Bus Accident on PA Turnpike; 29 Injured

[MadBadger]

Source: Associated Press

A Pennsylvania Turnpike spokesman says rescue crews are working to free a person trapped when a Greyhound bus overturned on the interstate, injuring 29 people.

Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo said the westbound bus flipped on its side at about 6 a.m. Saturday at milepost 267, one mile east of the Lebanon-Lancaster exit.

DeFebo says 29 injuries have been reported, with three of the injured transported by air to hospitals. He said it's unclear how severe the injuries are, or the bus' route.

The westbound lanes of the turnpike are closed, with traffic being diverted at the Reading exit and rerouted to the Harrisburg East exit.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44129893/ns/us_news/

[eilen]

1. Thank the gods it was not an airplane or we would be

reading about 29 fatalities. (or more depending on how many were on the bus).

[COLGATE4]

2. The PA turnpike has to be one of the scariest freeways in the U.S.

Every time I had to drive it, particularly in inclement weather (not even to mention Winter) I was white-knuckled until I finally got
clear of the mountains (around Breezway). Way too narrow, not made for 21st century driving.

[Sinistrous]

3. The PA Turnpike is a toll road, not a freeway.

And, how is it "too narrow"? It has 12 foot lanes as do all other interstates.

And what is "21st century driving"? Fishing for your bottled water while texting during a lane change without using turn signals?

[COLGATE4]

10. Do you own stock in the PA turnpike? Otherwise, hard to understand

the snide, personal comments on a piece of road. But I defer to your obvious driving expertise and engineering excellence. Thank you for pointing out the obvious error of my ways.

[Sinistrous]

12. You are welcome.

Sophomoric criticisms like yours are as annoying as they are inappropriate.

Oh yeah -- that was a really cute attempt at a dig about "owning stock" in an entity that doesn't issue any.

[qanda]

4. I agree with you about the PA Turnpike

It has a lot of trucks, inclines, construction, turns and just two lanes (which doesn't leave much room for error) for much of the highway. Then you have to pay for that torture! BTW, it's Breezewood, but it's really not a big deal. :)

[Sinistrous]

5. How many travel lanes do you need to absorb your driving errors?

BTW, the PA turnpike has at least four lanes, with six to eight in many sections. Also, there are truck lanes on the ascents of nearly all to those mean old "inclines" that seem to bother you.

[qanda]

6. What's your problem? Why are you making this personal?

Are people not allowed to point out, what they feel, are the perils of driving on a certain highway?

[uberblonde]

7. Didn't Greyhound break their union?

IIRC...

[Sinistrous]

14. I think you answered your own question.

Subjective, emotional interpretations are, by definition, personal.

[appleannie1]

9. The lanes are narrow and there is NO room for error, especially in the passing lane. It is a cement

barrier on one side and less a foot away from the car you are passing on the other side.

[Sinistrous]

13. Your guestimates of the clearances involved are ludicrous.

The only places the clearances even approach your numbers are in construction zones.

If you cannot guide your vehicle through a 16 to 18 foot wide opening, you have no business driving.

[happyslug]

15. PA Turnpike wants to bypass Allegheny Tunnel

The turnpike first choice is over the mountain, mountain top removal, route. The locals oppose it for it would be an eyesore (and will affect the quality of the water they drink, the area is where several communities pull their water from), the environmentalists oppose it for it would be an environmental disaster, the trucking industry oppose it for it would drive up operating costs (Trucks eat fuel going up and down Allegheny Mountain).

What the trunking industry support (as do the locals and the environmentalists) is a third tunnel for trucks and other who are willing to pay extra. This would be a tunnel that starts BEFORE the hill climb to the present Allegheny Tunnel and go through the mountain. This would avoid all of the environmental problems AND the trucking industry would save fuel NOT driving those trucks over Allegheny Mountain. Such a tunnel would be expensive to drill AND expensive to maintain (Especially as to air quality) but the trucking industry has already indicated they would accept higher fees to use such a tunnel.

Given the massive opposition to a cut, but that the cut will be half the cost of a new tunnel, I expect a fight. The last time this came up, in the 1990s, the Turnpike decided to defer any decision. The problem is you have had even more traffic on the turnpike over the last 10-20 years BUT the opposition is still motivated. The question is going to be who will wind the fight OR will the Turnpike do what is should have done in the 1990s, dig the tunnel.

http://www.rays-hill.com/turnpike/web_pages/AlleghenyTunnelInfo-found-on-the-Net.htm

More on the Tunnel and Right of way of the Turnpike:
http://www.pahighways.com/toll/PATurnpike.html

[Sinistrous]

17. It is strange that the truckers would oppose the open cut, since

the elevation of the preferred route is lower than the current route through the tunnel:

According to Neil Raup, Turnpike engineer spearheading this project, the brown alignment would be lower than the current alignment through the Allegheny Tunnel.

source: http://www.pahighways.com/toll/PATurnpike.html

[happyslug]

19. In the local papers, the truckers prefer a new Deep Tunnel, not the cut

The option for a third tunnel is for a tunnel that starts much lower in the mountain and longer in length. It is NOT mentioned in the article but that is the tunnel option, and the truckers prefer THAT OPTION then the cut or even the existing tunnel.

Even in the 1990s, the last time this was looked at, the trucking industry had long notice the fuel savings of using the Turnpike, with its tunnels, then using I-68 in Maryland which goes over the mountain tops via cuts. When it was proposed that the new tunnel start LOWER on the mountain, the trucking industry jumped on that proposal and is the one they are supporting. Furthermore the proposed cut goes miles out of the way of the present turnpike, which would eat up whatever savings gained by the cut being lower. This was notice when the turnpike bypassed Laurel Mountain tunnel in the 1960s (that bypass is almost a loop around the tunnel, you ended up going twice as far as opposed to the route through the tunnel). Overall only the Turnpike likes the idea of a cut.

[yellowcanine]

18. I am wondering how long ago you used the turnpike?

Certainly in Pennsylvania it is considered one of the safer roads, particularly for heavy trucks and the PA Turnpike has one of the lowest fatality rates in the country.
Because it is a toll road with an independent commission operating it, upgrades tend to be more timely than non toll roads dependent on road taxes and the the political uncertainty of legislatures. For example, the original turnpike had seven tunnels with two way traffic. Now there are only four and they are all one-way. The biggest problem is heavy trucks taking alternate and less safe routes to avoid the tolls.

[appleannie1]

8. That road is outdated, narrow and no maneuvering room. I hate driving on it.

It was the first express highway in the US and was never made for today's traffic. I always travel across PA on regular highways whenever I can avoid the turnpike.

[COLGATE4]

11. Thanks. My feelings exactly.

[RamboLiberal]

16. same here from long time PA resident

That section has many bad accidents.