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Rays Hill Tunnel is one of three original
From the Turnpike's opening in 1940 until the realignment projects, the tunnels were bottlenecks due to reduced speeds with opposing traffic in the same tubes.
Four other tunnels on the Turnpike - Allegheny Mountain, Tuscarora Mountain, Kittatinny Mountain, and Blue Mountain - each had a second tube bored, as it was determined in these instances to be the less expensive option.
All of the original tunnels were part of the never-completed
At the present time, the tunnels remain unlit and unimproved since their closure in 1968. The entire length of the bypassed section is now commonly known as the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Gribblenation's page about Rays Hill Tunnel More information about Rays Hill Tunnel
Transportation buildings and structures in Bedford County, Pennsylvania Transportation buildings and structures in Fulton County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Former toll tunnels in the United States Tunnels completed in 1940 Former toll roads in Pennsylvania Road tunnels in Pennsylvania {{US-tunnel-stub
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike) is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for across the state. The turnpike's we ...
tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...
s which were abandoned (this one in 1968) after two massive realignment projects. The others included the Sideling Hill Tunnel
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 expe ...
, and farther west, the Laurel Hill Tunnel.
Rays Hill Tunnel is long. It was the shortest of the seven original tunnels on Pennsylvania Turnpike. Due to its short length, it only contains ventilation fans at its western portal. Its eastern portal is the only one of the 14 tunnel portals on the original turnpike that has no ventilation fan housing. It can be seen by westbound traffic on the Turnpike.
The tunnel connects Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst t ...
and Fulton Counties in South Central Pennsylvania
South Central Pennsylvania is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the fourteen counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, and York. Portions of w ...
.
Tunnel Bypass
From the Turnpike's opening in 1940 until the realignment projects, the tunnels were bottlenecks due to reduced speeds with opposing traffic in the same tubes.
Four other tunnels on the Turnpike - Allegheny Mountain, Tuscarora Mountain, Kittatinny Mountain, and Blue Mountain - each had a second tube bored, as it was determined in these instances to be the less expensive option.
All of the original tunnels were part of the never-completed 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 Turnpik ...
which history has dubbed "Vanderbilt's Folly."
Current
At the present time, the tunnels remain unlit and unimproved since their closure in 1968. The entire length of the bypassed section is now commonly known as the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Notes
References
External links
Gribblenation's page about Rays Hill Tunnel
Transportation buildings and structures in Bedford County, Pennsylvania Transportation buildings and structures in Fulton County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Former toll tunnels in the United States Tunnels completed in 1940 Former toll roads in Pennsylvania Road tunnels in Pennsylvania {{US-tunnel-stub