The turnpike was the first long-distance, limited-access road in the United States. A direct link between the mid-Atlantic and midwestern states, it reduced travel time between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg from nearly six hours to about . Nicknamed "dream highway" and "the World's Greatest Highway" by the turnpike commission, it was also known as "the Granddaddy of the Pikes". Postcards and other souvenirs promoted the original stretch's seven tunnels through the Appalachians.
The turnpike was the first long-distance, limited-access road in the United States. A direct link between the mid-Atlantic and midwestern states, it reduced travel time between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg from nearly six hours to about . Nicknamed "dream highway" and "the World's Greatest Highway" by the turnpike commission it was also known as "the Granddaddy of the Pikes". Postcards and other souvenirs promoted the original stretch's seven tunnels through the Appalachians.