What’s the quickest/safest driving route from Pitt to Philly? I have Mapquest directions, but I’ve found that they aren’t always reliable. I’ll be proceeding from Robinson Township area in Pitt to Society Hill in Phil. Thanks!
I’d have to think that I-76 would be the road of choice for the bulk of travel. Personally, I’ve hated the PA turnpike every single time I’ve been on it (too narrow) and I really hate paying tolls (I was raised in the wide-open Southwest, after all) but it’s probably the best choice.
Thanks! Mapquest also suggests the I-76. Are the pike booths staffed, or should I carry change?
They are staffed. You get a ticket when you get on the highway; when you exit, you surrender the ticket and pay the appropriate toll. (Unless you have an EZ-Pass/FastLane transponder, in which case the toll is deducted from your account.)
The last time I was on the turnpike (and it was years ago as I really really really hate toll roads in general and the PA turnpike in particular), I think they were staffed, but I’d carry correct change just in case. If you know exactly where you’ll be entering and exiting, you can get the fare amount ahead of time through the turnpike authority’s website. It’ll probably be about $20, so I’d have to believe it’d be staffed. Remember the strike a couple years ago that made driving the turnpike incredibly cheap for a couple days?
Saw the Thread title and knew right away that the obvious answer would be I-76, but I came in hoping someone would divulge some “best kept secret” of trans-Pennsylvania travel. I too hate the Pennsylvaina turnpike. Sorry to see there’s no other option.
Heck, I hate I-76 so much that if I had all day to drive, I’d probably take US-22 to I-78 to I-476. Something along those lines anyway. Sorry if it’s a little vague, since after all I don’t live in PA and restricted most of my driving when I was in PA to US-22, US-522, I-81, and PA-26. I hate to think of how slow the time on US-22 would be, but I’d probably consider it a moral victory.
Going east/west in PA has limited options. Since you’re starting and ending on the lower tier, the turnpike is the best game. You don’t need exact change, and all booths are staffed-no labor unrest has been in the news of late.
All of that being said, PA is notorious for road construction, and the turnpike is no exception. There is construction for a new bridge over the Susquehanna between Harrisburg west and Harrisburg east interchanges, and everything from Valley Forge to Fort Washington interchange is a zoo, but you’ll likely exit at Valley Forge and take the Schuylkill Expressway into Philly. There is construction at the US 15 interchange, and I can’t vouch for anything further west.
A good PA map is your friend. In a worst case scenario, an accident shuts down the pike, and the State Police may boot you off at a maintenance gate, putting you on a local route without a clue. Also pay attention to the flashing roadside signs-problems ahead are broadcast on (I think) 1640 AM, such that you can plan an exit from the pike and use of a collateral route, which for most of PA is US 30, aka Lincoln Highway, et. al.
Once you exit the turnpike at Valley Forge, continue to follow I-76 to downtown Philadelphia. Then cut across the city at I-676, probably towards the Independence Mall area.
At that point, Mapquest’s directions should take you the rest of the way to Society Hill in the city.
The PA turnpike has been under construction as long as I’ve been driving on it (20+ years). You’d think that at some point they would actually finish the thing.
But what would they do with the 300+ miles of movable concrete barriers, flasher signs, and barrels? Can’t have your tax dollars going to waste, right? 
Trust me, I share your pain.