Exploring Pennsylvania's Abandoned Highway

Pennsylvania abandoned turnpike was created by a massive 13 miles rerouting in 1968 due to congestion.
These tunnels where originally built for the South Pennsylvania Railroad in the late 1800s but were never actually used until 1940 when The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened. By the elate 1950's the turnpike was heavily used and these relatively skinny tunnels were creating lots of congestion due to the bottle necking from two lanes each way into one through the tunnels. 1968 was the last year these tunnels and stretch of highway were used and they have been sitting in the woods ever since.
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*CHECK OUT some other videos of mine! *
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#mobileinstinct #abandonedpennsylvania #abandonedplaces

[@MobileInstinct]

Hey everyone, hope you enjoy this fun exploration with my buddy Jay! Also, I ll be traveling a lot this summer and fall so if you have some ideas of places for me to check out in your state, definitely contact me on Instagram or on my website. Hope to hear from you! -Chris

[@aehink143]

Have you traveled to any areas in Rhode Island or Connecticut?

[@redgarcia1427]

Mobile Instinct If you come into Northeastern Kentucky On I64 from West Virginia in Grayson, Ky there is Grayson Lake State park which is a great place to jump off cliffs(not too high) rent a houseboat pontoon or a canoe or kayak and then back on I64 just a few miles to Olive Hill, Ky to Carter Caves State park then back on I64 to Cave Run Lake around Morehead, Ky(in the Daniel Boone National Forest) then back on I64 to around Mt. Sterling,Ky to Stanton, Ky to the Natural Bridge State park(still in the Daniel Boone National Forest) ..then on to Mammoth Caves in Western Kentucky!! Stopping along the way at some beautiful Horse farms!! Seriously..look these places up!! If it's not your cup of tea..no harm no foul!! ;-)

[@redgarcia1427]

Of course I just remembered you went to the Corvette museum in Bowling Green, Ky but I don't remember seeing anything else from Ky!

[@MobileInstinct]

Red Garcia I'll definitely be back through. Such a beautiful state!

[@trailerparkbarbie9027]

hey im new sub ,i luvvvvv watching these old adventure places!..glad to see you ,a newer one ,from adamthewoo,the carpetbagger....u have diff. stuff which is groovy to see! thnx 4 sharing..plus ur a cutie:)..gl on your travels!will be watching n waiting 4 more!

[@jaystitzie4743]

Those roads are in better shape than most active PA roads

[@shipwreck6321]

Fax

[@gabrieltalaricomusic]

John Stitz THANK YOU! 😂 (Edit: I live in PA sooo.... yea the roads are shit)

[@thickgirlsneedlove2190]

@john Stitz I live in Pa and yea these roads look way better😂😂

[@cloneskiller]

Hes right you know

[@gabrieltalaricomusic]

Trappin Nation69 it’s the sad part that the abandoned roads are better looking than our main roads

[@dpowers1185]

I love seeing people explore old abandoned stuff like this without turning it into some kinda cheesy “haunted” ghost hunt.

[@practicaloccultist231]

I'm trying to save my friends here MOTHER... DONT YOU BELIVE ITS HEROBRINE?

[@davide724]

Behold, the legend is true; there _are_ roads in Pennsylvania that don't have potholes.

[@astrowind2873]

But they’re abandoned :(

[@teegjames6357]

Perfect comment 😂😂 can’t drive 30 miles without a pothole being ran over 🤦‍♂️

[@monicap1717]

Ya cuz it was never used!

[@hakeemsd70m]

Maybe I70? Kinda doubtful.

[@Nenezilla]

Hello from pothole central - Pittsburgh.

[@MsNoPixel]

I think this is the first time YT has recommended me a video about something in my state so of course you know I had to watch it.

[@hottiegirl5294]

SheClutches lol same

[@lilypfeiffer8505]

Me to

[@sturrrdy]

SheClutches facts

[@unicorntwinkles]

Me too

[@nevinferry1884]

same here

[@UFO4X]

I rode through all these tunnels every summer with my parents, traveling from New Jersey to Ohio from 1964-1968. I remember Sideling Hill the most! Brings back lots of memories! I always wanted to go out to Pennsylvania and explore them, but never did! I first got that idea from seeing information and pictures of the abandoned tunnels on a website. Cool stuff! You guys are brave! Thanks!

[@bigdaddydaddy3203]

Amazing u remember when they were in operation thank u for sharing your story

[@UFO4X]

@@bigdaddydaddy3203 Your welcome!

[@m.anthonyc.8761]

That loose super sketch rusted stairway clearly does not look safe whatsoever to use and about 98% of exploring channels would say "Yeah, thats definitely not safe.....we're not going up there" **Mobile Instinct: "Hold my Camera"** Me: Subbed

[@thickgirlsneedlove2190]

It's still safe enough

[@RepresentWV]

There's a trail that goes in the grass up the side to the same place. No need to use those stairs lol.

[@Blox117]

and the ones that do go up it and it collapses you never hear from them again

[@davidschwartz5127]

I've driven thru those tunnels 100's of times in the '60s they were really to narrow for 2 cars and very treacherous. At one end the road would be dry pavement when you entered them however you came out another end you could be in the midst of a completely different weather pattern. In winter 1967-1968, there was a whiteout snowstorm on the eastern end with cars and semi are piled up all over the place, there was no warning of what you were driving into. I know because it happened to me personally. God, must have driven my car for me because it was impossible to make thru but I did without a scratch on me or my friend and car without a mark on it. Thank you, God!

[@Janggut40]

God bless you. Thank you for sharing your genuine experience.

[@bigdaddydaddy3203]

Amazing story thank u I couldn’t stop reading ur comment and imagining what it must have been like

[@cellini051]

This is so cool! I'm from PA and my grandfather went on a road trip across the US when he was 16 with some of his family back in 1949. He just passed away last year and I now have all of the photos they took on the road trip. They took pictures of these tunnels!

