It was also the first vehicular tunnel in the world where traffic moves at two different levels at one portal due to the double-deck alignment of the bridge. Originally, the roadway was comprised of brick before being replaced during the Parkway reconstruction in the s.
Fort Pitt Tunnel Specifications - Pennsylvania Department of Highways The plan for a bridge and tunnel combination at the current location was derived in the s.
Planners then had intended for a bridge to span the Monongahela connecting what is now Fort Pitt Boulevard to a tunnel to facilitate traffic between the city and the growing South Hills. Even Tod and Buz from Route 66 took a ride through the newly opened tunnels at the start of the episode "Goodnight Sweet Blues. Not just because of Interstate 70 being proposed through the city, but also because of the growth of Monroeville justified the construction of a bypass. It is easy to tell that this part was built after the Interstate legislation was passed because of the wide median and its six lanes.
The 1. The first incident occurred on June 4, at 9 AM, when the brakes on a flat bed tractor-trailer failed as it approached the tunnel, struck three cars, and one of the steel coils it was carrying hit a fourth in the rear. Fortunately there were no injuries but James Kenner, who was at the wheel, had to be extricated from his cab and was treated at Allegheny General Hospital. Louise Ward of Mount Lebanon was treated at the same hospital after also being extricated from her vehicle which was demolished after being smashed by Kenner's truck which crashed into and cracked the tunnel's granite facade.
Picture of the Point a year later in Don Bindyke The next major wreck took place October 23, at AM when another rig hauling strips of rolled steel being driven by Lynn Bradley of Phenix City, Alabama, lost its brakes and rammed into the tunnel entrance. In the process, the tractor-trailer jack-knifed and wedged a pick-up truck, which it had struck once before pinning it against the tunnel wall about yards inside. Roger Carrier, the new PennDOT District 11 engineer, and Pat Wood, public information officer, were inside the offices at the western end of the tunnel when the accident took place.
If the brakes had failed only a minute earlier, the truck might have run into vehicles on Green Tree Hill. Carrier added that PennDOT was in the process of placing more signs near the top of the hill and on a long grade near Churchill on the Parkway East to warn truckers. PennDOT was also looking into installing truck crash barriers; however, the state was hamstringed by not only money but also right-of-way in which to install them.
While trying to obtain federal funds to build a runaway truck ramp just before the Banksville Road interchange during that time, PennDOT would finally construct one in the s. The most tragic truck accident involving a truck losing its brakes took place on April 28, at PM.
A bank teller at First Federal ran to see what happened when she heard a horn beeping. It appeared that Young attempted to avoid stopped traffic at the intersection, as the rig jumped a traffic island in Gateway Center and uprooted a tree.
Ironically, he had been cited for speeding earlier that day by state police on Interstate Sally Griffith, a clerk at the Pittsburgh Tourist and Convention office in Gateway Center dialed as she saw the truck jump the island. Some of the big trucks, they just go flying past here off Fort Pitt [Bridge]. While he was crashing into the building, I was talking to the lady [emergency operator]. It was awful. I saw people flying, while on the phone.
It was the most horrible thing in the world, but you know, it was fate; unknown people who just happened to be on that street. He was smoking brakes, I can tell you that. The look on his face was like, did you ever see the look of someone scared out of his mind?
Well, that's the kind of look he had. He was told the brakes were failing. That's part of the driver's pre-check responsibility. I'll buy it if it was in the copper tubing. The scene was cleared shortly before 11 PM, roughly 10 hours after the accident. Unfortunately, as the rig slammed into the savings and loan building, it crushed and killed three people, two of whom were sisters.
Two other sisters and five others were injured. The sisters who were killed were the mother and aunt of Susan Wallace, another who was injured and lost her unborn baby in the accident. They were all in Pittsburgh two witness Susan's and her husband's graduation ceremony at the University of Pittsburgh the day before where they received doctorates in psychology, and the coming weekend was to be her baby shower. For the first 21 years of its existence, the Fort Pitt Bridge was painted gray.
It would not receive its trademark gold color until a repainting job that lasted from to The project involved cleaning the bridge surfaces to remove debris and corrosion, application of a red primer, a secondary sandstone color was applied before the final coat consisting of Aztec Gold. A couple times during the s, the term "nightmare" could be applied to a traffic jam involving an accident on the Parkway.
On October 17, , a five-vehicle crash shut the Fort Pitt Tunnel down for most of the day. It began at AM, when a tractor-trailer struck a car and pushed it more than 1, feet into the tunnel, coming to the rest after an explosion and fire. The fire damaged the inbound tube, buckling supports, burning electrical circuits, and dropping ceramic tiles onto the road.
Fortunately there were no deaths and only two minor injuries. Emergency crews had trouble getting to the site of the accident due to extreme heat and smoke. Firefighters strung more than 2, feet of hose before they found the burning wreckage. The firefighters and emergency medical personnel did not have to worry about casualties because the occupants of the truck and car escaped before they were engulfed.
