CONSTRUCTION OF THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE 77994MD

[@robbflynn4325]

Driven along the Turnpike hundreds of times and seeing documentaries like this give me a deep appreciation of just how much work went into it and what a fantastic job these men did.

[@bobhostetler8548]

Having worked on mining in both coal and limestone I can appreciate this process, am also thinking of a time when Americans were proud to be Americans.

[@gregd3551]

160 miles in less than 2 years!!! Amazing. They can't finish 1 mile in that time these days. The precision and speed is amazing. No PPE used at all back then. Men were men and they knew which restroom to use.

[@pauldietrich6790]

Restroom? huh? there's a tree there...and bushes over there...

[@georgeharleydavidsonrider156]

Greg D Days like this are gone forever.

[@randyt3558]

okay boomer....

[@gregd3551]

@@randyt3558 OK, stupid. Seems you young idiots can't even be bothered to use capitalization and punctuation. Stick your "smart" phone up your ass.

[@andyrob3259]

@@randyt3558 any other cliches you’ve read on social media Millennial Whiner?

[@ericaswensonelliott]

Thank you for sharing this- my GGUncle was “Tommy John” Thomas J Evans- one of the turnpike commissioners listed at the front of this film. It is so cool to see how they actually made it back then- amazing abilities! 🙏 he was from coal mining background, the blasting they did…

[@mitchelldakelman7006]

Many years ago I did a film program near Jim Thorpe and a number of people I met there, as I had co-written a book about the book knew Mr. Evans, who was a Turnpike commissioner for many years, I was told he got jobs for many people who needed work.

[@Bigbacon]

probably the last time the surface of the turnpike looked that good and was smooth.

[@mitchdakelman4470]

The original 160 miles did not hold up well. By 1954 21 miles had to be repaved and by 1962 the entire original turnpike had been blacktopped. Beginning circa 1995 sections were rebuilt with new pavement, parts concrete and most, asphalt.

[@mitchdakelman4470]

MP 102-109 started getting a total rebuild last week, including 2 curves which are being straightened through modern engineering.

[@nyccollin]

@@mitchdakelman4470Is that area better now? I’ve driven the turnpike about 15 times over the years, but not in the past 6 years until last week. Seems like it’s been improved upon quite a bit.

[@mitchelldakelman7006]

Much of the original Turnpike has been rebuilt, by removing the original pavement, and laying new pavement down. Very few of the original bridges exist although several have been restored on sections that have been untouched, but when a section is now rebuilt, the character of the original Turnpike is going away, so this is why I co-authored two books, and collect photos and films like the one you see here. One other complaint: they've made the tolls increasingly expensive as much of the toll money went to non-turnpike projects.

[@nyccollin]

@@mitchelldakelman7006Sounds like you know quite a bit about the turnpike! I currently live in the Midwest but I just got back from a roadtrip to NYC. Correct me if I’m wrong, but are the tolls cheaper when you’re westbound on the turnpike?

[@binko969]

Many materials testing and inspection procedures used back then are still used today. Slump tests and cylinder/beam molding of concrete, sieve analysis of aggregate to determine %age of each size stone in said aggregate, the water and burlap curing of concrete. Great post thanks!

[@drlong08]

The aerial shot @0:34 is just crazy. Imagine this pristine concrete ribbon of road going on to the horizon!

[@mikeb2496]

Thank you for sharing....my great grandfather and great uncle both worked on this project. One was a laborer and one was a land surveyor. Very much enjoyed. 👏👏👍

[@farmcentralohio]

I've watched this video before and just randomly reading comments, now I can't help but wonder if one of your relatives was captured on this film lol

[@Yeastherder]

This was quite an engineering accomplishment at the time. 160 miles in two years! It took VDOT 2 years to widen a 5 mile section of I64 from 2 to 3 lanes.

[@oldman975]

I’m from Williamsburg and I know what you’re talking about. What I really liked was the excuse of a prehistoric riverbed being a big reason for the delays. A prehistoric riverbed that somehow escaped notice when the road was built in the first place. And today we still suffer with a widening project that’s taking longer than the original construction from Richmond to Hampton Roads.

[@williambranham6249]

Yes, we have a similar issue here in NC. At one time we were called the good roads state. I ca't say our roads are bad, it really is a relative thing, but the state enjoys expanding our interstates without regard to the existing roads. It is obvious to me that new road contracts are bought from our representatives. Our town is divided by I 40/85. Over 4 years ago a new bridge over the interstate along wiith a 5 mile bypass from the interstate to north side of town. I don't think it will be used as much as projected. It is not finished;. maybe more than a year from now. I went to city council and proposed a city name change to Barreltown. We have 2 more exits off I40 . In my opinion the state should have used the first exit so the 18 wheelers could use the existing truck stops. Then they would have access to the industial parks close by. Now they are right in the middle of city traffic.

[@jamaljude4084]

You prolly dont care but does someone know of a tool to get back into an instagram account?? I stupidly lost my password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me

[@jazielaugustine8139]

@Jamal Jude instablaster :)

[@birb2581]

Because back then we didn't have lazy Mexicans managing our infrastructure

[@shwt121]

This is truely a wonderful trip back in time; a simpler more enjoyable time for my family & for me as well....We pretty much grew up with the PA turnpike as a major part of our lives..Thank you for taking a trip down a terriffic 'memory lane'.