[@shanenice5380]

Is that closed to Pittsburgh

[@pushingprimitives]

This is the first urban exploration channel that has ... 1. Good camera work. 2. Good editing. 3. A well researched commentary. Great work sir. Keep it up.

[@brownbear1657]

this one is great but dan bell is really good too

[@sonastylol]

Hey, checkout Broken Window Theory and Bros of Decay, pretty sure you might like them too, if you like the Proper People

[@Death17912]

You obviously must not know The Proper People then lol

[@DonSMDT]

clearly you haven't watched Dan Bell

[@cydryan8108]

Check out Exploring With Josh !

[@simonjohnhinton1938]

Life after mankind. That road is a perfect example of how nature gradually takes over when things are neglected.

[@josedelbosque3086]

Calmo Omlac imagine after 200 years of neglect

[@ednaperhach2769]

When I was little I remember my Dad would always beep the horn on the car and it would echo so cool , we do this now with our grand kids , good times remembered and it's still free to do . Beep Beep . 🇺🇸💕✌️

Fascinating. I lived in that part of the country when I was a kid. I've probably been through those tunnels when they were part of the Pa. Turnpike 100 times, in a '52 Studebaker and a '55 Olds when they were both new cars.

[@frisbe9279]

I took a big ole mean nasty shit

[@jacobzebroski6913]

Wow

@@frisbe9279 No...you ARE a big ole mean nasty shit. There's a difference.

[@reflection7655]

fastold carz no u

[@pennsyltuckyden9823]

Surprised you didn't run into anyone hangin out

[@okaykait]

I'm from that area. The only thing you'd find in there are some druggies.😂

[@Usafpararescue96]

@@okaykait is it not safe?

[@okaykait]

@@Usafpararescue96 It's pretty safe, this area is a bit shady though. We tend to have a lot of drug issues over anything else.

[@Supmouseman]

Dennis GasparZ why are you surprised? You don’t get out much

[@pennsyltuckyden9823]

@@Supmouseman You are correct I do not

[@JOYOUSONEX]

During the 1950's our family would travel the PA Turnpike to visit relatives in New Jersey. Going through these tunnels was the highlight of our trip. "Are we there yet" was the constant refrain of my brother, sister and I. We were very young !! I remember Sidling Hill tunnel but not the Rays Hill tunnel. We got on the turnpike at Breezewood. Those were better days my friends. Excellent video.

[@aone6540]

My family too traveled the PA Turnpike in the 50's to and from Atlantic City ,NJ every summer. The tunnels were two way, dark, filled with diesel fumes and had Orange lights all along the ceiling, similar to fog lights. The roar of the oncoming big rigs was enough to scare a little guy like me, then, I would hide in the back seat of the Buick. The remaining upgraded tunnels are all one way, lined with white ceramic bricks and well lit. To experience what it was like today, you would have to walk into the Hoosac Rail tunnel and wait for a freight train to pass by. That's illegal and I don't recommend doing it.

[@jacktaylor1030]

My family used the Turnpike from the 50's to early 60's to visit our Aunt & Uncle, plus Cousin's in Philly. The car was packed with 4 screaming kids and our parents were crazy back then. We always stopped at the HOJO Rest Areas, and us kids had a ritual of ordering those lousy Fried Clams, Yummy. It was always the highlight of our trip going through all those tunnels. 18 wheeler's back then were dirty, smoke belching, roaring sound machines, that loved to tailgate back then. This Vlog brings back such great memories of our families early travels. I can understand the reason for having to bypass them, what a shame they just left them to fall apart over time.

[@billymccormick2549]

Those big things are turbines or generators for the electrical are they not?

[@MendTheWorld]

Billy McCormick They're fans.... same design as in your forced air furnace at home. They move lots of air, very efficiently!

[@billymccormick2549]

@@MendTheWorld thanks man!! I explore up here in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario, Canada. It's mostly structures from the 1800s. Not much like that stuff I watch online. But there is some good stuff out west and further north. Abandoned Icelandic "slave drive" camp on the Burnt River where they were all forced into these tiny wooden basically outhouses and they all ended up with one of those plague like diseases and the white men locked them all in there to slowly die. It's a spiritual sight and a lot of energy is there. There is a lot of caves underground and a lot of Quartz which is said to have "recording" properties. It holds info. Alot of mines and stuff and caves where tragedy occurs you can see "ghost" like apparitions that are basically stuck on a time loop as if they've died without realising it but it's almost like a recorded hologram of a spirit rather than an entity you could potentially interact with. Anyways. Going by your name you are probably into stuff like that as well? Ley lines, "visitors" paranormal, world health for people plants and animals AND environment. It's all intertwined. Sorry man. We did some psychedelics last night and meditated out on the abandoned rail bed at the swamp where my very straight up no bulls hot grandfather told me of his ufo encounter back when the swamp was a tiny lake he used to fish. We had some interesting results with some really curious sounds coming from the woods across the way and had some lights about 15 to 20 feet off the ground, the size of a flashlight glow but moving FAST. It was unmanned. But no telepathic connections. Laughter took over when we started guessing what it was. There's also a "ghost train" that comes at night it's a bright light that's constantly coming at you but never gets to you. You can't hear it but the air get electric when that light appears on the tracks.

[@brherden]

I'm a native New Yorker. My dad was a German immigrant and my mom was from Eastern Kansas. They met during the war when dad was training in Western Kansas with B-29's before going overseas. Every summer we would make this pilgrimage from New York to Kansas City where we mom's family was. Born in 1952 and making my first trip west at the age of three I would say I passed thru these two tunnels anywhere's from 10 to 14 times before the road was rerouted. We usually took out in the evening and dad would drive through the first night. We would hit the tunnels in the middle of the night and both my sister end me wanted to be woken up in advance for the "big deal" of going through the tunnel. Thanks for the trip down memory lane guys, really brought a smile to my face!

