 West portal | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Line | South Pennsylvania Railroad abandoned |
| Location | Blueridge Mountain Fulton County, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40°02′53″N 78°07′45″W / 40.048056°N 78.129167°W |
| Status | Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Currently Pike2Bike Trail |
| Crosses | Sideling Hill |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | 1881 (South Pennsylvania Railroad) 1938 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) |
| Constructed | 1881–1885 (South Pennsylvania Railroad) 1938–1940 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) |
| Opened | October 1, 1940 |
| Closed | November 26, 1968, I-76 |
| Owner | South Pennsylvania Railroad abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission abandoned Pike2Bike Trail |
| Character | Hiking, biking and skateboard trail (rail trail) |
| Technical | |
| Length | 6,662 ft (2,031 m) (South Pennsylvania Railroad) 6,782 feet (2,067 m) (Pennsylvania Turnpike) |
| No. of lanes | 2 |
| Lowest elevation | 1,277 ft (389 m) |
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 expensive to realign the Turnpike than to bore a second tube for four lane traffic. Sideling Hill Tunnel is 6,782 feet (2,067 m) long.
It was the longest of the original tunnels on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The Ray's Hill Tunnel and Sideling Hill Tunnel are now part of the Pike2Bike Trail. Together, the two tunnels as well as the roadway are commonly known as the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike.[1]
From the Turnpike's opening in 1940 until the realignment projects, the tunnels were bottlenecks; opposing traffic in the same tubes reduced speeds. Four other tunnels on the Turnpike – Allegheny Mountain, Tuscarora Mountain, Kittatinny Mountain, and Blue Mountain – each had a second tube bored, the least expensive option.
All of the original tunnels except for the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel were part of "Vanderbilt's Folly", the never-completed South Pennsylvania Railroad.