[2] In addition to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the commission also operates the James E. Ross Highway, Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass, Mon/Fayette Expressway, and Pittsburgh's Southern Beltway, the latter two of which are currently under construction.

PA Act 229 of 1953 states that the PTC shall be dissolved once its debts have been paid:"When all bonds, notes or other obligations and the interest thereon have been paid [...] the Turnpike and the connecting road, tunnels, and bridges shall become a part of the system of State Highways and shall be maintained by the Department of Highways free of tolls; and thereupon, the Commission shall be dissolved.

[8] In 1978, former turnpike commissioner Egidio Cerelli was convicted of extortion, serving time in federal prison.

[14] The total cost for the project exceeded $1 billion; the Commission borrowed from foreign investors for financing half the project by joining with the Delaware Valley Regional Center (DVRC) through the U.S. government's EB-5 program, saving the Commission $35 million over conventional banking channels.

[18][19] Part of the Act included the commission assuming control of and placing tolls on Interstate 80, however this aspect of the plan was rejected by the Federal Highway Administration.

[27] In March 2018, the Owner–Operator Independent Drivers Association filed a lawsuit against the commission, claiming that tolls inhibited interstate commerce and travel.

The commission hired the multinational engineering firm AECOM to perform the study, which will examine the impact such a system will have on the turnpike's operation, as well as regulatory and environmental concerns.

Commission chair Yassmin Gramian says that she contacts other commissioners before the meeting to handle any discussion or potential dissent privately.

[38] On February 1, 2013, Mark P. Compton, previously the deputy secretary of administration at PennDOT, became the commission's chief executive officer (CEO), succeeding Roger Nutt.

[40] In response to a 2013 grand jury investigation, the commissioners directed CEO Mark Compton to create an advisory committee to evaluate the commission's procurement policies.