[@williambranham6249]

I'm afraid the romanticism of the 40's as to being simpler and more enjoyable is lost if you consider that American had just suffered through the Great Depression and were beginning to feel the awful effects of WW2

[@andrewtoland1217]

I agree! My dad insisting we leave at 5:30 am for every road trip b/c no a/c in Malibu; I hated driving through PA. Now, looking back, I get happy when I see portions of red pavement b/c it reminds me of better, simpler times. I now live 15 mins from the line, make day trips whenever I can, and love taking my kids to PA. Oh, the irony!

[@marcs3982]

And it's STILL under construction!! The tolls are outrageous, and keep going up!

[@roostero]

I liked the Howard Johnsons restaurants that used to be on the turnpike. They always made you feel like you were really on a road trip (which we were), with the gift shop and the vending machine selling toiletries.

[@murad0530]

I remember Howard Johnson restaurants.

[@billg7205]

Referred to a Ho Jos by Pittsburghers

[@bdh3949]

@@billg7205 And everyone else I knew back then in Philly. I think I was 12 before I realized Ho Jo's was Howard Johnson's. lol

[@billg7205]

@@bdh3949 Yep, just like realizing that Herman Monster was really Munster.

[@mikep.541]

Vic I remember the canned clam chowder that was always stacked up behind checkout.

[@BillyLapTop]

I can remember driving through those tunnels when they were two way. It was quite unnerving if the traffic was heavy and as usual everyone was pedal to the medal. Always glad to survive to the other end. Later when they added tunnels did it become one way. Being a truck driver, I was quite appreciative of that. Gee, that was a long time ago now.

[@TheDustysix]

As a young lad I used to see a Pa. State Trooper that would stop at the local ARCO. I'd always ask to see the engine on his car. A 1972 Plymouth Fury with a 440 Six Pack. In 1974, I was getting into enough trouble with a Satellite with a 318. I left in 85'.

[@godoftheinterwebz]

we had a 1968 Ford Galaxy ex state police car. 428, 4bbl carb, high speed rear end- I would KILL to have that car today

[@wfdix1]

The builders of the Turnpike would be sickened by the condition of this road today. It’s like driving a slalom course with all the potholes.

[@jonrichardson7848]

I agree they would say what did u do to this beautifal road we put in

[@dwmac2010]

I hate driving on the PA turnpike, and avoid it whenever possible. And the tolls are outrageous.

[@mitchdakelman4470]

While I fully agree of the high tolls -- the legislature of Pa has forced the PTC to give money to PennDOT for their projects as well as support systems like SEPTA. By 1962 the entire original Turnpike was blacktopped but the joint lines, spaced every 77 feet on the original highway show through. A good portion of the Turnpike has been rebuilt since 1995, from ground up, using new bituminous asphalt paving that does not have the expansion joints as the original highway did. But in the reconstruction, the narrow median is widened to make it easier to drive the Turnpike.

[@davids7799]

Really? Drive 70 east across Missouri, Indiana and Ohio (no tolls) and then compare it to the ride and the conditions on PA Tpk. You'll experience how much better the PA Tpk is

[@THEFINALHAZARD]

@@davids7799 I 100% agree. I recently traveled from Pennsylvania to Illinois, and I took the turnpike, the Ohio Turnpike, and the Indiana toll road. Out of all of them, the Pennsylvania Turnpike was in the best condition and gave the smoothest ride.

[@SkeebWilcox]

Thank you for sharing this! This is what the internet is all about! In the immortal words of Chuck Barris: "If the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, what is the Pennsylvania Turnpike paved with?"

[@Cjnw]

#WCFields *wants to know your location*

[@JisINSANE3]

I drive the turnpike all the time from Lancaster to Johnstown in a semi. And sometimes from ohio to Marietta. A lot of the original bridges have been restored on the eastern part while a lot have been replaced with steel drop in bridges with the original concrete supports still in place however there are quite a few original bridges in very bad shape that are still around cracking and decaying over the western part of the pike. Amazing video. its nothing like this now. All the concrete surface has been paved over

[@TheLionAndTheLamb777]

Many of the tunnels in the video are no longer in service.

[@ElementofKindness]

@@TheLionAndTheLamb777 three are bypassed. Five in use, all of which have had a secondary parallel tunnel bored for dual lane traffic in both directions. One of the bypassed tunnels is leased to a private company that uses the tunnel to test race car aerodynamics.

[@mitchdakelman4470]

What a wonderful highway! Although I traveled it several weeks ago, I wish I could of seen it brand new circa 1940!!!

[@MMGJ10]

I love how the tolls were supposed be temporary until they paid off the cost of construction. Typical Government bs

[@boataxe4605]

Happened in Illinois as well.

[@raoulcruz4404]

MMGJ10 I95 through Virginia was built with tolls under the same promise. Eventually a group sued the state and the tolls removed.

[@boataxe4605]

Raoul Cruz We In Illinois want the name of that lawyer!

[@Sennmut]

Money to gov't is like dope to an addict. They can't give it up.

[@QuantumRift]

Well yea, but if you want a smooth road, the cash cow has to keep going. Ever drive on the Oklahoma Turnpike? It's prob the best one I've ever had the opportunity to drive on, many times, and I've driven a LOT of turnpikes. The fees keep it smooth and rolling. Just a dream to ride or drive.