[@JeffMorrisonAdventures]

I'm a native pennsylvanian and Penn state alumnus, how have I never known something this exciting was right in my own back yard. I passed by it on my way to state college a hundred times.

[@CDsCycleandATVShop]

The fans you see are Supply Air Fans which pressurize the tunnel therefor removing all exhaust fumes out each end of the tunnel. Just by looking at the size of the fans I would estimate the Air volume to be 250,000 - 300,000 CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) each. Cool video guys.

[@egoequus6263]

I would have assumed the fans would be configured to create a vacuum since the smoke would naturally want to rise anyway. However, the impellers appear to be configured to blow into the tunnel as you say. In this setup, the bad air would blow out the entrances and then rise right back into the fan intakes. Seems not ideal to me, but I'm just guessing.

[@CDsCycleandATVShop]

The design intent is to keep the Co2 levels below either 1200 ppm or 1500 ppm. It's been a while since I have set up a tunnel, their may even be stricter regulations now. So basically the polluted air within the tunnel only has to be diluted enough to fall within the specifications.

[@egoequus6263]

CDs Cylcle & ATV Shop , yes, I would agree that a positive pressure setup would do that better. I am still amazed such a setup was engineered in the 19th century. In a decade, we may not even need such extensive ventilation.

[@bolter99]

They are likely for Smoke vent

[@travlnman55]

These tunnels were originally built for the railroad. At the time of their construction, the railroads all used steam locomotives. On a long tunnel such as this, removing the smoke was an absolute necessity. Many long tunnels would have vertical air shafts in the middle of the tunnel for additional ventilation. This was important because without forced ventilation, smoke from the locomotives would just hang in the tunnel reducing visibility to zero, not to mention choking the people on the trains.

[@ghosty426]

Fortunately you didn't run into any Pennsylvania Dogman or Sasquatch. Bears could be a problem too.

[@syndromesauce5837]

ghosty426 you watch callmecarson dont you

[@shipwreck6321]

I live in pa I've never heard of dogman tho

[@dawnramsey7164]

Omg...i was thinking the EXACT same thing...

[@electric_hunter7262]

Hes lucky he didnt come in contact with a new yorker

[@hollowhoagie6441]

@@electric_hunter7262 I say he's even more lucky he didn't come in contact with a person from new Jersey (wtf do you call them, new Jersians?)

[@maryellenherr777]

Thanks for coming to PA!! It's about time someone cared enough to check us out!!

[@austinhock4]

For anyone now watching this, the turbines actually do spin very easily it’s pretty cool, and as you can see they went up some dangerous steps but if they were to walk up and around the back of the tunnel on the outside then they would have been met with a back entrance that is much safer. Fun place to explore if you’ve never been there.

[@leopoldsamsonite1750]

very cool. my father took me there as a kid to see this. he is gone now and i could not remember where this tunnel was. when i saw your vid it answered a lot. thank you

[@freedmski4037]

I love how there's people from pa in the comments saying how shit pa is lmao

[@bolio8610]

@@Hannah6621 It Really is, NEPA is ass

[@shipwreck6321]

Its the truth

[@shipwreck6321]

@@bolio8610 Unfortunately I live in NEPA

[@bolio8610]

@@shipwreck6321 Same ITS even worse when people associate my area with scranton

[@shipwreck6321]

@@bolio8610 Hazelton Scranton wilkesbare all those places I live in Dureya

[@davekeller1052]

Been in that tunnel and explored some of the generator room but there's no way I'd take those stairs!

[@aaronolsavsky3060]

Exactly! 79 year old steel stairs, nope! Go in thru the back.

[@wjrandonx]

Taking unnecessary risk... it'll bite him one day.

[@trevorlayhee4087]

In sidling hills tunnel there are no stairs on the one side just the railing. So we climbed those lol.

[@fragglerock5000]

@@wjrandonx does anyone know what was at the bottom of those missing stairs ?????

[@Saturnite]

@@aaronolsavsky3060 if it was constructed in 1881, that makes it 140 years old now like hell no lol

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

I remember those tunnels from the period of 1958 thru 1964, we lived west of them, and every trip east we passed through them.

[@ObliterateTyranny]

Same here. Traveled through them in the 60's from IL to NJ and then back every summer when I was a kid. These tunnels were the highlight of the trip.

[@brandaccount7124]

I remember as a kid doing the Turnpike trip every summer between Pittsburgh and Philly. I anxiously waited for the series of seven tunnels all on the western end. Tunnels really narrow and pitch black with only a line of 100 watt incandescent light bulbs down the center roof. So you really got a sense of what the concept of”light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train...” is about. Really stinky from diesel engined tractor trailers. That combined with both my parents chain smoking Camels and Chesterfield cigarettes with the windows shut due to the noise and smoke in the tunnels. Real memory including me getting car sick every trip from being cooped up in our Ford with the windows up!! My favorite was waiting for Kittatiny tunnel which was the longest one and I think Sidling was the shortest. Thanks guys. Nice video. Next go over towards Johnstown and do horseshoe curve. That’s a railroad track that curves so that the trains front and the caboose end snake around so you can see the caboose from the engineers seat in the front. Western PA is full of industrial era features like that. Real Americans!!

[@colettecunningham7079]

Sideling Hill is the longest tunnel, Rays Hill is the shortest.

[@brandaccount7124]

Colette Cunningham !! thanks, Colette ! So much for my memories from 8 yrs old!

[@colettecunningham7079]

No worries! I've been PTP tunnel fan since I was a little kid in the 60s. After entering each tunnel, we would roll down the windows, stick our heads out and yell "aaaahhhhh" at the top of our lungs. Good times!!!

[@codygranrud6212]

Thanks for sharing your story. I think I can taste the 2nd hand smoke and diesel.

