area, a wide variety of family-style restaurants and fast-food outlets are available. Breezewood continues to meet its claim of "Town of Motels" as well. Through the years, it's offered many hundreds of hotel and motel rooms, in a wide variety of price ranges.
According to a 1990 New York Times article, Breezewood offered "no less than 10 motels, 14 fast-food restaurants and 7 fuel and service stations, including two sprawling truck stop
s." Approximately 1,000 people are employed in Breezewood's commercial district.
Business Week stated in 1991, Breezewood is "perhaps the purest example yet devised of the great American tourist trap
...the Las Vegas of roadside strips, a blaze of neon in the middle of nowhere, a polyp on the nation's interstate highway system."
, Bedford County
, Pennsylvania
. Commerce in Breezewood is about 75 percent of East Providence Township's tax base.
Although it is not being tracked by the Census Bureau, the settlement has been assigned the ZIP code
of 15533.
There are few residences in the immediate area of Breezewood.
of Pennsylvania. It lies on the western edge of Rays Hill
.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Bedford County
Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,762. The county seat is Bedford. It is part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
in south-central Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Along a traditional pathway for Native Americans, European settlers, and British troops during colonial times, in the early 20th century, the small valley that became known as Breezewood was a popular stopping place for automobile travelers on the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
, beginning in 1913. Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
opened a Post House facility in the town in 1935; it closed in 2004.
In 1940, Breezewood was designated exit 6 on the just-opened Pennsylvania Turnpike
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...
. In the 1960s, Breezewood became the junction of the Turnpike and the new Interstate 70
Interstate 70 in Pennsylvania
In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, Interstate 70 runs east–west across the southwest part of the state serving the southern half of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. About half of the route is concurrent with Interstate 76 along the Pennsylvania Turnpike...
. Later renumbered exit 12, it is now exit 161 on the Turnpike following a change to mileage-based exit numbering.
A highway funding anomaly gave rise to a gap of less than 1 mile on I-70 that was not built to Interstate Highway standards
Interstate Highway standards
Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in the publication A Policy on Design Standards - Interstate System...
and features traffic light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
s, which are rarely found on Interstate highways.
History
The community which became known as Breezewood has a long history of serving cross-country travelers. Before the Europeans arrived, an old trail of the Native Americans crossed through there. Later, in colonial times before the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
(1776–1781) and the Conestoga wagon
Conestoga wagon
The Conestoga wagon is a heavy, broad-wheeled covered wagon that was used extensively during the late 18th century and the 19th century in the United States and sometimes in Canada as well. It was large enough to transport loads up to 8 tons , and was drawn by horses, mules or oxen...
s of the westbound settlers, a wagon road passed through. A British military trail was built in 1758 by General John Forbes
John Forbes (General)
John Forbes was a British general in the French and Indian War. He is best known for leading the Forbes Expedition that captured the French outpost at Fort Duquesne and for naming the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after British Secretary of State William Pitt the Elder.-Early life:Forbes was...
from Chambersburg to Pittsburgh during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. It was later known as the Pittsburgh Road and the Conestoga Road. Through the tiny valley was built the Chambersburg-Bedford Turnpike, a private toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
which came later.
South Pennsylvania Railroad
Late in the 19th century, leaders of the New York Central RailroadNew York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
(NYC) dreamed of building an east-west railroad across southern Pennsylvania through the Breezewood area to compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
(PRR). Over $10 million was spent and 26 lives lost when work on William H. Vanderbilt's planned South Pennsylvania Railroad
South Pennsylvania Railroad
The South Pennsylvania Railroad is the name given to two proposed but never completed Pennsylvania railroads in the nineteenth-century. Parts of the right of way for the second South Pennsylvania Railroad were reused for the Pennsylvania Turnpike....
project was halted in 1886. Control shifted to financier J.P. Morgan, and PRR interests. The potentially competing South Pennsylvania Railroad was promptly abandoned and never completed, although much grading and tunneling work had been done.
Developing the community
A community called Rays Hill (or Nycumtown) was located just east of present-day Breezewood where a man named John Nycum had a small store. In 1836, he succeeded in establishing the Rays Hill Post Office and he served as the first Postmaster. The Rays Hill Post Office was the smallest in the country, at six feet by eight feet. On the western edge of Breezewood (or White Hall in the early 1800s), stands the Federal style mansion known as the Maple Lawn Inn (originally called Martin's Tavern) which opened around 1789. The 2- room building boasts 11 fireplaces, patriotic/masonic medallions, and was used as a stage coach stop and underground railroad safehouse, with a foundation several feet thick, and walls 3 to 4 bricks thick. It has been nominated to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
With the advent of the automobile, by the early 20th century, the area in a small valley between Rays Hill and the Maple Lawn Inn had become known locally as Breezewood. The name was applied to a repair garage built in 1937.