[@PaulDixon25]

You have been charged a toll of $32.00 for watching this video

[@MrW454ci]

Overcharged again!! I only have TWO axles!! $%*!

[@marcs3982]

Hahaha!! And it's STILL under construction! OMG! What a joke!

[@marionmacdonald4824]

Is there an address I can send it to??Lmao

[@davids7799]

Freedom isn't free.

[@mitchdakelman4470]

Its even cheaper if you have eazy pass or if you wish, you can pay toll by plate, but it will cost you more. In reality, the plan was to build the extensions as toll free highways and remove the tolls from the original Turnpike by 1952, but the politicians have gotten their hands in the Turnpike as a cash cow.

[@soundspartan]

I enjoyed this video, and appreciate it, my grandpa helped build and retired from the Ohio turnpike. I don't like the PA pike because they always have a reason to slow you down...they want you to stop at those service plazas and spend money. The Ohio pike restricts trucks from the left lane, and they are learning from the PA pike to slow you down all the time. There are many better turnpikes in America, but this video shows the viewer (parts) of the construction of the first turnpike in America.

[@mariotorres6287]

Nice video of the construction. I especially enjoyed seeing the Northwest 80-D shovel at 5:28 to 6:02 placing that huge rock into what looks like an International off-highway truck. It took skill, first to get it into the dipper, then to get oversize rock like that into a truck. Those shovel operators then had no joystick controls, computers, or air conditioning, and had to work both hands and feet, moving levers and operating brake pedals. Shovels made by Northwest, made in Green Bay, Wisconsin, were well known as rugged shovels made for heavy rock digging. I also enjoyed the concrete paving operation. That was always a scene of intense activity, after grading the subgrade was completed. Back then, the concrete was mixed at the jobsite with pavers, such as the REX pavers in the video. The dry batches of cement and aggregate were transported from the batch plant in trucks with batch bodies, dumped into the skip of the paver. A water truck followed the paver, which was added to the dry batches at the paver and mixed. Slump tests (the cone filled with concrete, rodded and the cone removed and the amount of "slump" measured) are an indication of workability of the concrete. Usually the concrete was placed in two courses (layers), with steel welded wire mesh between for strength. The paving train followed the paver, striking off, screeding and floating the concrete. a brush finish may be specified, then covered with burlap. Water sprayed on the burlap prevents evaporation of the water in the concrete while it cures. Core drilling the concrete to get a sample goes to a lab to check concrete compressive strength. Nice video, of the sort of heavy construction that isn't seen with that kind of intensity today.

[@billofrightsamend4]

They would have made superior helicopter pilots.

[@LyndaWhite-ju1gj]

How did they accomplish this feat without the internet or Face Book , not even a cellphone or those green safety vest. What a miracle. It would take 20 years today just to do an environmental impact study.

[@randyt3558]

why do morons like you pipe up...what exactly does your moronic statement accomplish?

[@LyndaWhite-ju1gj]

randy t If I want your opinion I’ll beat it out of you.

[@ArmpitStudios]

@@LyndaWhite-ju1gj LOL. So ladylike, Lynda.

[@nyccollin]

I love this comment. Amongst the best and most accurate here.

[@crgroup2784]

Always important (for me anyway) to review the astounding scope of work involved in building the American infrastructure. Quality all the way. And to think they put down so much road surface in so little time. Then it was off to defend the country. WOW!

[@srats56]

off to defend corporate interests and the banking cartel

[@HSMiyamoto]

The reason the cars are going so slow is that the national speed limit during WWII was 35 MPH. The Pike actually had no speed limit when it opened, and speeds up to 90 MPH were common, except at tunnel entrances.

[@HSMiyamoto]

@@twstf8905 I am relating the contents of a book I own about the Penn Turnpike. The book is almost 40 years old, and includes information from people who helped build the road and used it when it first opened.

[@broughmar]

Pay no attention to the wiseguy responding to your initial comment. Your info was interesting....

[@HSMiyamoto]

@@broughmar Thanks!

[@mitchdakelman4470]

Hannah, some of the footage in the film was filmed in slow motion, that means it filmed at a higher frames per second, say 64 frames a second that some cameras can do, but projected at the standard sound speed of 24 frames per second. Some of the same footage is on a color silent film called A TRIP ON THE PA TURNPIKE which the Penn Archives has posted on You Tube

[@RockinRob69]

*It amazes me the hard-working, pain-staking man hours with their hands and modern day equipment, could get these roads completed in record time. So intricate in details back then. Now machines practically do all the measurements w/o hardly any engineer intervention.*

[@harrybriscoe7948]

A lot of the work was already started. It was built on an uncompleted railroad way , Much of it has been rebuilt.

[@sonnypruitt6639]

No environmental impact studies, no union strikes or slowdowns, no eminent domain lawsuits.

[@davidlafleche1142]

Even if there is any engineering, they use inferior, inaccurate "Common Core" Math.

[@boggy7665]

No gravel base either. They laid the concrete directly on the soil. It wasn't long before the pavement began to break up. I recall Dad cursing at how rough and pothole-strewn the road was in the 1960s, and you still see complaints about it today. Only a total rebuild will solve that problem, and that's only occurred in relatively recent times.

[@andywolan]

5:50 That guy in the truck was incredibly brave.