Keith Glassburn, of Clinton, Arkansas and his wife were in the rig at the time. He added, "I went onto the shoulder to avoid hitting it [the car], then skidded into the guard rail. State police said he would be charged with failure to obey the 25 MPH speed limit for trucks with a gross weight of 21, pounds or more, as well as driving too fast for conditions. The outbound tube reopened at AM and the inbound tube at PM. Just as things were wrapping up, a truck overturned on the Parkway near the Banksville Road on-ramp when its load shifted at a bend.
Then later that night, another accident happened a quarter mile from the morning accident. The next "nightmare" occurred on October 23, when a tractor-trailer crashed and burned between the western portals just before AM. Six vehicles including the truck were damaged or destroyed.
The accident severely damaged the tunnels' electrical system, specifically the automatic carbon monoxide exhaust system and lights. The outbound lanes reopened at PM and the inbound lanes at PM after Duquesne Light restored power to the tunnels around PM and Sargent Electric Coworkers managed to activate the exhaust system and lights by splicing damaged cables.
While the carbon monoxide monitoring and exhaust system adjusts itself according to levels in the tunnels, workers had to change the speed of the fans manually until permanent repairs were made. As for the damage to the structure itself, he added, "The entire garage is incinerated and destroyed.
The equipment room and all of the electronic-monitoring equipment is destroyed. In the mids, the original Parkway was beginning to show wear. PennDOT rebuilt the entire highway, from ground up, from the Greensburg Pike interchange into downtown which equated to 6.
For a time, the westbound lanes were closed, which meant the eastbound lanes were used for two way traffic. The project included rehabilitating 21 bridges including the Squirrel Hill Tunnels and required , square yards of slip-formed reinforced concrete.
This project ended in late One feature of the project was the addition of pumps in the westbound lanes between Grant Street and Interstate These lanes are depressed and on the same level as the Mon Warf parking area and the Monongahela River. During floods such as in when Tropical Storm Agnes hit Pennsylvania, the parking area is always under water.
If water reaches the highway, the pumps kick on. I detours during the construction. Between January 19 and 21, , these lanes were closed down because of flooding.
The rare January thaw due to temperatures into the 60s caused tremendous run-off from melting snow flooded many low lying areas including the Point. Out of all of the people driving the Parkway on October 25, , Anisa Hadiya Abdul is a unique commuter. The reason being is that came into the world just a little after midnight on that day right at the Oakland interchange.
Aleeshea Cosby, mother, was leaving her job at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and was heading home. She began having pains, but did not think anything of it since she was due on November Aleeshea called a friend, Sylvia White, to tell her she was going to the hospital and she might need her as a backup driver. Good thing, because her services were needed. Sylvia entered the Squirrel Hill Tunnels driving with a mother-to-be and exited with a woman in labor. White managed to pull over and to wait for city paramedics; however, little Anisa was not so patient.
If you were traveling the Parkways on January 11, , you have my sympathy. On that day, not one but two trucks ended up getting lodged in both the Squirrel Hill and Fort Pitt Tunnels and during both rush hours. This is not the first time a truck has become wedged in either tunnel as it has happened many times over the years; however, it was the first time where it happened twice on the same day. The driver assumed that his rig would fit through the tunnel since the overheight truck warning signals did not flash, which were shut off due to mechanical problems.
However, Officer Ramon Paul of the Pennsylvania State Police said that his truck was actually 14 feet, four inches; 10 inches too tall. At about feet into the tunnel, the trailer became wedged against the ceiling.
The driver then proceeded to back the vehicle out which added to the problems when the drive shaft broke. The first attempt to dislodge the trailer by letting the air out of the tires worked, but the trailer could only be pulled by a tow truck inches at a time. The second attempt did the trick when the towing company first pulled the trailer off the tractor and then both out shortly after PM.
By PM, the line of vehicles that stretched all the way to Monroeville were finally moving once again. Another unfortunate incident happened on January 28, when a tour bus heading from Steubenville, Ohio en route to the Seven Springs ski resort flipped over as it turned to head toward the Turnpike's toll plaza.
Only a few were injured which was surprising because the bus slid off the highway into a wooded area off the shoulder. The exit renumbering that took place on I in the summer of was not the first for one segment of the expressway. In , when the designation changed from I to I from the Point to the Turnpike, so did the exit numbers to commence the numbering sequence. This sequence continued after the designation changed to I in With a highway as old as the Parkway, problems usually arise.
One such problem is the cracking and shifting of a concrete retaining wall that supports the expressway's eastbound side between the Boulevard of the Allies and Bates Street. The foot-long section was discovered in summer by PennDOT maintenance workers who noticed minor subsidence on the shoulder and slight shifts to the Jersey barrier that runs along the side of the expressway. From below the evidence is more convincing, as large pieces of concrete now lay on the ground next to the base of the wall.
The contractor in charge of the repairs will drill through the wall and insert large bolts into the earth, known as "rock anchors" which might mean the closure of the far right lane at times.
