MEDIA ADVISORY

Five-year initiative launched at Oakmont —  First of 18 rest stops to be revamped.

Event:  The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s Chief Executive Officer Joe Brimmeier and HMSHost Corporation Senior Vice President of Motorway Operations Brian Gallant will address the media at 10 a.m. Monday, September 25 regarding a long-term agreement that provides for the expansion and modernization of PTC service plazas.   

Location:  Oakmont Service Plaza at Milepost 49.3 Eastbound in Plum Borough, Allegheny County. Access to the site is available from the eastbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76). Drivers of media vehicles should approach the plaza from the west and watch for PTC maintenance personnel and/or Pennsylvania State Police, who will direct them into appropriate parking areas. The plaza is only 1.6 miles east of the Allegheny Valley interchange. Allegheny Valley is the entry point to I-76 from the Pa. Route 28 Expressway northeast of Pittsburgh.     

Background:  Oakmont Service Plaza closed on September 6 and will be the first of the Turnpike’s service plazas to be renovated under the long-term redevelopment agreement with Bethesda, Maryland-based HMSHost Corporation. The new, expanded Oakmont Service Plaza will open by Memorial Day 2007.

Visuals & Other Information:  The speakers will make brief comments and then unveil a rendering of the new facility. Some demolition equipment will be on-site, as the demolition process is to commence forthwith. All participants will be available for one-on-one interviews following the brief event.