A HALF-CENTURY OF interstate highways has made the excitement of the Pennsylvania Turnpike's opening hard to imagine. Exploring an unused stretch on the now-abandoned highway, however, reveals what all the fuss was about on Oct. 1, 1940. The Southern Alleghenies Conservancy owns 8.5 miles of former turnpike, mostly in Fulton County, that is being developed as the Pike to Bike Trail (pike2bike.org). The timetable depends on financing, but the completed trail between Breezewood and Hiram will look much like the turnpike did 66 years ago when drivers lined up for the tollbooths' 12:01 a.m. openings.
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