Speed Limit To Rise To 70 Mph On Stretch Of I-380

English: Interstate 380 northbound at the Interstate 84 split south of Scranton. Picture taken by Chris Wilson on February 18th, 2006 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HARRISBURG — A stretch of Interstate 380 becomes an experiment next month when state transportation officials boost the maximum speed limit to 70 mph.

Another pilot will raise the speed limit to 70 mph on a 100-mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in southcentral Pennsylvania. If all goes well, the rest of the 550-mile toll road system, including the Northeast Extension, could follow suit next spring, said Turnpike Commission CEO Mark Compton at a press conference on Wednesday.

On I-380, a 21-mile section selected for the pilot program will extend from the Interstate 84 junction in Lackawanna County to Exit 3 (Pocono Pines/Mount Pocono) in Monroe County.

“It’s about time,” said Elwood “Butch” Perry, a 60-year-old independent trucker who lives in Dupont. “They built the interstate system so you can run, not so you can crawl. … We live in a fast-paced society now. Everything has to be there yesterday.”

Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/speed-limit-to-rise-to-70-mph-on-stretch-of-i-380-1.1723951

After Philly’s Running Of The Santas, A Tragic Death

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Philadelphia County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HE LAST SUIT Adam Herr wore was an outward expression of the ideals he embodied – joy, generosity and love.

The last suit Adam Herr wore was a Santa Claus suit.

Herr, 24, of Lebanon, Pa., was in Philadelphia for the annual Running of the Santas on Saturday when somehow, about 10:25 p.m., he found himself in costume and on foot on Interstate 95 South near the I-676 interchange.

Motorist Augustine Bangura, 27, of Philadelphia, was also on I-95 at the same spot at the same time, State Police said. Apparently he did not see Herr or his red suit.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20131209_After_Philly_s_Running_of_the_Santas__a_tragedy.html#Soa0zLfdrT4BTO5b.99

Pa. Senate Leader To Seek Higher Speed Limit

HARRISBURG, PA – A leading Pennsylvania state senator says it’s time to increase the state’s maximum allowable speed limit from 65 mph to 70 mph.

Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati said today he will introduce legislation soon to allow the higher maximum speeds on interstates.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=516214

Wal-Mart Plans ‘Largest Ever’ Warehouse In Pennsylvania

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Northampton County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pennsylvania, once the Workshop of the World, where big factories made big stuff, is now America’s Warehouse, where shippers import goods through Eastern ports and send them out via free Interstate highways to points South and West.

Wal-Mart says it will open “its largest ever” warehouse in Bethlehem, Pa., in the Spring, and hire 350 workers to ship electronics, toys, guns and other popular items.  Liberty Property Trust says it has leased to Wal-Mart the newly-completed 1.2 million square foot facility at 2785 Commerce Center Blvd.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Wal-Mart-Amazon-boost-Pa-warehouse-hiring.html#hUKUwkOltyZx2aZu.99

I-176 Work To Snarl Traffic

List of Interstate Highways in Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Motorists using Interstate 176 near the West Shore Bypass soon will encounter a construction site that’s bound to cause some huge backups over the next two years.

In August, crews are expected to start a $14.7 million project to rebuild the northern end of the interstate in Cumru Township. The work will focus on the half-mile stretch from Route 724 to Route 422.

“It’s mainly to reduce congestion in the area of that interchange and also to increase safety,” said PennDOT spokesman Ronald J. Young Jr.

PennDOT recently gave the contractor, Pittsburgh-based Trumbull Corp., the OK to begin the work.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=399038