In 1968 the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (TPC) bypassed the Ray’s and Sidling Hill tunnels and 11 miles of pike.
This section of the highway was completely abandoned by traffic and occasionally used by the TPC to train snow plow drivers, prototype rumble strips, road reflectors, reflective road pant, do vehicle crash, roll over, truck brake distance, road sign distance visibility tests and also for storage of jersey barriers.
In 2001, the PA Turnpike Commission sold the abandoned trail to the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy (SAC), a non-profit nature group preserving the environment in South Western and South Central Pennsylvania, covering Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Somerset counties.
Now plans are underway to convert this abandoned section of the PA turnpike into a multi-use trail and recreational destination.