The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is moving forward with a new $45 million diamond interchange connecting the turnpike to State Route 981 in Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County, even as a comparable project 30 miles away in Penn Township remains stalled with no clear path forward. The commission added the Route 981 project to its 2026-27 capital plan, positioning it as one of the first two official on-and-off interchanges built using the turnpike's new Open Road Tolling system.
The planned interchange would sit near Milepost 80.8 in the Carpentertown area of Mount Pleasant Township, about 6 miles east of the existing New Stanton interchange and 10 miles south of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, according to Patch. As reported by CBS Pittsburgh, the project already has a preliminary design phase underway, though no construction start date has been set. Turnpike Commission spokesperson Marissa Orbanek said Open Road Tolling made the Mount Pleasant interchange possible because new interchanges can now be added more quickly and cost-effectively than under the old toll-plaza model, per the same CBS Pittsburgh report.
Why Mount Pleasant Moved Ahead of Penn Township
The contrast with Penn Township is stark. That municipality's proposed Route 130 interchange — planned for the intersection with Sandy Hill, Nike Site, and Pleasant Valley roads — was estimated to cost between $60 million and $90 million before preliminary traffic studies flagged extensive local roadway mitigation needs, according to TribLIVE. Turnpike officials had previously scheduled construction there to begin in fall 2035 and wrap up by summer 2038, per the commission's own project records.
Orbanek confirmed the Route 130 project is still happening but is currently paused, per CBS Pittsburgh's report, and the turnpike has said the interchange will require a longer timeframe than previously expected to ensure the surrounding corridor can efficiently handle interchange traffic. A traffic analysis conducted for the Route 130 site found significant mitigation needs requiring more extensive planning, resources, and cost than initially anticipated. While state officials maintain the Penn Township interchange remains a priority, local officials and residents there now face a considerably longer wait.
Route 981, by contrast, already has excess capacity ready to absorb turnpike traffic. PennDOT has poured more than $220 million into the corridor through its multi-section Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project, building modern roundabouts, wider travel lanes, and realigned roadway segments across an 11-mile stretch between Mount Pleasant and Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, according to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. That existing investment means the new interchange plugs into a heavily upgraded highway rather than an unimproved rural road.
Tolling Technology Behind the Speed-Up
The turnpike's shift to Open Road Tolling, which launched systemwide in January, is central to why Mount Pleasant's interchange can move faster than a traditional project. The technology uses overhead gantries to process E-ZPass transponders and license-plate images at highway speeds, eliminating the need for physical toll plazas and the stop-and-go bottlenecks that came with them. As part of that transition, the commission is demolishing 21 eastern toll plaza locations by late 2026, removing 142 toll booths, 173 weigh-in-motion scales, and 13 interchange buildings to open up unobstructed entry and exit ramps.
Under the new system, E-ZPass passenger vehicles pay a base per-mile fee plus a per-gantry segment charge, with Toll By Plate users paying double the E-ZPass rate — a structure Hoodline has covered before as rates continue to climb. The commission also plans to use the Mount Pleasant project as a pilot for a design-build procurement process newly authorized by the Pennsylvania Legislature, which lets construction begin before full engineering design is finalized, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Two Decades in the Making
A direct turnpike connection at Route 981 has been discussed among regional planners and lawmakers for more than 20 years, with formal interagency feasibility studies dating back to at least 2016. Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward has noted that access at Route 981 had been on local planning books for two decades, underscoring how long Mount Pleasant Township leaders have pushed for the connection.
Westmoreland County Airport Authority officials say the new interchange could also strengthen their application for an $850,000 federal Small Community Airport Development grant aimed at recruiting a new commercial air carrier to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, following Spirit Airlines' exit from the airport earlier this year. Turnpike officials have said the new interchange will increase connectivity and economic development opportunities for Mount Pleasant Township, easing freight mobility for the area's commercial and agricultural businesses while boosting the airport's case for renewed passenger service.
