Pittsburgh Airport Parkway construction 1949

The construction of the Pittsburgh Airport in Moon Twp. in the 1940s necessitated the building of a new road to get people from Pittsburgh out to, what was then, the hinterlands of western Allegheny County in Moon Twp. as the existing local roads could never handle the traffic, as this video shows.
3:30 shows Cliff Mine Road
8:30 shows bits of Montour Run Road

[@TimeTravelWithTim]

See more historic videos of Allegheny County and the Pittsburgh area on the Time Travel With Tim channel: kzbin.info/door/0t3xdSJ5UAlIyy0ViFw8Ngvideos

[@rayinpau.s.a.6351]

Hi Tim , I am old enough to remember coming down the Parkway from Pittsburgh and from Route 30 on it was all woods except White Swan Park to the old Airport where I worked . there were no stores or buildings and no street lights !

[@andrewfyakim525]

Very nice! This videos was a lot of work for you; it is much-appreciated. I've driven these roads many times back in the 1960's-1970's (then I moved south)... I miss Pittsburgh....

[@hugostiglitz8465]

Excellent video..thank you very much for sharing this great information..well done.

[@keithgrgurich3883]

Great job Tim! I was told that I learned to drive on this stretch of road heading toward the airport just after it opened and before any traffic. My Dad had me sitting on his lap and allowed me to steer the car when only 4 or 5! Although I don't remember, the story was always great to hear....

[@TimeTravelWithTim]

Thanks, Keith! GREAT story about about you and your Dad. What kind of car do you think that was?

[@atropineman3541]

Great video. Worked at PAM before the explosion of Mall/NF. Surprised by traffic to an otherwise ignored area of town (western suburbs).. It was as if these stores opened and thousands of people decided to show up just to see.

[@petestephen4922]

I have been on those roads a thousand times since the mid 1970s. Thanks for a fun trip on your "Way Back Machine". Excellent video. I really like your editing and your production. Great soundtrack too.

[@dgrombach1]

Still have to go on Cliff Mine to see parents at Resurection cemetery. Also had to go to Air National Guard’s that way. Glad to see Schmidt’s restaurant. Great fish.

[@michaelirr8239]

I remember traveling several times towards the airport along the newly completed parkway around 1954-56 and there was a Dairy Queen (or similar shop) right about where Ikea is now but just off the road. You could enter their parking lot directly from the parkway, i.e., it was not yet limited access. I don't know how long it was like that before the Dairy Queen was closed and the road became limited access. Don't remember any other businesses along there.

[@curtOphoto]

Great video Tim. Been on these roads so many times, it's great to see the history of them.

[@needsaride15126]

Fantastic travel back in time. Those old vintage photographs that you use are wonderful. i have family members that worked on the building of the original airport. The Fort Pitt tunnels and the new midfield terminal. Thank you Tim for the great video.

[@scottyingling5042]

Wow, I'm 57 and I grew up driving the roads in this video, before there was much development but this was great to watch and see what the roads were like back when my dad and granddad drove on them. Fantastic production, excellent soundtrack. Now I have to watch all your other videos Tim!

[@soujourne]

I love your videos! The music choices, the editing, the trip back to the past . Thanks tons :)

[@brianm3111]

This is awesome! Nice job!

[@billkammermeier]

Tim you are a treasure to our community. Thanks for this channel and all the work you do for the Montour Trail as well.

[@TimeTravelWithTim]

Thank you, Bill!

[@jeffwilson7190]

Great work as always, Tim. Thanks for the history lesson.

[@keithgrgurich3883]

Tim thanks. Pretty sure it was a 1950/51 Chevrolet. I recall that car was black. We bought a new dark green Chevy in 1953, but I think this happened right around 52 or early 53 before the dark green car.

[@user-tf2ru7oz6w]

I'm sure the Parkway West did make it easier to get to an from the airport but we need what may other cities have: a direct transit line from Downtown to the airport. There is still the problem of traffic on the parkway that could delay someone trying to get a flight somewhere. So maybe there could either be a light transit line or a busway that could start at Station Square and go out west to the airport without traffic. I;m sure there are some abandoned railroad right of ways that go out there from the coal mines and steel mills. It's something the County snd PRT should look into. The X-Bus is nice but rush hour traffic can still cause delays.

[@camphill]

Great video! Love the transitions too.

[@HerminiePA]

I didn't see the road to the airport in the 1960s. I think it was called Route 60, and then it merged into Steubenville Pike going to Crafton. It was pretty much a straight shot on Hwy 60 after you left the airport parking lot. I don't know when the later road that circled the new terminal was built.

[@hugostiglitz8465]

The new terminal/road was completed in 92 or 93.

[@harrymcmackin9280]

Around the 6 minute mark you see steel cables between wooden posts. I slid on ice in 1968 and ran into one of these cables. It did almost no damage at all to my VW. Now they have all been replaced by (rigid) metal guard rails. I hope never to run into one of those.

[@adventureswithfarmertroy]

Good stuff Tim, but I hope the Talking Heads don't mute your video … ?!?! Cheers!

[@TimeTravelWithTim]

It was banned in New Zealand because of Locomotive Breath! Imagine... BANNED IN NEW ZEALAND!!! Those people will never have the great joy of watching this video...

[@adventureswithfarmertroy]

@@TimeTravelWithTim HaHa … 😎... and here I thought Ian Anderson would be cooler than David Byrne … I guess not … 🤷‍♂️