Re: Slightly OT: PA Turnpike Service Plaza Renovations

Well this sounds good but I guess we'll have to see how this works
especially with the number of plazas decreasing:

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/06216/711047-147.stm
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has signed a 30-year deal with HMSHost
Corp. to redevelop travel plazas in exchange for operating, maintaining and
making over $100 million worth of improvements at the facilities.

The state-of-the-art plazas are to include Internet access for wireless
laptop computers, food courts, special services for tractor-trailers,
dog-walking trails and restroom attendants at the busiest sites.

In exchange, HMSHost Corp. expects to realize in excess of $3.5 billion in
revenue over the life of the contract.

The improvements will be phased over five to six years, but the first will
be made starting this fall at the Oakmont Service Plaza, near the Allegheny
Valley/Route 28 interchange on the westbound side. Completion is scheduled
for next summer, before the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country
Club.

Consolidations and eliminations will reduce the existing 21 service plazas
to 18. The Hempfield Service Plaza on the eastbound side is to be closed
when the turnpike is widened to three lanes each way between Irwin and New
Stanton in the not-too-distant future.

"We originally planned to start work on three or four service plazas after
Labor Day but the process of picking a vendor dragged on longer than
anticipated," turnpike spokesman Bill Capone said.

The turnpike still is working on an agreement with a fuel supplier,
currently Sun Oil Co., whose Sunoco gas and diesel are the only fuels sold
on the east-west mainline and Northeast Extension to the Pocono Mountains.

HMSHost Corp. (Host-Marriott Services), already the concessionaire at most
Pennsylvania Turnpike service plazas, is a subsidiary of Italy-headquartered
Autogrill S.p.A., a world leader in the travel business, with operations in
29 countries.

In a news release, HMSHost said service plaza revitalization plans will
incorporate Pennsylvania architecture, materials and brands and afford toll
road users with "a special blend of the best national and regional
restaurants and exciting retail designs and products."

New food vendors are to include The Doggery, Philly Steak & Gyro, Bassett's
Original Turkey, Famous Famigilia, Chick-fil-A, Brioche Doree Cafe & Bakery,
Chili's Too and Outback Outpost, which sells appetizers, burgers, salads and
sandwiches from its steakhouse menu.

"The Turnpike Commission and MHSHost have enjoyed a long business
partnership servicing travelers," said Joe Brimmeier, the turnpike
commission's chief executive officer. "We appreciate their financial
commitment to our plaza redevelopment project."

It's a seller's market. About 165 million vehicles a year now travel the
turnpike. Officials estimate 13.2 percent of them, carrying an average of
two occupants, stop at service plazas. They spent about $150 million for
food, fuel and services last year.

It's also a far cry from the days of the orange-roofed Howard Johnson's
franchise that originally provided refuge for road-weary travelers -- even
overnight rooms at Midway, Bedford County.

------------

Personally I hope that another oil company other than Sunoco takes over but
that's wishful thinking considering that Sunoco runs service stations on the
New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, and PA Turnpikes as well as some of
the NY Thruway plazas. I am not a big fan of Sunoco and their gas seems to
perform poorly in my cars due to the higher ethanol content (I don't live in
an area where E10 is required but Sunoco has been using it for years).


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