Pennsylvania Turnpike - Features - Service Plazas

Service Plazas

The Pennsylvania Turnpike has 15 service plazas located along the mainline throughout the state. The service plazas offer various fast food restaurants such as Burger King, Roy Rogers, Famous Famiglia Pizzeria, Auntie Anne's, Hershey's Ice Cream, and Starbucks, and a gift shop. Each service plaza also has a Sunoco gas station and an A-Plus convenience store. Other amenities are available such as an ATM, pay phone, picnic areas, restrooms, and tourist information. A welcome center is also available at the King of Prussia plaza. The New Stanton and Sideling Hill plazas contain a seasonal farmers market.

As the first section of the highway was built through a rural part of the state, food or gas was not easily available to motorists. As a result, the commission decided to construct service plazas at 30-mile (48 km) intervals. The service plazas would be constructed of native fieldstone resembling Colonial-era designs. In 1940, Standard Oil of Pennsylvania was awarded a contract to operate ten Esso service stations along the turnpike. Eight of the service plazas would consist of service stations along with a restaurant while the service plazas at the halfway point in Bedford would be larger. The South Midway service plaza contained a dining room, lunch counter, lounge, and lodging facilities for truckers; a tunnel connected it to the smaller North Midway service plaza. The remaining service plazas were smaller and contained only a lunch counter. Food service at the service plazas was provided by Howard Johnson's. After World War II, the food facilities were enlarged. The service stations sold gasoline,repaired cars, and had towing services available. With the extensions of the turnpike, the service plazas were built larger and further back from the road. Gulf Oil would operate the service stations on the extensions; Howard Johnson's still provided food service at sit-down restaurants. With the creation of the Interstate Highway System, restaurants and gas stations were prohibited along Interstate Highways. However, the turnpike, which became a part of the system, was grandfathered in and allowed to continue operating its service plazas. When the highway was realigned to bypass the Rays Hill and Sideling Hill tunnels, the Cove Valley service plaza on the original section was closed and replaced with the Sideling Hill service plaza, which became the only service plaza on the mainline turnpike that served drivers travelling in both directions.

In 1978, as Howard Johnson's exclusive contract to provide food service was nearing an end, the turnpike commission considered bids for competitors to provide food service. That year, ARA Services was awarded a contract to provide food service at two service plazas, ending Howard Johnson's monopoly. The tollway became the first toll road in the country to offer more than one fast food chain at its service plazas. At this time, gas stations along the turnpike were operated by Gulf Oil, Exxon, and ARCO. In 1980, Hardee's also opened locations at the service plazas to compete with Howard Johnson's. With this, the turnpike became the first road in the world to offer fast food at its service plazas. Burger King and McDonald's opened along the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 1983. This marked the transition from sit-down dining to fast food along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, as motorists desired fast food. In 1987, the Marriott Corporation purchased the remaining Howard Johnson's restaurants and replaced them with various restaurants such as Roy Rogers and Bob's Big Boy. In 1990, Gulf took over the Exxon stations on the turnpike. Sunoco took over operation of the gas stations along the turnpike from Gulf in 1993, outbidding Shell Oil. In 1995, a farmers market was introduced to the Sideling Hill service plaza.

In 2006, HMSHost was awarded a contract to reconstruct the service plazas along the turnpike. The improvement of the service plazas, which is to cost $150 million, will include a food court layout and modernized restrooms. Sunoco continues to operate the gas stations at the renovated service plazas. Oakmont Plum was rebuilt between September 2006 and May 2007. Renovation of Sideling Hill and North Somerset began in September 2007; they were completed in May 2008, were renovated. New Stanton was rebuilt between September 2008 and May 2009. From January 2009 until May 2010, the King of Prussia plaza was reconstructed. Bowmansville and Lawn were renovated from September 2010 to May 2011. Between September 2011 and May 2012, the South Somerset, Cumberland Valley (formerly Plainfield), and Blue Mountain plazas were rebuilt. In September 2012, the Highspire and South Midway service plazas closed for reconstruction; completion is expected in May 2013. The North Midway, Peter J. Camiel, and Valley Forge service plazas are expected to be rebuilt between September 2013 and May 2014.

As part of the deal with HMSHost, the North Neshaminy, South Neshaminy, and Hempfield service plazas were slated to be closed. In January 2007, the Hempfield service plaza closed due to a project to widen the roadway in the area. The South Neshaminy service plaza closed on June 30, 2007 to allow a slip ramp to be built. The North Neshaminy service plaza closed on May 12, 2010 due to the project to build an interchange with I-95. In addition, the Zelienople service plaza closed on November 15, 2008 due to lack of business.