4 ms·

As a person who grew up in Washington DC with most of my family in Chicago, I have many, many, many memories of sitting in awful traffic going through Breezewoo

by CPLX 7y ago

As a person who grew up in Washington DC with most of my family in Chicago, I have many, many, many memories of sitting in awful traffic going through Breezewood. With that said I think the central premise of this article is mostly false. There are a lot of places in the US, typically at major interstate highway junctions, that look exactly like this.

jonstewart 7y ago
Yeah, I live in DC but road trip to see family in the Midwest every so often. I dread Breezewood.
dsfyu404ed 7y ago
One would hope that the highway planners were smart enough to insist on having the number of lanes that would be required to go from interstate speed traffic to city boulevard speed traffic without necessarily backing up the freeway similar to why there's so many lanes at toll booths but of course they did not.
- ApolloFortyNine 7y ago
  Well to be fair... They were limited by what they were allowed to do. Normally they just build a highway interchange and call it a day. But Breezewood lobbies against it.
kemayo 7y ago
I was kind of hoping that the article was about to analyze all the various brands pictured and show that there was precisely one place in the US where their locations all overlapped. As it is... it's just a somewhat incoherent conclusion. "It could only be Breezewood, because I say so". Ignoring the whole purpose of the meme.
ApolloFortyNine 7y ago
I too have hit many traffic jams in Breezewood. I purposely don't stop there any more as I don't want to reward them for lobbying against a real interchange. This is one of only a handful of locations in the US where a highway travels along regular roads. I've heard though the state has finally approved funding for an interchange to be done by 2025 (last I heard).
24gttghh 7y ago
I don't think there are a lot. For the PA turnpike, there is only one other interchange like this left in Middlesex, PA at I-76/I-81/US 11, with another near Philly being fixed. And even then it is a much more built-up 4-lane section of US 11 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breezewood,_Pennsylvania#Unusual_I-70_alignment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breezewood,_Pennsylvania#Unusu...
jcranmer 7y ago
For people who haven't dealt with Breezewood traffic, it can mean sitting in the right lane of the Pennsylvania Turnpike for a mile of stop-and-go traffic (while the left lane is going 60mph!) and spending an hour to actually make it the short gap to get back onto I-70. Trying to cross US-30 to hit your favorite establishment is not worth it--if it's not on the right side of the road, don't bother. What doesn't help is that the PA Turnpike is pretty stingy with its rest stops, especially in the western half of the state. Most states have rest stops at about a 30mi cadence, but you've got ~70mi from the last rest stop in PA to the OH border and closer to ~50mi cadence--assuming the rest stops aren't closed for reconstruction. So even those rest stops are pretty crowded, to the point where you can have the driver get in line for gas and everyone else go to the bathroom, wait in a line that stretches out the door, and still get back to the car before it reaches the pump.
- Cyder 7y ago
  Yes. I DESPISE THAT PLACE. Nothing like adding an hour of stop & go traffic to a 12 hr drive. Out of principle i don't buy ANYTHING there. I'd rather break down on a "Deliverance" Pennsylvania rd @ midnight while going around it-- yes, that happened.
- CPLX 7y ago
  You're also leaving out the fact that the turnpike has the surface consistency of a cheese grater and often no shoulders at all.
  - jcranmer 7y ago
    Still better than I-70 between Washington, PA and the turnpike though.
- darkpuma 7y ago
  Yep, people saying Breezewood isn't special probably haven't been there. The experience isn't something you can really derive from looking at any picture. I've driven across America numerous times, been to more rest stops and exit towns than I could ever remember. Breezewood is a uniquely frustrating experience.

by CPLX 7y ago

jonstewart 7y ago

Yeah, I live in DC but road trip to see family in the Midwest every so often. I dread Breezewood.

dsfyu404ed 7y ago

One would hope that the highway planners were smart enough to insist on having the number of lanes that would be required to go from interstate speed traffic to city boulevard speed traffic without necessarily backing up the freeway similar to why there's so many lanes at toll booths but of course they did not.

ApolloFortyNine 7y ago
Well to be fair... They were limited by what they were allowed to do. Normally they just build a highway interchange and call it a day. But Breezewood lobbies against it.

kemayo 7y ago

I was kind of hoping that the article was about to analyze all the various brands pictured and show that there was precisely one place in the US where their locations all overlapped. As it is... it's just a somewhat incoherent conclusion. "It could only be Breezewood, because I say so". Ignoring the whole purpose of the meme.

ApolloFortyNine 7y ago

I too have hit many traffic jams in Breezewood. I purposely don't stop there any more as I don't want to reward them for lobbying against a real interchange. This is one of only a handful of locations in the US where a highway travels along regular roads. I've heard though the state has finally approved funding for an interchange to be done by 2025 (last I heard).

24gttghh 7y ago

I don't think there are a lot. For the PA turnpike, there is only one other interchange like this left in Middlesex, PA at I-76/I-81/US 11, with another near Philly being fixed. And even then it is a much more built-up 4-lane section of US 11 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breezewood,_Pennsylvania#Unusual_I-70_alignment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breezewood,_Pennsylvania#Unusu...

jcranmer 7y ago

For people who haven't dealt with Breezewood traffic, it can mean sitting in the right lane of the Pennsylvania Turnpike for a mile of stop-and-go traffic (while the left lane is going 60mph!) and spending an hour to actually make it the short gap to get back onto I-70. Trying to cross US-30 to hit your favorite establishment is not worth it--if it's not on the right side of the road, don't bother. What doesn't help is that the PA Turnpike is pretty stingy with its rest stops, especially in the western half of the state. Most states have rest stops at about a 30mi cadence, but you've got ~70mi from the last rest stop in PA to the OH border and closer to ~50mi cadence--assuming the rest stops aren't closed for reconstruction. So even those rest stops are pretty crowded, to the point where you can have the driver get in line for gas and everyone else go to the bathroom, wait in a line that stretches out the door, and still get back to the car before it reaches the pump.

Cyder 7y ago
Yes. I DESPISE THAT PLACE. Nothing like adding an hour of stop & go traffic to a 12 hr drive. Out of principle i don't buy ANYTHING there. I'd rather break down on a "Deliverance" Pennsylvania rd @ midnight while going around it-- yes, that happened.
CPLX 7y ago
You're also leaving out the fact that the turnpike has the surface consistency of a cheese grater and often no shoulders at all.
- jcranmer 7y ago
  Still better than I-70 between Washington, PA and the turnpike though.
darkpuma 7y ago
Yep, people saying Breezewood isn't special probably haven't been there. The experience isn't something you can really derive from looking at any picture. I've driven across America numerous times, been to more rest stops and exit towns than I could ever remember. Breezewood is a uniquely frustrating experience.