When the Turnpike was first constructed it utilized several old PA Railroad tunnels through the mountains. These tunnels were not wide and as the usage of the highway grew huge traffic jams began to occur around the tunnels creating backlogs that were miles long. This necessitated bypassing a 13 mile stretch of the Turnpike near Sideling Hill along with two tunnels. The portion of the road is still there and you can go on it if you know where to go and assume all risk. There are also two other tunnels that were paved over and are barely visible along the modern Turnpike as well as another near Somerset that is used by a racing team as a wind tunnel.
The first time I was here was when I was in high school. My dad heard about this somewhere and decided to find it. It was winter time then and it looked much different. I just remember driving under an underpass and him saying that has to be it. After climbing the steps near the Sideling Hill Tunnel we were there. This is a place I can go and for the most part be alone. It is a place that has been lost to time. It is becoming overgrown and shows what nature can do if left alone.