[@kennedymcgovern5413]

He was an idiot. I can see no gain in him sitting there while they loaded that rock. A smart man would have gotten the hell out of that truck, and waited for them to finish loading that big ass rock.

[@michaelweary4662]

That's because he couldn't see the size of that rock behind him !

[@nyccollin]

@@michaelweary4662He could’ve probably almost have seen it on the truck’s backup camera though.

[@ADJLfanatic52]

I drove the entire Turnpike from Ohio border to New Jersey's Turnpike. Stunning views on the route.

[@Cjnw]

The easternmost portion of the PA turnpike is actually in New Jersey

[@ElementofKindness]

@@Cjnw wut?

[@Cjnw]

@@ElementofKindness The turnpikes connect on the NJ side

[@ElementofKindness]

@@Cjnw Yes, but the tolled portion of the turnpike ends at the Neshaminy Falls Mainline Toll plaza, well inside PA.

[@Cjnw]

@@ElementofKindness Then, that small interstate stretch may be accessible only from either turnpike, but maintained by both.

[@fairfaxcat1312]

The route has only fairly recently gotten good. Additionally, and with an eye toward history and gentility, restore each of the great stone roadhouses with their massive fireplaces and serve up hot food with waitresses. The throughway was cheapened by setting up fast food counters inside these historic buildings. Make America great again.

[@knutdergroe9757]

The fast food, If I remember correctly under President Carter a Democrat. And until the democratic party became very anti the 2nd Amendment. Pennsylvania was very much democrat territory. They did nothing to keep Pennsylvania's economy strong. Yes, I know Pa very well. My Father was born and grew up in Altoona. My Son was born and still lives in Sunbury. My Grandmother was born where State College is now. Her family goes back long before yours, she was Shawnee.

[@andrewtoland1217]

Altoona used to be incredibly beautiful. My uncle and friends had an old hunting cabin there I stayed at; dry, etc. No matter what time I’d arrive I’d have to sit and wait for the cows to pick themselves up off that dirt road. I miss it.

[@harrybriscoe7948]

He makes the bottle necks at the tunnels sound like a convenience

[@giantgeoff]

Part of what you get when using an old railroad bed for a highway

[@rjmcallister1888]

Have driven the Irwin-to-Breezewood section many times, then I-70 toward Washington, DC. Would have been interesting to have driven the original route, in original form. And don't let the Turnpike Commission mess up the Midway rest area. Renovate, yes, but leave that one the way it was.

[@steveeisenhowereisenhower7130]

RJ McAllister interstate 70 going to DC is difficult

[@leehuff2330]

I would have to say they did a pretty decent job on Midway. I run the turnpike from the Ohio line to at least Breezewood, if not Lebanon almost every night as a truck driver.

[@boggy7665]

They cut corners by laying the concrete directly on the subsoil. No gravel base. For over 50 years afterward, the uneven and pothole-strewn road bore witness to that.

[@leehuff2330]

Funny how things tend to go full circle. The tunnels are once again becoming the bottlenecks they had become in the 1950s and 60s, before the double boring of Allegheny, Tuscarora, Kittatinny, and Blue plus the bypasses of Laurel Hill, Ray's Hill, and Sideling Hill. As a history buff, I would like to see them kept, but as a truck driver who has to deal with detouring over steep grades on 2 lane roads, especially in the winter, I say bypass all of them.

[@MrNeptunebob]

Now the commission is planning to bypass the Allegheny Tunnel, which may do a lot of damage to the environment. I don't understand why not a third tunnel, as in Sweden and Norway, they have no trouble making tunnels at all.

[@joedirt151]

it takes longer than 5 months just to build 1 bridge nowadays.

[@Kyle899]

Joe Dirt you also don’t have multiple fatalities though. Life was cheap back then.

[@tater_relocater]

Anybody remember Mashuda corp ? Earthmovers out of Wisconsin worked on the turnpike, were based in cranberry township pa.

[@MrBallyTechnologies]

America's First Superhighway.....

[@nyccollin]

Absolutely!

[@tomasmartinez7298]

In Roman empire all the roads lead to Rome. Now in America all highways lead to a great nation. Great !!!

[@clubhouseme]

until the green freaks have us all on public transit

[@srats56]

tomas- poor delusional soul

[@johnathin0061892]

America and Rome have a lot in common these days...

[@patriciayohn6136]