[@maxboya]

Cody Granrud i was about to say the same thing man felt it in the heart. Definitely makes you hit home.

[@kameronappleby3103]

My friend is accually the one who broke the stairs he fell throught them😂🥴

[@ravilmashir5713]

Kameron Appleby where is it ? Can you send me adress

[@kameronappleby3103]

@@ravilmashir5713 just look up breezwood abandoned turnpike tunnels

[@toastie9938]

Was there yesterday. Someone put a ladder over top of the broken part of the stairs

[@nicholasfrischkorn7540]

Lmao

[@jeffmaggard3694]

Did he get hurt?

[@pmgelectronics]

I live in Reading, Pa and never knew that these tunnels even existed. 😮😮

[@desmondskinner9769]

Me too grew up in Glenside C Court! Only thing I knew about the mountains were the Mugota I might misspelled it

[@astrowind2873]

I discovered them just yesterday.

[@pmgelectronics]

Desmond Skinner Yes I’m familiar with Glenside my wife used to live there she grew up there as a matter fact

[@pmgelectronics]

Light Zing yes Pennsylvania is beautiful there’s a lot of undiscovered areas

[@jonathanfernandez5812]

I live in reading pa and I know a lot of beautiful spots behind the pagoda and along river road

[@deviantartguy0]

3:36 I bet when someone spray painted "MANTURD" on a wall in the middle of nowhere, they didn't expect anyone to appreciate their humor.

[@richardvargus7443]

Its a diss of whoever painted the shit that was there before them, i think....

[@FeelOfWartune]

yeh cus before smartphones - nobody had legs and eyes... why the fuck do you think it was written there - to NOT be seen?

[@tonymanfredi6844]

@Amy Mo 😆😅😆😅

[@520bert420]

@@tippymctippersonepsilon1634 the red one actually does say manturd you could see the lowercase d if you look carefully.

[@numbereightyseven]

@@FeelOfWartune dude calm down

[@danielevans8910]

This is such a great channel, it doesn’t have to have all caps, “EXPLORING HAUNTED TUNNEL PARKOUR ESCAPING POLICE!” It’s really simple and it has a nice piece of history.

[@perrydavis3612]

What the hell are you talkin about?

[@danielevans8910]

@@perrydavis3612 I don’t know what I’m talking about, Perry Davis. Maybe you should’ve asked me that three years ago when I made this comment.

[@brunobruno1152]

Funny, I recognized this place from the movie "the road" in a heartbeat! Saw the movie once years ago... It was a really intense film, guess the scene with this road got baked into my brain cells a bit more than expected 🤔

[@jj5697]

That the first I thought was it looked liked the tunnel in the movie the road too

[@cheekyuk7785]

Yes, I saw 'The Road' once years ago n it certain bits that stuck with me. The tunnel looked like to me when them cannibals come on that old truck and the man and boy hid in trees at the side so I googled and they did use this road in filming.

[@paulosborne6517]

Probably one of my favourite explores that you have done - apart from the 'hell no' moment walking along the wall over the tunnel mouth.

[@nerfninja661]

In a post apocalyptic or wrol situation a group of 25-30 of your armed friends could make this into a pretty kickass fortress or hideout

[@sdh4188]

Holy shit I was thinking about that the whole time

[@nerfninja661]

@@sdh4188 you will survive

[@sdh4188]

@@nerfninja661 hell yea

[@nerfninja661]

@@sdh4188 lets agree to meet at this place when shit goes down DO NOT SHOOT THE GUY IN THE CAMO HAT

[@sdh4188]

@@nerfninja661 alright hahaha DO NOT SHOOT THE GUY WEARING THE BLUE USHANKA

[@michaelhite1433]

The steps have gotten a lot worse since the last time I was there. They are fans. Behind the fans is the ventilation shaft above the tunnel.There is a third tunnel between Somerset and Donegal exits. The Turnpike Commission uses it for storage. Over north of Harrisburg, off I-81 is the Lofty Tunnel. It’s an abandoned railroad tunnel that you can drive a 4x4 thru.

[@Schnot]

Spent many nights of my misspent youth drinking around the fire in front of the lofty. Pretty cool so see someone else that knows about it lol

[@michaelhite1433]

Schnot I’ve never been there but I really want to see it.

[@michaelhite1433]

Commander Of Chaos I live in Altoona also. We found out about it when we lived in Bedford from a guy that worked at Fat Jimmy’s outdoors.

[@merc-ni7hy]

the lofty tunnel is kinda closed off now

[@whatyoumakeofit6635]

Commander Of Chaos ......i live in indiana. I work at an automotive proving grounds. We have in area for testing that we call "altoona". The area is a scaled down replica of a certification are in altoona pa. That the government uses to certify automotive vehicles.

[@pillowfolk1646]

What a well-spoken, soft-mannered man😂 keep up the good work homie!

[@essencewhisel4992]

I have been to these tunnels hundreds of times. We always walked them in pitch black. And one time a piece of concret fell out if the ceiling. Still really fun.

[@eharris6347]

The full 13 miles ?????

[@essencewhisel4992]

@@eharris6347 yeah not all at one time though

[@roxannemorse9244]

I wonder why all that metal has been left there to rust away when it should be recycled

[@essencewhisel4992]

@@roxannemorse9244 because Pennsylvania is a shit state.

[@WW2HistoryHunter]

That was just great to watch. Thanks for sharing and Greetings from WW2HistoryHunter.

[@hkrsescort]

I'm a subscriber to your channel. Yeah it would be an amazing place to explore

[@potatofry9259]

Greetings from America

[@blitzmakesunevenmm4323]

These two tunnels were part of the Americas first "Superhighway" which ran for over160 miles and completed in the mid 40s. The roadway has since been expanded to over 500 miles with over seven tunnels and was also known as the tunnel highway. As you have shown, there are only five tunnels now. I read about these facts while waiting in line at Hersey Park in Hersey, PA to ride a go-cart ride with classic cars. (Oddly enough, there was no mention, or the words, "Hersey Highway" posted anywhere.)

