SIDELING HILL TUNNEL

OVERVIEW OF THE ENTIRE AREA OF SIDELING HILL

In this overview, you will find the Sideling Hill Tunnel (both portals), as well as the old turnpike roadway, the current turnpike alignment, and local landmarks that include Oregon Road and the Civilian Conservation Corps Sideling Hill Camp.  Just out of the view of this photograph is U.S. Route 30, which leads to Gettysburg and eastern Pennsylvania.  According to maps I have, the nearest city to the tunnel is Crystal Spring, which is located between Breezewood and Hustontown.
oordinates are:  -78.12589, longitude; 40.04592, latitude

Image courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

Approaching the Sideling Hill Tunnel - Western Portal

In this aerial photograph, you can see Oregon Road, which is a way to reach the roadway between the eastern portal of the Ray's Hill Tunnel and the western portal of the Sideling Hill Tunnel.  Oregon Road passes under the old roadway after running somewhat parallel to it on the south side.  There are multiple places to park along Oregon Road and walk on the north side, towards the roadway.  
Coordinates are:  -78.15263, longitude; 40.04830, latitude

Image courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

Approaching the Sideling Hill Tunnel - Western Portal

What you see in this aerial photograph is the final bend in the old roadway just as it approaches the Sideling Hill Tunnel.  Beyond the underpass on Oregon Road, that road reaches the site of the former Civilian Conservation Corps Sideling Hill Camp.  This camp was in use between 1930 and 1937, according to a sign at the location.  The east side of the camp leads to a trail that comes out onto the old roadway.  From there, the western portal is straight ahead.oordinates are:  -78.14787, longitude; 40.04998, latitude

Image courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

Sideling Hill Tunnel - Western Portal

Note how much more remote the area around the old roadway and the Sideling Hill Tunnel is compared to Ray's Hill.Coordinates are:  -

Image courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

Sideling Hill Tunnel - Eastern Portal 

The modern-looking four lane highway you see crossing over the eastern portal is the modern alignment of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  Note the westbound lanes ... the third lane is for trucks only as they climb over Sideling Hill at a higher elevation that the original roadway.  As with the western portal, this side of the mountain also is quite secluded.ordinates are:  -78.11751, longitude; 40.04743,

Image courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

Sideling Hill Tunnel - Beyond the Eastern Portal 

Beyond the eastern portal of the tunnel, you will find two other landmarks, both of which appear in the photograph below.  

The first is location of the former Cove Valley Service Plaza.  This facility was along the lines of the rest stops along today's turnpikes.  Like it's modern counterparts, Cove Valley offered travelers a break from the drive, as well as food and fuel for their cars.  Cove Valley was destroyed and left in total ruin when the Turnpike Commission closed it and abandoned the roadway in 1968.  There really is nothing fancy to see at this location, except to imagine what the traveling would have been like back in 1940, when few if any cars had the modern conveniences that we travel with.  Most of the cars then not only did not include  CD players, but also no air conditioning, cruise control, automatic transmissions -- you get the picture.  Cove Valley had been used for a number of years as a target practice range by the civil enforcement authorities ("T Troop").  Since the purchased the land in 2001, no further target practice has taken place.

The second landmark in the photograph below is Pumping Station Road (Township Highway 428) overpass on the old roadway.  This is the official ending of the S.A.C.'s property.  There are now concrete jersey barriers to alert you to this fact.   Beyond this point, the property still belongs to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.  Trespassing is not permitted.or

Image courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

Effective November 2005:  The P.T.C. removed the Pumping Station Road bridge at
the eastern end of the abandoned turnpike.  Photo used courtesy of Dennis Fariello
and Jim Kuhlman.  Visit their sites for more photos and details.

Effective November 2005:  The P.T.C. removed the Pumping Station Road bridge at
the eastern end of the abandoned turnpike.  Photo used courtesy of Dennis Fariello
and Jim Kuhlman.  Visit their sites for more photos and details.

Effective November 2005:  The P.T.C. removed the Pumping Station Road bridge at
the eastern end of the abandoned turnpike.  Photo used courtesy of Dennis Fariello
and Jim Kuhlman.  Visit their sites for more photos and details.

This page was created on:  July 1, 2005.  
Last updated on:  August 09, 2014.

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