INTERSTATE 70 – “THE BREEZEWOOD GAP”

One of the few instances in which there are traffic signals on an Interstate occurs on I-70 in Breezewood, Pennsylvania. I-70 uses part of US 30 along a surface road in Breezewood. Traffic traveling eastbound on I-70/I-76 must exit and travel a short distance on US 30 in order to continue east on I-70 to Hancock, Maryland*. (The routing is similar for traffic on I-70 in the opposite direction: traffic must exit and travel a short distance on US 30 in order to continue west on I70/I-76 to enter the Pennsylvania Turnpike). Local businesses have lobbied to keep the gap to avoid a perceived potential loss of business. To better understand this gap, note the map below. Begin at the lower left (Exit 161/Breezewood). West of that exit you are traveling east on I-70/I-76. When you take the Breezewood exit, you are leaving I-76, but staying on I-70. I-70/I-76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) is a toll road, and therefore you must pay a toll before continuing on I-70. After paying toll, you continue east on I-70. Note that after you leave the toll booth you travel under the eastbound (south direction at this point) lanes of I-70, which is where you wind up after completing the Breezewood gap. Continuing eastbound on I-70 you come to US 30, where you make a cloverleaf to go westbound on US 30. At the second light you turn left to continue eastbound on I-70. Note that even though you exit onto US 30 and encounter two traffic signals, you technically never leave I-70. For an even better understanding, please enjoy the YouTube video of a motorist travelling eastbound on the I-70 Breezewood gap. *I-70 is an east-west Interstate that runs from near Cove Fort, Utah to Baltimore, Maryland. Although I-70 is an east-west route, its direction of travel out of Breezewood is south.