[@stevek8829]

It's Hershey Chad. What country are you from?

[@pointingdog7235]

🤣

[@twinkletoes6290]

On the running PA turnpike where you go through multiple of these tunnels, my friends and I would get too carried away in conversation or whatnot and miss the exit we were supposed to take. We’d always use the tunnels as a guide - you knew exactly how many tunnels you needed to go through to get to your exit. I can’t tell you how many times we’d be coming up on a tunnel and it would get real silent in the car and then “shit! We’re going into another tunnel, we missed our exit!” Which would mean we’d have to go to the next tunnel, exit, loop back around on to the turnpike (sometimes pulling a u-turn after leaving the toll station to hop right back on!) and have to go back through the tunnel and get off at the right exit. Anyone who’s familiar w the PA turnpike knows that’s a bitch when you do that, and we seemed to do it all the damn time! Ugh.

[@pictureit17]

They filmed a scene of The Road (2009) there. A scene for Defending Jacob was filmed there in December 2019.

[@zackmoore147]

Came looking for this comment 👍

[@timfennema7682]

To bad they don’t restore the area and make into biking/walking destination. Looks like a great place to go and enjoy nature.

[@vivik7853]

Tim Fennema just thought the same thing

[@kentlangham5811]

There have been rumors of that but I have not heard what the latest plan is. Last I heard the ( Pennsylvania Conservancy ? ) wanted to create a trail using that section of road.

[@FA-sr6lx]

I don't think that's a good idea

[@samanthamonaghan7579]

who would pay for it?

[@richardvargus7443]

Fuck that. Vandals need places like this to go spray so they arent always painting your 'nice' buildings

[@TheGruffchickJournal]

This is perhaps the first exploration video that sparked my intense fear of heights and ledges. Nice camerawork of some fascinating structures. Thanks for sharing!

[@spaceflight1019]

I remember going through all seven tunnels when I was a kid. Blue Mountain, Kittatinny, Sideling Hill, Ray's Hill, Allegheny Tunnel, Laurel Mountain, and Tuscarora Mountain. They were two lanes wide. Once you got past the bottleneck created by two lanes necking into one you got to drive through the dark, smoky tunnels with traffic speeding the other way mere inches apart. The speed limit was 65 mph then.

[@DozaCraft]

I may have missed something, and I'm sure there are dozens of roads like this, but this sure as hell looks like a place where they could film The Walking Dead

[@agentmueller]

The movie the road was filmed here!! The part when him and his son are sleeping in the abandoned car at the mouth of the tunnel, before the madmax truck of cannibals slowly drives out.. You can still see how they re painted the spot they were riding out of, (he mentions it in the video) and I wouldn’t be too shocked if TWD filmed somewhere here

[@DoYouLikeMyNameDude]

As a power engineer I can confidently say that those things are squirrel cage supply air fans. The wire mesh part is in air intake and the output would be ducted into the tunnel. I work at a hospital that has several fans if that size. The “top” is where the air comes into the facility. There is a mesh that covers the baffles as a sort of air filtration; there may have been a washable filter for each baffle section but since it was made in the 1940s I would say no. The fan blows the air into the dark hallway you walked along and the holes in the floor are where the air enters the tunnel. The odd looking room with the sharp corner and two doors is shaped like that to direct the air flow. I can guarantee if those fans were running/operational and you opened one of the two doors you would get a strong breeze blowing out and the door would have to be pushed kind of hard to open.

[@Silverado1st]

I was thinking if they got that gear reduction box to spin they could've broken the blades free ;-) I bet the oil in those boxes are still good, maybe 90 weight Im guessing.

[@gregg4164]

Yes those are the original ventilation fans. They always blow fresh air into a tunnel not try to draw the engine exhaust out.

[@journeywithjay]

gregg4164 thanks for that info bud

[@Heinz_Stresseinheimer]

Agreed I was looking for this comment as soon as he said it lol

[@nasaandtheesa5400]

Seems like a pretty legit place to film a post apocalyptic movie

[@themngreensteve3454]

The road was filmed there

[@1982HondaATC70]

This location was used in 2005 for the music video for the band Bloodhound Gang "Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo" with Bam Margera. It's on youtube for those interested.

[@brianlam257]

A tunnel that old should be protected as a historical site. It's a shame that it's just left to rot

[@ronaldschultenover8137]

It is not going anywhere

[@Gravetacular]

Great job guys! Dont let anyone down in the comments dissuade you from going anywhere, i think some people just really are debby downners and hate people who explore like you guys, but i support 100% and also i knew i remembered that tunnel and road from somewhere! (The Road) The exploration was great guys! Awesome vid! Keep up the great work!

[@journeywithjay]

SativaUser thanks much appreciated

[@devisgreat25]

lol i live 15 miles down the road...been playing in those tunnels since i was 10. you used to be able to get down in the sewer drains, sadly most of them collapsed.

[@ctsvblk]

What town is this in? Breezewood?

[@eagleviewhd]

We moved from Lancaster, PA to Parma, Ohio when I was six in 1954. Every summer my Mom would take us back to Lancaster, PA. We always were excited to go through the tunnels on the Pennsylvania turnpike!

[@Suenami89]

After being on the Pennsylvania turnpike for 6 hours today, it's interesting to learn about this piece of it's history!

[@renatomateo3921]

Suenami can you bringing me there's this coming Christmas ma.m

[@KevinSmith-qi5yn]

In a normal area, you would be out of the state and into freedom by then.