1913: Lincoln Highway, U.S. Route 30
On July 1, 1913, American automotive pioneer Carl G. FisherCarl G. Fisher
Carl Graham Fisher was an American entrepreneur. Despite having severe astigmatism, he became a seemingly tireless pioneer and promoter of the automotive, auto racing, and real estate development industries...
and other automobile enthusiasts and industry officials announced plans for the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
, the first transcontinental paved roadway in the United States to be created specifically for motorists. Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
and Thomas A. Edison, both friends of Fisher, sent checks, as well as the current President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, who has been noted as the first U.S. President to make frequent use of an automobile for what was described as stress-relief relaxation rides.
In 1919, as World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was ending, the U.S. Army undertook its first Transcontinental Motor Convoy
Transcontinental Motor Convoy
The Transcontinental Motor Convoys were early 20th century vehicle convoys, including three US Army truck trains, that crossed the United States to the west coast...
. It followed the Lincoln Highway from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, passing through Breezewood. The trip demonstrated the potential military importance of such a roadway, as well as the need for consistency in both improvements and maintenance. One of the young Army officers was Dwight David Eisenhower, then a Lt. Colonel. The convoy was memorable enough for him to include a chapter on the trip entitled "Through Darkest America With Truck and Tank," in At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends (Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1967). During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, then-General Eisenhower was also deeply impressed with the German autobahn roadway network. Those experiences combined to convince him the need to support construction of the Interstate Highway System when he became President of the United States in 1953. The portion of the Lincoln Highway from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh received the transcontinental U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania
In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, U.S. Route 30 runs east–west across the southern part of the state, passing through Pittsburgh and Philadelphia on its way from the West Virginia state line east to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge over the Delaware River into New Jersey...
designation, which it still bears.
1940: Pennsylvania Turnpike: The nation's first
When the largely parallel Pennsylvania TurnpikePennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...
was built in the 1930s, the tiny eastern Bedford County locality made sure it wasn't left out. It was located at exit 6 when the new road initially opened at 12:01 A.M. on October 1, 1940. The new turnpike utilized much of the earlier South Pennsylvania Railroad project for its right-of-way, grading and tunnels.
Breezewood, with a faded sign proclaiming it the "Town of Motels" and the "Traveler's Oasis", boomed after the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened, with one gas station and the first traveler's stop, the Gateway Motel and Restaurant. Gateway remains open today as a truck stop
Truck stop
A truck stop is a commercial facility predicated on providing fuel, parking, and often food and other services to motorists and truck drivers...
affiliated with T/A
TravelCenters of America
TravelCenters of America is the largest "full service" truck stop chain in North America. The majority of customers are professional truck drivers. The corporate headquarters is located in Westlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland...
, competing with other gas stations, hotels, restaurants, and a Pilot Travel Centers franchise.
1960s: Connecting the Turnpike with the new I-70
Over 25 years later, when Interstate 70Interstate 70 in Pennsylvania
In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, Interstate 70 runs east–west across the southwest part of the state serving the southern half of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. About half of the route is concurrent with Interstate 76 along the Pennsylvania Turnpike...
was built through Pennsylvania, it was co-located with the Pennsylvania Turnpike for an 86 mile-long stretch between Breezewood and New Stanton, Pennsylvania
New Stanton, Pennsylvania
New Stanton is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,906 at the 2000 census. New Stanton is often used as a control city in western parts of Pennsylvania, as I-70 joins the Pennsylvania Turnpike eastbound towards Breezewood, Pennsylvania in New...
which includes tunnels under the eastern continental divide
Continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...
of the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
and Laurel Hill
Laurel Hill
Laurel Hill may refer to the following:In Australia*Laurel Hill, New South Wales, a town in the Riverina regionIn Ireland*Laurel Hill Coláiste, a school in Limerick, IrelandIn the United States*Laurel Hill, Florida, a city in Okaloosa County...
, and crossed some of the state's most rugged terrain.
About the same time as I-70 was built, in the early and mid 1960s, a major group of improvements was made to the original turnpike. These included roadway capacity improvement along the portion shared with I-70 at the two major mountains, where traffic had been reduced to two lanes in tunnels, and a realignment of the Breezewood exit and the turnpike to the east from there
Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike is the common name of a 13 mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike that was bypassed in 1968 when a modern stretch opened to ease traffic congestion in the tunnels. In this case, the Sideling Hill Tunnel and Rays Hill Tunnel were bypassed, as was one of the...
.
Funding rules result in an unusual connection
I-70 uses a surface road (part of US 30) with at-grade intersectionAt-grade intersection
An at-grade intersection is a junction at which two or more transport axes cross at the same level .-Traffic management:With areas of high or fast traffic, an at-grade intersection normally requires a traffic control device such as a stop sign, traffic light or railway signal to manage conflicting...
s to connect the freeway heading south to Hancock, Maryland
Hancock, Maryland
Hancock is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,725 at the 2000 census. The Western Maryland community is notable for being located at the narrowest part of the state...
with the ramp to I-76, which through this section is the Pennsylvania Turnpike
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...
toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
. According to the Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
, a division of the United States Department of Transportation
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
, the peculiar arrangement at Breezewood resulted because at the time I-70's toll-free segment was built, the state did not qualify for federal funds under the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956
Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956
The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, popularly known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act , was enacted on June 29, 1956, when Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law...
to build a direct interchange, unless it agreed to cease collecting tolls on the Turnpike once the construction bonds were retired; a direct interchange would have meant that a westbound driver on I-70 could not choose between the toll route and a free alternative, but would be forced to enter the Turnpike. However, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission was not willing to build the interchange with its own funds, due to the expected decrease in revenue once Interstate 80
Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania
The transcontinental Interstate 80 is designated across northern Pennsylvania as the Keystone Shortway, officially the Z.H. Confair Memorial Highway. This route was built mainly along a completely new alignment, not paralleling any earlier U.S. Routes, as a shortcut to the tolled Pennsylvania...
was completed through the state. Accordingly, the state chose to build the unusual Breezewood arrangement in lieu of a direct interchange, thus qualifying for federal funds because this arrangement gave drivers the option of continuing on the untolled US 30.