For all the complainers on here, how many you know that Pennsylvania has the most paved roads in the US. I didn't say well paved roads, just that we have the most, it isn't the Keystone State for no reason. American migration and mass commerce started here. As far as Ohio residents complaining about our roads here, you HAVE NO MOUNTAINS and are a rather boring State to drive through. I drove over 300 hundred miles east to west in Pennsylvania in 2013 mainly following Route 30 AKA the Lincoln Highway on vacation for the 100th Anniversary of the Lincoln Highway, what a beautiful and crazy rush of a trip in a 2013 Mini Roadster S with the top down the whole way, when you drive over the mountains, not through them. Slower, but exhilarating, not a route to take if you are in a hurry, that's what the Turnpike is for. Pennsylvania is a beautiful State and full of history and varied natural beauty, which is best seen when you take time to enjoy it. I am from the southeastern Pennsylvania farmlands, but I also own land in the northeastern PA Endless Mountains, part of the Appalachian Trail close to NY State. From Philadelphia to Lake Erie and all the potholed two lane roads in between I would never choose to live anywhere else. I have been to Maine by car and every other state in New England, NY east to west, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado by car, as well as Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and W. Virginia and Virginia by car and CA and HI, staying in PA and Maryland where my Daughter lives. I have been driving for almost 53 years and I am sure that some people complaining about our turnpike may not realize how much more traffic exists now than 80 years ago, so forgive me for discounting your uninformed remarks about roadways, also for you young whipper snappers most freight back at the time traveled by train not tracker trailers. The world has changed much since 1940, heck my Father was still in elementary school then, did the PA Turnpike Commission not realize soon enough that maybe they should add some more lanes and try to keep up with demand, yes they got bogged down in the newer regulations and minutia of changing traffic and road commerce. Slow to act expeditiously, I get that and yes I also complain, but more about bad drivers, i.e. cellphone/texting while driving, oblivious people ignoring State Law with their cruise control set at 55MPH in the PASSING LANE FOR MILES AND NEVER CHECKING THEIR MIRRORS! These people in my opinion are far more dangerous than potholes. I know that this was very long and I am sure that no one will read it, but it feels good to get my pet peeves off my chest during COVID. Also, tired of young people bitching about our roads in PA all of the other States that boarder PA DON'T HAVE MUCH TO BRAGG ABOUT EITHER.

[@godoftheinterwebz]

I read it and, as an inveterate road warrior, I feel ya. I won't bother you with the pages I could fill with opinions and experiences. If you want to drive through a whole lotta nothing, take I-70 across KS between Kansas City and Denver. The top of your kitchen table has more interesting scenery

[@joespag26]

It would have taken them 20 years in this day and age !!!

[@ednorton47]

They never would have gotten through the Environmental Impact Statement phase. A bunch of libtard women would have laid down in the right-of-way.

[@Miatacrosser]

You mean 20 lifetimes don't you?

[@nyccollin]

@@MiatacrosserExactly.

[@mikeg3281]

The turnpike toll was to last one year as told by the state.. over 50 years later it has only gone up in price

[@raoulcruz4404]

Mike Allan Federal income tax was supposed to be temporary, also.

[@mitchdakelman4470]

The plan was 1952, while the newer parts built after the war would be toll free, but that is not the case. The cost to widen and rebuild the highway is staggering, plus the PC must hand over a sizable amount to PennDOT. You can use I-80 or Route 22 which has traffic lights on portions, and not pay the tolls.

[@nyccollin]

@@mitchdakelman4470Love this comment. You schooled OP quite well.

[@accousticdecay]

Fabulous!

[@willardfasto4494]

Can't imagine the back breaking work of those men back then

[@johnsobolewskijr.-tp8sr]

The sad part is that almost all of them are dead!!!

[@giantgeoff]

Family ummm,... HISTORY? My dad was going out with a young lady whose house was adjacent to the Pennsylvania Turnpike under construction . After making the delivery for the flight service he was working for while he was attending a noted liberal arts college in Maine. It was a Friday and he didn't have to be back in Maine until Monday so he landed a DC3 on the unfinished portion of the turnpike. It hadn't gone unnoticed> He explained that he put the plane down as he was having oil pressure issues with the motors the authority's solution was to pull the wings off and haul it through the streets to the nearest airport, at considerable expense to his employers.His solution was to run up the motors to see if the oil pressure issues were resolved (Surprisingly enough, They were) and he promptly flew back to Maine and mailed his pilot's license to the CAA. But he was a hell of a boat navigator.

[@robertgift]

Funny! Sorry that he gave up his pilot license.

[@Miatacrosser]

@@robertgift I don't think it was debateable even back then. He would've been grounded had he not. Especially after filing a fake incident report.

[@Dylan_Dynamite]

I wonder how long it would take to get these guys to redo the Jane Byrne Interchange in Chicago.

[@jrtej9575]

I really wish the turnpike could have kept the original tunnels, but I understand why they decided to bypass them.

[@shawnpa]

They were only two lanes wide so they started to become a bottleneck as more Pennsylvanians got cars. Actually they were railroad tunnels made by Vanderbilt in 1880s.

[@markmotter7060]

You can walk or bike thru two of them. Sideling hill is over 6000' feet long and you can't see the other end when you start. Quite an experience

[@nyccollin]

@@markmotter7060I’m finally going to check it out tomorrow!

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

Makes you wander how many of these guys ended up in the SeaBees when we entered WW2.

[@boopoopies]

Donald Parlett jr I served in NMCB7

[@shwt121]

Back in the day, a LOT of detail was placed on every single process.......today, we lay asphalt like it was taking a breath of air or making a phone call; in those days, initiative & responsibility meant something to that generation; nowadays, in our 'throw-away' society-if something doesnt work or fit- you toss it away and get something else......god, what a mess !!!!1

[@jonbaker3728]

ok boomer

[@ripvanrevs]

@@jonbaker3728 How do you know Sonny Haskins is a boomer? Currently boomers are between the age of 55 and 74. Sonny could be in his 40s or 80s but we have no way of knowing because he didn't post how old he is.

[@andrewtoland1217]

@Jon Baker-Ah! Are you a millennial? And, no, I’m not old enough to be a “Boomer.”

