All Turnpike Rest Stops Reopening To Public Friday: PennDOT

PENNSYLVANIA — After PennDOT said certain rest stops would reopen for truck parking only Thursday, officials said all 17 rest stops will open to the public at 7 a.m. Friday on the turnpike.

PennDOT said Thursday afternoon that the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will reopen all 17 of its service plazas Friday morning.

Restrooms in the plazas will be open 24 hours a day, and portable toilets will be in place outside the plazas for the next week. Portable toilets will be cleaned once daily.

As for food, limited options will be available at all service plazas starting Friday. Food will be available from at 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. for take-out only.

After Friday, food will be served from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. at all plazas, except at North Midway and Valley Forge locations which will offer food 24 hours a day.

The plazas will have limited staffing for the safety of the employees of HMS Host and 7-Eleven, which operate the PA Turnpike service plazas.

Fuel and all convenience stores inside the service plazas will be open 24 hours a day.

Until 7 a.m. Friday, the following rest stops are open for truck parking only:

• Interstate 79
  • Crawford County, northbound and southbound
  • Allegheny County, northbound only
• Interstate 80
  • Venango County, eastbound and westbound
  • Centre County, eastbound and westbound
  • Montour County, eastbound and westbound
• Interstate 81
  • Luzerne County, northbound and southbound
  • Cumberland County, northbound and southbound.

Electronic message signs will be used near the applicable centers to notify drivers near the opened areas.

The rest areas were closed at midnight Tuesday in response to Governor Tom Wolf’s mitigation guidance regarding the new coronavirus, known as COVID-19.