Laurel Hill Tunnel

It is bored through Laurel Ridge, spanning the border of Westmoreland and Somerset counties.

Its western portal may be seen from the eastbound side of the Turnpike at milepost 99.3.

The tunnel was built for the never-completed South Pennsylvania Railroad, as were two other tunnels to its east—Sideling Hill and Rays Hill—that were similarly on the original Turnpike and abandoned after being bypassed.

It is not open to the public and is routinely patrolled by the Pennsylvania State Police for trespassers.

[1] The highest point on the Turnpike, 2,603 feet (793 m), is on the Laurel Hill Tunnel bypass at Mile 100.45 in Somerset County.

The point eastbound where the turnpike curves north (to the left) to bypass the Laurel Hill Tunnel. The abandoned tunnel can be seen where there is a path of trees removed from the top of the mountain. Notice the jersey barriers end with the beginning of a wide grassy median.