[@LINYTrains]

One thing they did not predict at this time were the rock slides in the cuts.

[@berl2343]

LINYTrains and the scummy commissioner people

[@martinbuinicki1056]

This year, $58.00 in tolls to drive end to end.

[@georgeharleydavidsonrider156]

Martin Buinicki That’s crazy. I hear the roads in Pennsylvania are terrible. I haven’t been on the turnpike since the early 90s. Breezewood to the Ohio line. Western Pennsylvania is sill a lot of country.

[@racheldrum1982]

Sorry to hear that. What the hell happened to Pennsylvania's gas prices?? Second highest gas tax in the country after California-? I thought you all were sane.

[@johnathin0061892]

@@racheldrum1982 NY's gas prices are worse (including upstate)

[@donnebes9421]

And today to build or replace a simple bridge it takes 10-15 years to go through the permitting process and build. Thanks to lawmakers aka lawyers.

[@nyccollin]

Absolutely

[@ILGuy2012]

Interesting how close together the opposing traffic lanes are. Is there even 10' of median between them? Interesting to see how roads were built in years past using more manual labor than today. As I watched this video, it reminded me of films we were shown in elementary school in the 60s and early 70s.

[@ElementofKindness]

Just separated by a thin Jersey barrier in this day and age. Speed limit was probably 50 then, 70 now.

[@dwmac2010]

There were a lot of bad head-on collisions on the turnpike. Eventually they put up a steel cable barrier. Cars sometimes hopped over those too. I remember seeing those as a kid. Now it's Jersey barriers, as the other poster noted.

[@boggy7665]

@@dwmac2010 By the 60s, the median was protected by double 'W' guard rails. At the start, it was thought that 10' (or whatever it is.. that may be right) was very generous and safety-promoting.

[@lavapix]

How many of you dozed off while watching this just like you did back in grade school in the 60s? The same guy seems to have narrated many of these documentaries.

[@godoftheinterwebz]

i was so nostalgic that I threw a spitball at the cat

[@charlescummings5332]

You have to up the tern pike thank you

[@fordtruxdad5155]

21:10 Is that a GM Futureliner coming toward us?

[@Robbi496]

one bit of history, the PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD built through the Alleghenies in 1846!

[@checkyoursix5623]

Arroyo Seco (or Pasadena) Freeway was the first freeway - opened in 1940, as well.

[@nyccollin]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the PA Turnpike was the first real stretch of Interstate Highway as we know them today.

[@chrisbasehore9567]

Great to put these old film/documentaries up for the public! However, you REALLY need to include the production/release date of the film itself. If the date is unknown, say so “film release date unknown”.

[@williambranham6249]

Why? Just asking.

[@chrisbasehore9567]

For reference and context. Was this a doc made the same year as completion? Or was this a doc produced 10-15 years after completion? 20 years? Knowing when it was made is often interesting and affects how things are portrayed. Also helps to know if the footage is actually pre 1940 or could be from the 50’s. (“Did they have *that* in 1940?!?) Also, I just plain want to know if this was shown in theaters as a newsreel during WWII. (Or was it shown in classrooms to sleeping students)

[@williambranham6249]

@@chrisbasehore9567 If the footage was from the 50's then I believe that would be well after construction was completed.

[@andrewtoland1217]

@Chris Basehore-I agree. Context is key to understanding everything.

[@themidnightracer9937]

I wonder if i can drive on that road in a 1932 ford and in 40's clothing. While having body paint looking like a ghost.

[@kw900lkevin]

pay an arm and leg to cross the Pa turnpike in a 5 axle tractor trailer these days over $ 100.00

[@phillymathguy8142]

Costs twice as much per mile to drive compared to the NJ Turnpike. Why???

[@Boobtube.]

GREED

[@TheLionAndTheLamb777]

Twice the price, twice the potholes.

[@virginiadude8518]

More than twice as much as the Ohio Turnpike too (and Ohio's turnpike is much, much nicer).

[@williambranham6249]

Taxes, politics, misuse of public money, union toll collectors, money tree, maintenance, 18 wheelers, who knows?

[@ElementofKindness]

And don't forget PA has the highest road tax on fuel. The state . . [ahem] . . Commonwealth . . . is a pathetically managed mess with a good dose of corruption for good measure.

[@MrNeptunebob]

Both of the original ends of the original TP are terrible traffic chaos bins. But at least the Carlisle end has a brand new Target store!

[@nyccollin]

The turnpike is awesome, stop whining.

[@steveeisenhowereisenhower7130]

Been from one end to the other, it can be a grueling way on the turnpike. 80 is same way north of turnpike

[@davestewart2067]

80 is a newer and far better road. Has median separation far greater of opposing lanes of traffic.

[@dknowles60]

wrong 80 is easy to drive

[@ElementofKindness]

I hate them both, as they both feel like an eternity to traverse.

[@nyccollin]

I find it to be nice. Maybe you should avoid it.

[@the.porter.productions]

Those cars were quite cool. I wonder if the roads were quiet or rather loud?

[@johyuujin3079]

when I first was on this road several years ago I could IMMEDIATELY notice how obsolete it is. can't figure out why it has not been modernized in the past zillion decades. signed: retired civil engineer

[@robadams4807]

crazy to think those tunnels are destroyed and vandalized.

