HMS Host has committed $100 million to rebuild a total of 17 service plazas under the agreement, and Sunoco will invest $70 million to redevelop 17 stations and convenience stores in all.
The current plan calls for demolition of the two facilities, but the reconstruction schedule for the new buildings has yet to be finalized. So far, four Turnpike plazas have been razed and rebuilt, reopening in 2007 and 2008: Oakmont (Allegheny County), North Somerset (Somerset County), Sideling Hill (Fulton County) and Allentown (Lehigh County). A fifth plaza, the New Stanton Plaza in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, was closed last September and will reopen by Memorial Day. Located at milepost 78, it will serve westbound Turnpike travelers.
"These bigger, brighter facilities are being built without one cent of toll earnings or other public money," said Turnpike CEO Joe Brimmeier. "Our partnership with HMS Host and Sunoco allows us to concentrate Turnpike resources on highway safety enhancements while using private funding to improve the experience at our travel plazas."
The plazas, which have been remodeled and expanded over the years starting in the 1970s, can no longer effectively serve the needs of today's travelers, considering the toll road is used by 190 million vehicles per year. The new plazas feature more spacious layouts and food-court style dining areas with more choices. They have larger, brighter "touch-free" restrooms, enhanced parking, outdoor dining areas, landscaped grounds with walking paths, new fueling stations and a c-store.
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