When the Turnpike was later realigned through the area, resulting in what is now the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike
Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike is the common name of a 13 mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike that was bypassed in 1968 when a modern stretch opened to ease traffic congestion in the tunnels. In this case, the Sideling Hill Tunnel and Rays Hill Tunnel were bypassed, as was one of the...
, the connection from the Turnpike to Breezewood was realigned, shortening the US 30 concurrency slightly.
Although laws have been relaxed since then, local businesses, including many traveler services like fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
restaurants, gas stations and motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
s, have lobbied to keep the gap and not directly connect I-70 to the Turnpike, fearing a loss of business. This short stretch is one of only two locations in the U.S. where there are traffic light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
s on a two-digit Interstate Highway (the other being I-78
Interstate 78
Interstate 78 is an Interstate Highway in the Northeast United States, running 144 miles from Interstate 81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown, Pennsylvania, and western and northern New Jersey to the Holland Tunnel and Lower Manhattan in New York City.I-78 is a major road...
in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
). Pennsylvania State Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer
Robert Jubelirer
Robert C. Jubelirer is a Republican Pennsylvania political leader. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1975 to 2006, and simultaneously served as the President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania State Senate and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania between 2001 and...
is not in favor of building a direct interchange between the two interstates.
Tourist services and amenities
Approximately 2.6 million cars used exited the turnpike through Breezewood in 1995. By 2003, that figure had increased to 3.4 million vehicles. During high traffic periods, however, the arrangement can result in extended traffic jams on all three highways.There are a number of gasoline and diesel fuel choices, including several equipped to handle trucks and buses. Within the several block area, a wide variety of family-style restaurants and fast-food outlets are available. Breezewood continues to meet its claim of "Town of Motels" as well. Through the years, it's offered many hundreds of hotel and motel rooms, in a wide variety of price ranges.
According to a 1990 New York Times article, Breezewood offered "no less than 10 motels, 14 fast-food restaurants and 7 fuel and service stations, including two sprawling truck stop
Truck stop
A truck stop is a commercial facility predicated on providing fuel, parking, and often food and other services to motorists and truck drivers...
s." Approximately 1,000 people are employed in Breezewood's commercial district.
Business Week stated in 1991, Breezewood is "perhaps the purest example yet devised of the great American tourist trap
Tourist trap
A tourist trap is an establishment, or group of establishments, that has been created with the aim of attracting tourists and their money...
...the Las Vegas of roadside strips, a blaze of neon in the middle of nowhere, a polyp on the nation's interstate highway system."
Community
The Breezewood community is not incorporated under Pennsylvania law and is treated as a portion of East Providence TownshipEast Providence Township, Pennsylvania
East Providence Township is a township in Bedford County, Pennsylvania in the United States of America. The population was 1,858 at the 2000 census...
, Bedford County
Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,762. The county seat is Bedford. It is part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Commerce in Breezewood is about 75 percent of East Providence Township's tax base.
Although it is not being tracked by the Census Bureau, the settlement has been assigned the ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
of 15533.
There are few residences in the immediate area of Breezewood.
Geography
Breezewood is situated in the Ridge and Valley Physiographic Province of the Appalachian MountainsAppalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
of Pennsylvania. It lies on the western edge of Rays Hill
Rays Hill
Rays Hill is a mountain ridge in Pennsylvania's Ridge and Valley Appalachians region. Rays Hill is bordered to the east by Sideling Hill. About halfway along its run, the west side of Rays Hill ties into Broad Top Mountain, a large plateau...
.
See also
- List of gaps on Interstate Highways
- Abandoned Pennsylvania TurnpikeAbandoned Pennsylvania TurnpikeThe Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike is the common name of a 13 mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike that was bypassed in 1968 when a modern stretch opened to ease traffic congestion in the tunnels. In this case, the Sideling Hill Tunnel and Rays Hill Tunnel were bypassed, as was one of the...
- The turnpike's present Breezewood exit is the western end of this 13-mile long stretch of former turnpike alignment.
External links
- Why Does The Interstate System Include Toll Facilities? — includes a section on the history of the present situation at Breezewood.
- Photos of Eastbound I-70 at Breezewood, including traffic lights — http://www.okroads.com/031603/i70pabreezewood.jpg http://www.okroads.com/031603/i70pabreezewood_2.jpg from http://www.okroads.com/delaware/i70pa.html