[@SchardtCinematic]

I wonder what film cameras were used to document the construction of the Pa Turnpike. The quality is great and it wasn't as easy to just grab a video camera to capture this. Unless they were using those smaller WW II field cameras

[@Insertgenericusernamehere809]

they probably had the money.

[@Ansemrp]

These beautiful footpaths served many natives and pioneer settlers long ago. We blasted the hell out of them.

[@jamesboardman7048]

One of the obstacles to new or expaned hwys, privately owned property, lawmakers are scared to use eminent domain to open up land that needs to be used

[@rosemanjeremiah]

that's so amazing

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

It used to be a railroad once.

[@aidanmorris1414]

It was never done.

[@Insertgenericusernamehere809]

@@aidanmorris1414 yes and all the other tunnels were big enough to accommodate modern traffic because they know expansion of vehicle size was inventible so they should've bypassed those ones too.

[@LeoA2600]

Is the bridge at 20:42 extant?

[@Insertgenericusernamehere809]

Highly likely. Most of the bridges from the 1940s-50s were demolished due too poor design.

[@LeoA2600]

@@Insertgenericusernamehere809 Extant means still standing.

[@Insertgenericusernamehere809]

@@LeoA2600 oh okay then it was still was very likely demolished. Take this with a grain of salt though because I’ve only Driven on the I-95 segment of the turnpike.

[@chattyangu288]

The Pennsylvania turnpike used to be a independent turnpike but now it’s part of Interstate 90

[@ElementofKindness]

. . . . and ever since that opening day, it has been under constant perpetual construction zones to this very day.

[@checkyoursix5623]

Pennsylvania has 2 seasons - winter and construction (New York, too) ...

[@nyccollin]

Aww so sad. Sucks that maintenance is necessary.

[@twstf8905]

Don't miss out on the extra obligatory information from all the other "experts" lol in the comments section! 👍😂 (You don't want to only get half the story, right?!)

[@berl2343]

This roadway is the definition of Corruption.

[@sillygoose2508]

it had every thing to do with national defense back then route 30 the grade was to step for most military machinery to overcome a very slow process for heavy equipment hints the tunnels and the low grades

[@fairfaxcat1312]

If speedy construction is wanted road builders can give it.

[@ElementofKindness]

Ha! Yeah, I laughed pretty hard at that. NOT in Pennsylvania, that I can assure you. Maryland and Delaware run circles around PA, and their roads are remarkably better to boot.

[@andrewtoland1217]

Mostly, but I have to say that York Road has been reminding me of the PA t/p for a while now; potholes, above-grade manholes, varying grades, different sizes of patches, steel plates, different levels of road, etc. They keep the lines painted. I guess that’s something. :/

[@pdxrailtransit]

What a blight upon the landscape! Next time take the train.

[@williambranham6249]

The train was also a blight. Nasty coal dust. Try hiking from Pittsburgh to Carlisle.

[@reasonablespeculation3893]

No medial barrier of any kind,,, which went well with the No seat belt or airbag system. No Speed Limits(except in tunnels ) when the Turnpike first opened. Safety standards have come a long way.

[@Insertgenericusernamehere809]

they weren't invented until the late 1950s

[@GlobalistJuice]

Whiteman builds. It's in his DNA, it's what he does. ..... and it is good.

[@jackschissler255]

The PA Turnpike will never be completed. They will always tear up, fix, tear up, fix. When they do have a section done and moved on, then they will be back to that section a few yrs to re-fix it or update it. The Turnpike was to be FREE when they install it, but it’s not and tolls keep being raised. It’s a shame that you need to spend money to travel a road to get from point A to point B.

[@williambranham6249]

I WOULD SAY BOYCOTT IT. TOLL INCOME GOES DOWN. THEY'LL GET THE MESSAGE. Unfortunately, as Americans we tend not to vote with our economic vote.

[@joelressner9651]

@@williambranham6249 The tolls go up because the turnpike is being forced to subsidize I-80, other roads, and some of PA's mass transit too. A road that ran well for decades is now heavily in debt. The only solution: if your state senator or representative voted for this scheme, VOTE THEM OUT!

[@nyccollin]

Things cost money. I love that it’s always being improved upon.

[@joelressner9651]

The Turnpike and I-95 are both a million years old and NOW they have FINALLY put in an interchange between them! Only PA would build two superhighways and have them cross but not intersect! Really, we should have a minimum IQ for the people who plan for the Commonwealth's future!

[@godoftheinterwebz]

what about that get off get back on again nightmare at Breezewood when you are heading west?

[@nyccollin]

@@godoftheinterwebzI’ve just learned of this, have traveled the turnpike east and west at least 15 times since 2000, and I don’t think I ever really noticed or was affected by this supposed nightmare. Driving it west tomorrow morning.

[@nyccollin]

@@godoftheinterwebzWorks out well to get off at Breezewood anyway. Lots of cool abandoned buildings to check out, not to mention the 13 mile abandoned section of road.

[@Insertgenericusernamehere809]

@@nyccollin yea, like why didn't they consider the fact that vehicles would get bigger when they decided to build the tunnels? wouldn't it have been cheaper to bypass them from the start?

[@RockinRob69]

Speed limits were painfully slow in the beginning....