Hack also mentioned that the northern terminus of the Mon-Fayette Expressway is proposed to connect to the Parkway near this area, and that the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission would be responsible for construction of a new wall. One problem that was facing the City of Pittsburgh was that eastbound lanes of Fort Pitt Boulevard were crumbling. It was so bad that you could see exposed rebar driving along the highway. Also, due to years of use, the lanes began to sink forming sunken areas where water would pond in heavy rains.
One of the only places where an elevated highway would flood. Because of the decrepit nature of the eastbound lanes, a detour was put in place for vehicles weighting more than eight tons. Traffic was also a problem on the Boulevard, because it was the only connection from I south to I east. A proposal to rebuild the eastbound lanes and to construct a direct connection to I east was arranged.
The project began in early with the demolition of the elevated lanes. While the last leg of rehabilitation of the Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel were taking place, work was also performed on the segment of the Parkway from the bridge to Grant Street. Because the right lane is an exit only lane, it essentially means that I West is reduced to one lane here in downtown Pittsburgh for a brief time. I West traffic is carried on the lower deck. You will need to make a quick lane change to the right here to access Exit 69C ahead.
Be in the two leftmost lanes to remain on I West. Sorry about how this one turned out. Take Exit 59 to Summit Park Drive. Approaching Exit 56, the speed limit finally sees its first increase to 65 mph on Interstate West.
Just west of Exit 45, the speed limit once again decreases to 55 mph, for no good reason. It remains that way for several miles. Interstate West: Road view from just west of mile marker 39, as we prepare to cross the Ohio River. Interstate West at mile marker As is standard on toll roads in Pennsylvania, emergency call boxes exist on the tolled portion of Interstate This tolled portion lasts for the next Approaching the toll plaza, this sign lists the toll rates due at the plaza ahead.
This Interstate West assurance shield, along with the rest of the ones along the tolled portion of I, has a 'Toll' tab tacked onto the top of it. Interstate West assurance shield just west north, actually of Exit Speed limit assurance sign just past Exit The speed limit on almost all of Interstate 's tolled portion is 65 mph.
Just past Exit 20, the speed limit decreases to 55 mph as we begin to approach the second toll plaza on Interstate West. Approaching the toll plaza, EZ Pass tagholders are reminded to keep to the left. Cash customers should stay right. In case you hadn't noticed, there is no ticket system on the tolled portion of Interstate The standard speed limit of 65 mph resumes at this point, until we near New Castle ahead. Immediately past Exit 15, the speed limit decreases once again to 55 mph as we near the New Castle area.
Now that US has departed to the west, we see this standalone Interstate West assurance shield. This mileage sign states that Sharon now lies 17 miles ahead, about 5 miles beyond the western terminus of Interstate Approaching Exit 9, the standard rural speed limit of 65 mph resumes.
Mileage sign near mile marker 3. It's 9 miles to Hermitage and 10 miles to Sharon. PA curves sharply west to adjacent PA 18 south of the city of Hermitage. South at. PA transitions from two lane road into a freeway at the parclo interchange with PA 18 in Hermitage.
The route quickly enters the cloverleaf interchange from there with I and I I and PA meet just south of I by the borough of Middlesex. Exit 4A loops onto Interstate former PA 60 south. Penn Lincoln Parkway East west at. This button copy sign was carbon copied with Clearview font to display Interstate west in Exit 1B ascended from Interstate west as the last off-ramp for Downtown.
Sign replacements made by continue to omit the US routes, but added an exit only sign for I north Exit 70C. I west concluded with narrow ramps to Interstate The overhead for I here was renumbered to Exit 70C but otherwise carbon copied. A pair of end shields were posted on the transition ramp from I west to the Fort Pitt Bridge I south until The end banners were replaced then with west banners.
Prior to , both assemblies included state-named shields. Penn Lincoln Parkway North south at. With the truncation of I here, the left side ramp for Monroeville is now unnumbered. Reconstruction of the Fort Pitt Bridge and an adjacent section of Parkway West through replaced this stretch of viaduct taking travelers from the Fort Duquesne Bridge south onto the then-eastbound beginning of Interstate Penn Lincoln Parkway West north at.
Interstate split with the eastbound beginning of I just beyond the forthcoming Fort Pitt Tunnel. Following the renumbering of Parkway West to Interstate , exits were renumbered and the pull through panel for I was replaced with a one mile sign referencing North Shore.
Sign changes here added an exit only placard for I north now Exit 70C and two pull through arrows for I east. This configuration remains the same with I as the through route and ramps renumbered to Exits 70C-A. East End. West End. Totaling 3, feet in length, 1 the tunnel passes under Mount Washington and emerges on the Fort Pitt Bridge. Photo taken June 12, High Priority Corridor.
Route Information. East End — Monroeville, PA. West End — Sharon, PA. Mileage — Cities — Pittsburgh, Monroeville, Wilkinsburg. Junctions —. The 4,foot, twin-tube tunnel bypasses the neighborhoods east of Beechwood Avenue and south of Forward Avenue.
0コメント