[@Suenami89]

Kevin Smith yeah i was giving a rough estimate. I came from just across the jersey border to go back home in ohio, so i pretty much went through the whole PA turnpike lol

[@cussmustard4748]

The top tunnel acted as a plenum for the ventilation. All of the small rectangular holes are the inlets. The round holes were the tunnel lighting and could be serviced from above. The top tunnel continuously becomes shorter to maintain even ventilation pressure as you walk deeper into it. And yes those two blowers were for the Ventilation

[@eforcedtel54]

Back in late 50's on vacation with parents, car had no AC closer you got to center of the tunnel the air temp was unbearable. Very little clearance side to side , speed was down 25 or 30mph ,vehicles and smoke for the diesel trucks buses was choking. I remember long back as we came out of tunnel the thick black black smole just pouring out that bid grill about the tunnel. Reminded me of the old steam locomotives pulling a long grade. Black smoke blocking sun light. I can't remember wasn't there two tunnels one for east and west, maybe not too long ago. It was scary even in back seat glad I wasn't driving. I'm sure our secondary gravel roads in Ohio were wider than those in the tunnel. Thanks for the reminded the horror thru the tunnels HI HI! Paul

[@pointingdog7235]

I was going to say that imagine being in one of those Tunnels in a traffic jam with the smoke from the trucks and busses. You need some way to be able to breath in them. My Father told me about driving trucks in the 50's on the PA Turnpike and the Tunnels were the scary part of the trip. I also remember how you had to get off of the Turnpike and use local roads to bypass the tunnels if you were towing a camper that had propane tanks.

[@Genericname443]

When doing this type of stuff use gloves you never know

[@USSCodpiece]

While yelling on the tracks, I totally expected to hear, "Winston" and then for a ghost train to come through, lol

[@chooch1995]

Wrong tunnel, go west about 500 miles, right?

[@ProfessorBoswell]

"The graffiti tells us that the tunnels were once populated by gay nazis"

[@hughjorgan1000]

LMFAO!! Great observation, DFReeZe! I was trying to think of what that actually was!

[@JohnnyBGood11]

It's funny you know this.

[@KaptainKerl]

"eat ass" that was funny

[@slabbinonspokezz2375]

@Marc Hauser why are you offended? Its obvious youre one 😆

[@gideondavid7980]

DFReeZe graffiti comes from the street not from gay natzis

[@aaronisgrate]

One of these tunnels along the abandoned section (Laurel Hill i think) is used by Chip Ganassi racing as a fully enclosed rolling wind tunnel for testing race car aerodynamics, its a one of a kind test tunnel now, and was pretty secret till it was found by hikers. Chip Ganassi racing still wont really talk about it much. No one really knows if CGR owns it or leases it from PA. They enclosed the tunnel at both ends, repaved it, added climate control and sensors on the walls, and built turntables to turn the cars around at each end. The cars blast down the tunnel at a constant speed then after a point the coast down to a stop the rest of the way.

[@richo2765]

That's Bullshit right?

[@tavi9598]

Laurel Hill Tunnel, unlike these two, is policed heavily. No way to sneak in unseen. It's entirely possible that it's been used as a wind tunnel for racing, although it's more likely that it's used for the same purpose as the Memorial Tunnel in West Virginia; urban environment training for soldiers and first responders.

[@aaronisgrate]

@@tavi9598 it's not "entirely possible" it IS used a wind tunnel, chip ganassi said it himself, so did Ben Bowley the person who came up with the idea

[@aaronisgrate]

@The Joe Schmoe Show Ganassi. it was Ben Bowleys idea, Bowley designed the Deltawing

[@brandonharris9237]

@@richo2765 no that's very true. It's a well known "secret"

[@aliasdyln33]

Watching this was more entertaining than I expected from the start. And my reading of the below post of comments was even MORE fun.

[@rebekahjohnson5940]

I keep seeing some of my former classmates visiting these areas and posting to Instagram and I was wondering where it was. Cool! Thank you

[@chrischrispypiceynskicritt3164]

Nice vid bro. Thanks for the adventure. Been a while since you've uploaded last. I've been wondering when you might be back with more videos. But I'm glad you are and can't wait til the next one. Until next time...…..PEACE!

[@GilbertNichols]

Those tunnels would make great shelter. Imagine someone building miniature homes inside the tunnels with stores and shops for selling crafts and goods and inviting the general public with festivals. Shuttles could take people from tunnel to tunnel. It could become a small village!

[@roadmaster720]

another crackpot nut and berry rock fucker wants a story book town in the tunnels to fleece the tourists. get real,man.

[@hardwurkindaddy]

Fallout New PA? 😅

[@roadmaster720]

fallout, new pa ++++ the tunnel might be good for a fallout shelter if it didn't collapse from the nuclear bomb shock wave. but a storybook town, no freaking way.

[@roadmaster720]

dee star love your comment. bag-o-dicks LMAO

[@Nekminute]

Gilbert Nichols what goods would they sell you ? Urine and feces ?

[@NuKnightRider]

I’m surprised no one went “RIIIIIICOLLAAAAAAA” or “You’ll float too!”

[@Theartsymuslimah175]

Right

[@jaysan6908]

Is that from it?

[@NuKnightRider]

jay san Yes

[@morganmeagan8577]

I would totally yell Ricola, lol.

[@kennethmatteson6022]

You're 100% correct. My grandfather worked on building the tunnels

[@Leimyda]

I just thought to myself yesterday, well the last video is around a month old so a new one should soon pop up and here it is! I always admire how many facts you share on each of your journeys. Good thing about humanity leaving these abandoned structures around for explorers and I wonder what future generations would think about such places in the far future, on the other hand it's a shame to think that we build stuff and then change our mind and go build somewhere else, people should consider that what we leave behind affects the nature itself.

[@nickburchfield329]

Some one sing the halo song in there

[@BowYangJam]

Nick Burchfield I’ve done it. Doesn’t resonate quite as well as you’d think. You can harmonize with yourself but only for a brief second.

