PA Turnpike: Expect Signficant Impact In Pittsburgh Area Over Holiday Weekend

PENNSYLVANIA — The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is predicting an increase in traffic on the nation's oldest toll road during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

And possible delays for motorists in the Pittsburgh area and western side of the state.

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During the holiday weekend, from May 22-25, turnpike commission officials nearly 2.18 million motorists will travel the road to get to their destination - a two percent increase compared to the same period in 2025.

Despite rising gas prices and supply chain disruptions, the PA Turnpike has continued to see stable traffic for both passenger and commercial vehicles.

Projected traffic volumes on the PA Turnpike for the 2026 Memorial Day Weekend are as follows:

To ensure as many travel lanes are open as possible, PA Turnpike maintenance and construction crews will suspend all work impacting open lanes beginning at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

Turnpike personnel will have increased patrols on the roadway, along with the Pennsylvania State Police.

Those heading westbound in the Somerset (Exit 110) to New Stanton (Exit 75) corridor on Sunday May 25 should note traffic could be slower from 2 to 4 p.m. as the Run for the Wall veteran’s organization is hosting their annual 300+ unit motorcade that travels from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. and the Flight 93 National Memorial, Somerset County.

Riders will travel west from the Somerset Interchange starting at approximately 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The motorcade is planning a fueling stop at the New Stanton Service Plaza (MP 77.6) around 3 p.m. before exiting at New Stanton around 4 p.m. and continuing onto Interstate 70 toward their final destination at the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial in Illinois.

Travelers in the west will notice work continuing over the highway as the turnpike nears the finish line on its conversion to Open Road Tolling (ORT). In an ORT system, tolls are charged electronically as customers drive at highway speeds without slowing down or stopping beneath overhead structures — called gantries — located between interchanges. Equipment on the gantry and in the roadway processes

E-ZPass or Toll By Plate transactions. ORT reduces confusion and lane switching associated with traditional, stop-and-go tolling. The switch to ORT occurred in January 2025 for areas east of the Reading Interchange (Exit 286) and the entirety of the Northeast Extension, while the launch on the western section of the mainline PA Turnpike is scheduled for early next year.

Here are some tips for traveling this holiday weekend:

• Practice safe driving habits, including driving responsibly, powering off your devices and removing unnecessary distractions.
• If you see an emergency responder on the road, follow Pennsylvania’s Move Over Law and move over into an adjacent lane if it is safe to do so, or slow down to a speed of not more than 20 mph less than the posted speed limit.
• Take advantage of the most cost-effective way to travel on the PA Turnpike with E-ZPass. Sign up online or find a nearby retailer to save 50 percent on your tolls.
• Be sure to properly mount your transponder for a more seamless trip.
• Regardless of whether you want to save with E-ZPass or travel with Toll By Plate, get ahead of your travel and easily manage your tolls through the PA Toll Pay App.
• Find out exactly how much your toll is going to be ahead of time with the PA Turnpike Toll Calculator.
• Know that help is just a call away, thanks to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Safety Patrol. Dial *11 via mobile phone to get support or report an incident or other emergency on the PA Turnpike.
• You can access your account safely through the PA Toll Pay App or your E-ZPass Account to manage your account activity and avoid interacting with unsolicited texts, calls or emails.