Six months ago, after mounting public pressure, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) hosted a public meeting regarding the proposed Allegheny Mountain Realignment Project. Community members, local leaders and environmental groups turned out in high numbers to voice their concerns about the project otherwise known as the Gray Cut.
This Earth Day, Citizens to Save the Allegheny Mountain wants you to know that we continue to fight against the destructive project. Behind the scenes, we have ramped up our organizational efforts by retaining an environmental lawyer and beginning the process of involving consultants with expertise in infrastructure, traffic and transportation to build our case around some of PTC’s core claims about the Gray Cut’s purported necessity.
So what exactly is at stake if the Gray Cut is approved? Based on migration mapping performed by The Nature Conservancy, the Appalachian Mountains are a vital migration path for countless species of birds, mammals and amphibians. Over the course of one year, bobcats, black bears and foxes pass through the woods. Bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, turkeys, woodpeckers and many other birds find an at-least-temporary home atop the mountain. Salamanders are readily found under rocks in the springtime, and rattlers are often seen basking on top of them in the summer. When one thinks of biodiversity, what probably jumps to mind are places like the Amazon or the Galapagos Islands, but such environmental majesty can be found right in our backyards on top of Allegheny Mountain. By exchanging a natural superhighway for an artificial one the PTC will severely degrade some of Pennsylvania’s most pristine habitat.
Additionally, Allegheny Mountain sits at the headwaters along the eastern continental divide, meaning miles of streams whose water travels all over the eastern US risk degradation from the Gray Cut. The Raystown Branch of the Juniata River and the Stonycreek River watershed each could face increases in sediment and other contaminants. The Stonycreek River in particular has had millions of dollars invested into its remediation after years of extractive industry damaged its source waters.
If approved, the peace and quiet that local residents and visitors enjoy on top of the mountain would be nothing more than a memory. The addition of six lanes of traffic roaring through a mountain road cut will irreversibly affect quality of life in the region. The Berlin public water supply faces potential groundwater contamination and diminution of their water. This poses serious health risks, particularly for those who rely on such water for daily use, all in the name of ostensible improvements to traffic patterns.
For over thirty years, the PTC has studied options for the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel all while ignoring input from the local community, property owners, and elected officials. The Citizens to Save the Allegheny Mountain, at a minimum, demands a transparent and inclusive decision-making process that genuinely considers the voices and concerns of those who will be most affected by this project.
In celebration of Earth Day 2025 Citizens to Save the Allegheny Mountain calls on you to support our efforts to save this mountain. If it happens to the Allegheny Mountain, it can happen to your mountain too.
- Sign the petition: Tell the PA Turnpike Commission that you know that our most precious resources such as clean water, sustaining wildlife and ecosystems, and community spaces where we connect with nature are irreplaceable.
- Share your voice: Contact your elected representatives and tell them to support our work to engage the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission on other options, and to not destroy our treasured landscape for frivolous development goals. You can share the petition with them and direct them to support resources found on the Citizens to Save the Allegheny Mountain website.
- Follow the campaign: Stay engaged with updates and efforts to save the mountain!
- Celebrate the Tunnel: Pennsylvania tunnels are iconic as America’s First Superhighway weaves through our ancient ridges. It’s the essence of traveling across our Commonwealth. Improving the existing tunnel with a additional lane would prevent the permanent destruction that the Gray Cut would entail. Use #savealleghenymountain on social media to share your journeys by having a passenger take a photo while traveling through the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Visit the Citizens to Save the Allegheny Mountain Website at https://savealleghenymountain.com/