 Laurel Hill Tunnel in 1942 | |
 Interactive map of Laurel Hill Tunnel | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Line | South Penn abandoned |
| Location | Laurel Hill Westmoreland andSomerset counties, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40°6′0.4″N79°13′38.4″W / 40.100111°N 79.227333°W /40.100111; -79.227333 |
| Status | Closed to traffic, leased toChip Ganassi Racing for testing |
| Crosses | Laurel Hill |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | 1881, railway 1938, highway |
| Constructed | 1881–1885, railway 1938–1940, highway |
| Opened | October 1, 1940 |
| Closed | October 30, 1964, I-70/I-76 (aged 24 years) |
| Owner | Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission |
| Technical | |
| Length | 5,450 ft (1,660 m), railway 4,541 ft (1,384 m), highway |
| No. oflanes | 2 |
Laurel Hill Tunnel is a 4,541-foot-long (1,384 m) tunnel on thePennsylvania Turnpike that was bypassed and abandoned in 1964. It is bored throughLaurel Ridge, spanning the border ofWestmoreland andSomerset counties. Its western portal may be seen from the eastbound side of the Turnpike at milepost 99.3.
The tunnel was built for the never-completedSouth Pennsylvania Railroad, as were two other tunnels to its east—Sideling Hill andRays Hill—that were similarly on the original Turnpike and abandoned after being bypassed.
The tunnels on the Turnpike had been bottlenecks ever since the Turnpike's opening in 1940 due to reduced speeds and two-way traffic in a single tube. A second tube was added to four tunnels—Allegheny Mountain,Tuscarora Mountain,Kittatinny Mountain, andBlue Mountain—where it was the less expensive option.
Unlike theSideling Hill andRays Hill tunnels, the Laurel Hill Tunnel is not on the bypassed section commonly known as theAbandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike and is still owned by thePennsylvania Turnpike Commission. It is not open to the public and is routinely patrolled by thePennsylvania State Police for trespassers.[1]
The highest point on the Turnpike, 2,603 feet (793 m), is on the Laurel Hill Tunnel bypass at Mile 100.45 in Somerset County.
The tunnel is used byChip Ganassi Racing for high-speed race car aerodynamic testing. The tunnel has been repaved, equipped with climate control, safety equipment, and data collection systems. The tunnel was first used for testing in 2004 to develop theG-ForceIndycar.[2][3]