[@deeda1972]

Bet

[@nestry7427]

My cousin did lol

[@weareworkingonit]

Perfect bum house. If i where a bum i would make that my crib.

[@Dellabobella]

Food? Water? Its a good shelter but too far from resources that are necessary to sustain life

[@MatGeeZ]

Grubhub.

[@georgebunce749]

@@Dellabobella Actually it's about a mile from Breezewood where there's plenty of food and panhandling is commonly seen.

[@monicap1717]

Looks like thers plenty of H2O!!!

[@tonywhite5085]

Really this is in breezwood i thought they were gana build another highway but never thought it was abandoned

[@tompratz4848]

Life long Pa man, I sure hope you had a weapon. Lots of dangerous critters here.. some on FOUR legs

[@justinmartin5877]

Oh jeebus!

[@rwilson9574]

Never would have thought tunnels were so intricate. Smooth camera work. You made it interesting with the back stories

[@rwilson9574]

Jays bike is too small for him he looks uncomfortable

[@edwardicus4]

...but most are on two..

[@ChocolateMilkMonster]

Those giant wheels(actually called Impellers) are indeed for ventilation for the tunnel. from my guess, they would be used to blow fresh air in rather then suck air out. from what I saw in the video the room with the wheels didn't have any ceiling fans to blow the extracted air outside, so if it were to suck air from the tunnels the fumes from the cars would just stay in the same room and that would be bad for obvious reasons. That's why my guess is that they actually blow air into the tunnels.

[@turbo2ltr]

Yup. My guess is it blew into that chamber above the tunnel with the rail in it and the holes weren't for lights but that's where the air entered into the tunnel.. This would continuously push the fumes out the ends of the tunnels. Really cool video!

[@cardinaloflannagancr8929]

They may have been able to draw air out as well but i'm not sure if that was possible or bothered with back when created. I know now tunnels are normally able to draw air in, out or the vent's close. Depending on normal conditions or say a fire where extra oxygen is not good. So you'd either want to draw smoke fumes out or simply not feed it.

[@turbo2ltr]

That makes sense to be able to draw smoke out. Though I'm pretty sure, in this case, the squirrel cage design only really works one way as it uses centripetal force to suck the air in the center of the cage, but I might be wrong. I just can't believe these were built in the late 1800s.

[@clementclarisseclemen3d708]

Ellis Dee it's not the motor (see the size of shaft) it's just a sensor (maybe speed or heat (heat generation is often a lack of lubrication (which lead to misalignment and destruction of the fan))). Then, if it was sucking fans, the room will be black coated due to carbon particles in exhaust gases.

[@MikePowlas]

You are right they blow into the place. If you look inside of an HVAC air handler you will see the same thing on a smaller scale. It is called a squirrel cage

[@deltaechoomega]

Looks like a scene right out of the Walking Dead at the beginning of the video.

[@chocloditelensman]

deltaechoomega you aren’t kidding.

[@noobeenaut]

I wouldnt be surprised if they actually did film some scenes here

[@cheekyuk7785]

@@noobeenaut I'm sure the the depressing apocalyptic film 'The road' was filmed here.

[@JK-cz6bu]

6:55 I never expected to see a painting of my old boss but they truly captured his likeness.

[@corn620]

i remember traveling through the skinny tunnels in 1958.

[@trulyinfamous]

I'd definitely record some music in that upper railway section. Bring some instruments to take advantage of that epic reverb. Singing would sound great in there.

[@punkbanjobob]

Lol found the musician. Not gonna lie though I had the same thought

[@neweraccount5615]

Truly Infamous you know I was thinking perfect sound FX studio , scrape some metal together and such

[@revolutronic]

the whole thing is a perfect place for a sample library! epic neverending verb without getting dirty: soundtoys little plate

[@neweraccount5615]

revolutronic NO, NO ITS NOT

[@Inertia888]

@Truly Infamous... for sure, my man! I would be up there with a pan flute and some hand drums all night long!

[@dewaynestewart8400]

Well it looks like you have just earned yourself a new subscriber pal. Awesome video Chris. I really love when explorers do the really old stuff. Considering this was constructed in the late 1800's, its an A++ in my book. And I thought that you were gonna chicken out on the sketchy stairs, like most explorers do, but you didn't!!! Great job my friend. Please keep the awesome videos coming. Thanks

[@covemallard]

Thanks for keeping our history alive!!🇺🇸

[@ashtondoublet8334]

14:06 "Tunnel Snakes Rule" Ahh yes I have found another remnant of the gang

[@lazarussolomon3541]

Where?

[@ashtondoublet8334]

@@lazarussolomon3541 on the right side of the screen and it is facing side ways just below the green and pink spray paint

[@MrFusion]

Every few years I go to a family reunion near Breezewood, and I've always wanted to visit these tunnels. This video definitely makes me want to visit them now. Cool vid.

[@fredseibel8281]

Yes those are the exhaust fans, I work for a company that services tunnels and they are very interesting.

[@gabrieltalaricomusic]

I never actually knew there was an abandoned part of it. Considering I live in central PA and have been on the turnpike over a million times

[@boysuppafresh]

I lived in pgh all my life and never heard of this. Absolutely crazy.

[@ctsvblk]

Probably because this is 3 hours away from Pittsburgh

[@boysuppafresh]

@@ctsvblk that doesnt mean shit u clown theres places outside of pgh 3 hrs away that I know of. If someone makes a comment saying they never heard seen something, explaing why YOU think they never heard of it is irrelevant. Had I of wanted to know why I hadn't heard of it, I would've asked u clown lmaoo go be bored somewhere else

[@tmntforever2684]

Wow Chris I thought it was just a tunnel but so many rooms to explore an awesome find and well done for making it up those dogey stairs!

[@justinsweeney643]

I guess that would make it anti click bait.