[@tylert6887]

There were no speed limits... wrap your mind around that. Speed limits were introduced in the 70's to reduce fuel consumption for the gas shortage. As a testament to how good they are at generating revenue, they were never removed. *sigh*

[@mikebronicki6978]

Actually the vast majority of highways had speed limits prior to the '70s energy crisis. A federal speed limit of 55 was imposed to conserve fuel by lowering existing speed limits of typically 65 and 70mph. The feds had no constitutional right to do this but got around that by withholding federal highway funds to states that did not comply. It succeeded in it's purpose, drive the same route at 55 and then again at 75, you will be surprised at the difference in MPG! (My experience was over 26mpg vs. a tad under 22mpg.)

[@Boobtube.]

cars themselves were slow, so it did not matter.

[@virginiadude8518]

@@tylert6887 -- Trying to keep down to 55 mph in a modern car is grueling. There are parts of the PA Turnpike & other major highways where 80 mph is perfectly safe today.

[@virginiadude8518]

@@mikebronicki6978 -- You do burn more fuel at a higher speed, but the time saved on a long trip is typically worth it.

[@LucasFernandez-fk8se]

Why didn’t they make a standard freeway lane in the US 20 feet wide ? Could you imagine how fast we could all go with 20 foot wide lanes? We could probably safely drive 100-120 miles an hour if there isn’t much traffic. Super commuting could be so easy now days if they had a bit more foresight

[@nyccollin]

20 ft would be nice for sure!

[@QuantumRift]

What was YOUR job on the turnpike? "Well, I hand finished all 160 miles of the lane edges, in both directions..."

[@nyccollin]

Finally! Someone who isn’t whining and complaining!

[@mrmoore1972]

That Ray Walston narrating?

[@fairfaxcat1312]

Accuracy of construction marked the Turnpike from beginning to end.

[@IronCavalier]

Several of those tunnels are no longer being used, too small for today’s traffic.

[@robertadams6606]

But you can go through them except for 1 or 2 they're still there but go through at your own risk they are not maintained. Look up " abandoned Pa. Turnpike tunnels."You can walk ,run or bike through NO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC.

[@Insertgenericusernamehere809]

and if they bypassed the tunnels it wouldn't have been a problem. Why they decided to reuse railroad tunnels is beyond me.

[@farmcentralohio]

Look at that, road workers actually doing something, called Work. Not like today where they stand around waiting for a paycheck.

[@dtwhitehouse]

lol, state work crews, 1 guy in the hole digging with 4 standing there watching him.

[@johnp139]

Why are they driving so slowly?

[@s.sestric9929]

Cars of that era weren't built to go very fast. They weren't powerful and had very low gears to climb hills and keep up with urban traffic. Any speed higher than 50 mph had the engines screaming at high RPM which shortened their life. It wasn't until the mid 50s that cars were built for 60+ mph driving on freeways.

[@wingmanalive]

Funny. Back in the day they used concrete for road construction. It worked and was durable. It lasted 50+ years. Today they break that concrete road up and replace it with asphalt. Why? So the corrupt politicians can award their contractor buddies expensive replacement contracts to resurface the roads every 10 years. We have a Rt 295 contract in NJ that is 15+ years old and not going anywhere. Answer? UNIONS! The longer the job takes the richer they become. Why else would you destroy a perfectly good concrete road surface with an asphalt one? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[@Lightningslick]

Weren't the roads and turnpikes constructed under Alfred E. Smith's administration, which of course includes master builder Robert Moses, the first ?

[@edwinbenson4892]

Alfred E. Smith was the Governor of New York. Robert Moses had many titles, but all of them had to do with either New York City or the State of New York. I do not believe that either played any substantial role in the Pennsylvania Turnpike, although I am sure that both watched it closely and emulated its construction.

[@Lightningslick]

@@edwinbenson4892 I did not infer nor state that Robert Moses/Alfred E. Smith had anything to do with the PA. Turnpike.

[@pmcpmc8005]

Nobody back then ever thought there would come a day when the PA Turnpike would become too expensive and over priced with high tolls.

[@nyccollin]

Just get an EZ Pass. It isn’t that bad.

[@zeromaster21_official]

no asphalt

[@christinewoodruff4980]

Had the coin to build it, no money to maintain it.

[@fleetwoodbeechbum]

they built it faster than they drove on it

[@nyccollin]

Speed limit was 35 at the time. They were going 90 not long after this video.

[@oldman975]

And nowadays they can take the roadbed down to dirt,rebuild it,and put the potholes,ruts,and cracks right back in their original spots.

[@ericjarry7663]

I wonder how many of these guys went on to become Seebees in WWII

[@binko969]

Hitler visited construction of the turnpike in the mid 30’s and modeled the autobahn construction on the turnpike construction process. Probably more than a few of those guys turned out to be seebee’s

[@s.sestric9929]

@@binko969 No, Hitler never visited Pennsylvania, the Autobahns were already in service when the Turnpike was being designed, and if anything the PTC studied the Autobahns when they were designing it.

[@williambranham6249]

Only 2

[@binko969]

I attended an in house workshop last year where a short presentation on that very subject. You can contact him and tell him he’s wrong. Pa turnpike construction began in 1932.

[@binko969]

Design began earlier than that. Autobahn construction began in 1933. Plus hitler and a delegation did visit PA

[@stevengower]

Now it’s low speed construction lol

[@QuantumRift]

Before the days of rebar.