[@Thronnos]

You see and this is why I hate going up stairs like that especially stairs that don't have the back. It's only been like 30 years and they're already gone.

[@rachelteasley5044]

Your you

[@ltmundy5859]

TMNT FOREVER: In the post war/pre interstate days, each tunnel was staffed with safety/maintenance crews. Turnpike tunnels were only single bore, so any breakdowns/accidents could shut the pike down for a considerable stretch. With no practical detours in the intermountain zone, especially during poor weather conditions, getting the road open was the priority.

[@lindalee7322]

I appreciate you guys doing research and providing history on these places.

[@BryBurger]

Yes! It is great when little tidbits of history about the places explored are mentioned.

[@paulcajkasr9600]

I think I rode through those tunnels a few times when I was much younger. One of the longer abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnels has also been used as a racing car wind testing tunnel.

[@howardcitizen2471]

Laurel Mountain, between Donegal and Somerset

[@toniesedrick691]

This is my home state. You young men be careful, and thank you for this.

[@paradoxfossils]

It's amazing how we once built things to last then those get abandoned. The newer construction much like rds etc have gone the way of the bean counters in the auto industry making things that have a limited life span engineered to fall apart at a certain moment in time, to Insure the need to replace..or repair continuously...

[@baneofbanes]

ParadoxFossils Ancient Beanz You realize most of the shit we’ve built throughout history has rotted away yes?

[@paradoxfossils]

@@baneofbanes except the ones that was built to last and did not get defaced destroyed by war and radicals.

[@baneofbanes]

ParadoxFossils Ancient Beanz And such structures where the rare exceptions of their days. It’s called survivorship bias.

[@baneofbanes]

David Lulham What?

[@cloudyaperture4910]

"YAY NAZI ZOMBIES" Lol, what a strange thing to tag on a wall.

[@larrypound5247]

I know what you mean ......geez its Pennsylvania definitely no zombies.....lol

[@kasondrabodden4558]

I’ve walked that tunnel, crazy how the temperature changes! The steps are sadly destroyed now.

[@charlesc.parker1164]

Most amazing is all of this was done with something besides computer power. Lots of BRAIN power. Can you imagine how difficult this would be ? A totally different generation that didn't know the word , CAN'T. Another outstanding video. Thanks , Craig

[@-dcoogan-]

I would've been in that echoing tunnel for, at least, 3hrs. The echoes sounded amazing.

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

These tunnels were actually used by migrant working during the late 1980s and early 1990s. They would use the chambers to record bootleg cassette tapes of artists such as MC Hammer, Bryan Adams and C & C Music Factory. The tunnels provided a great place to hide from the copyright police and the chambers provided excellent acoustics. With the advent of high-speed dubbing several workers were laid off. Some of the workers had a grudge and turned the tunnel cassette operation into the feds. The place was raided in the mid 90s and almost everything was removed as evidence. These chambers used to be filled with cassette decks and duplication machines, turn tables, 8-track recorders and even CD players as they added them not long before they got busted. The equipment was held by the feds until the early 00s where it was put into storage at an undisclosed location. The owner of this location passed away in 2009 and the building was re purposed from a storage facility into something else. The new owner had no interest in this equipment and was going to trash it all. A local magnetic media enthusiast talked him into donating all the equipment to goodwill so people that collected or still used such devices could have them. He explained this equipment could still have a long useful life with someone instead of being used in a land fill. Truck loads were taking to the local goodwill for donations. Knowing that the local market would be flooded and they would have to ask lower prices they divided all the equipment up among goodwills across the Midwest, North and Southern states. To this day you can still find equipment for this heist at goodwill. Sorry for the long comment but I thought you'd be interested to know a little tidbit and history about this tunnel!

[@evanmartz180]

Wow.... I have stories that I can't make up as well, They are well and true. So I'm being honest when I say I believe you bc who has time to make it up? Also I was in early 90s rave scene. We threw one in an abandoned mall. It was epic till cops came through the windows. I'm not kidding.

[@spaceghost8995]

I believe everything some asshole writes on the internet.

[@juanfernandez305]

The story was better than the tunnel.

[@bishophenderson5095]

Lol

[@acsone3546]

im confused if they were just bootlegging why would the acoustics matter wouldnt that make the song totally different

[@LilSicily80]

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always wanted to travel around the states, and do the same exact thing that your doing. There’s nothing like hiking and exploring historical sites. If you ever come back to Richmond V.A, let me know cause I would LOVE to tag along!!!!

[@BurtBowers]

Remember my parents driving through these turnpikes as a kid brings back good old memories.

[@theone2be33]

Good to see you again. Please be careful walking on ledges and rusty stairs! You were giving me anxiety attacks.

[@toughmanrandysavage3077]

Man that would suck if somebody was exploring at night and fell through that hole In the floor.

[@cvdixon29]

lol

[@Littlemsambitious]

TOUGH MAN RANDY SAVAGE I was thinking that very same thing.

[@markmotter7060]

It's always night inside the tunnels

[@billt2520]

These are fans that remove the air from both sides of the tunnel, control room is where you could look out and see the roadway, tunnel guards we posted on the second floor on both sides. Retired Turnpike employee here.

[@chadliggett7988]

Mobile Instinct AWESOME Video Brother! Thank you! I LOVE IT!

[@technicholls]

Love your videos. Please continue. 43,000 fans can't be wrong!

[@lindalee7322]

This was really cool. You scaring yourself with your shadow was a hoot!

[@ccohen8076]

I’m only working four hour shifts this summer I really want to explore these one day.

[@georgesealy4706]

I actually rode through this tunnel and the others in a car when it was operational. One of the big problems with the tunnels is that they could only allow one lane in each direction. The PA Tpk was four lanes at the time, so the traffic would back up for quite a distance especially on holiday weekends. The tunnels were very narrow and the medium strip between the two lanes was very minimal.