{"id":1074,"date":"2014-01-10T05:02:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-10T05:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=1074"},"modified":"2015-01-09T15:45:46","modified_gmt":"2015-01-09T20:45:46","slug":"the-trouble-with-those-pittsburgh-tunnels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/01\/10\/the-trouble-with-those-pittsburgh-tunnels\/","title":{"rendered":"The trouble with those Pittsburgh tunnels"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Officials <\/a>
Officials experimented with allowing two-way traffic in one of the tunnels in the early 1960s. (Pittsburgh Press photo) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"New <\/a>
New signs urging proper speed were installed in 1960. (Post-Gazette photo) <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A 1954 traffic jam. (Pittsburgh Press photo) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Newspaper <\/a>
Newspaper coverage of the proposal to create a third lane. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Shortly after the Squirrel Hill Tunnels opened in 1953, leaders at the state\u2019s highway department proudly proclaimed they\u2019d discovered a solution to one anticipated problem \u2014 keeping the gleam on the tunnel\u2019s sparkling white tiles. Officials showed off two custom-built trucks that sprayed the tunnel walls with soap and water.<\/p>\n

\u201cHooey,\u201d said the folks in charge of cleaning the Liberty Tubes. The Tubes had been in operation for a quarter of a century. The crew there knew something about filthy tiles. Most problematic were tobacco chewing drivers who befouled the Tubes with streams of brown spit.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just try to get that off these tile walls without using a brush,\u201d said one Tube attendant. \u201cTobacco juice won\u2019t come off it you don\u2019t rub.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the life of the Squirrel Hill Tunnels, it was an optimistic time, when a battle against grime was worthy of a press conference. Soon, a more vexing problem would arise. And if you\u2019ve lived in Pittsburgh for more than a day, you know exactly what we\u2019re talking about.<\/p>\n

Originally, the posted speed limit on the Penn-Lincoln Parkway (now known as the Parkway East) was 50 mph. In the tunnel the limit was reduced to 35 mph.<\/p>\n

The result? Traffic snarled at the tunnel entrances. So authorities raised the tunnel speed limit to 50 mph.<\/p>\n

The jams persisted.<\/p>\n

State police were urged to stand at tunnel entrances to try to \u201cwhip motorists through the tunnels with gestures, scowls, shouts or whatever it takes\u201d to keep traffic moving at a proper speed. Signs were posted inside the tunnels, urging drivers to maintain a 55 mph pace.<\/p>\n

Still, drivers slowed to 35 or even 25 mph.<\/p>\n

Part of the problem, officials said, was the structure\u2019s design. The tunnels were barely six years old in 1959, yet they were inadequate for the amount of traffic carried by the Parkway.<\/p>\n

So the state highway department decided to convert one of the tunnel\u2019s outbound lanes to an inbound lane during the morning rush hour. Highway workers on the east side of the tunnel set out traffic cones that allowed drivers to cross over the median and enter a \u201cfast\u201d inbound lane. \u201cDesperation Plan in Desperation Situation,\u201d blared one newspaper headline.<\/p>\n

Allowing two-way traffic inside the narrow tunnel was \u201csuicidal,\u201d warned a county police officer named David Wallace. \u201cIt\u2019s virtually an invitation for sideswiping and head-on collisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The plan didn\u2019t last.<\/p>\n

Overcapacity wasn\u2019t the only issue.\u00a0In 1960 an engineer named Robert Klucher summed up a study on the jams: Motorists entering the tunnels slowed down and didn\u2019t pick up speed until their incarceration ended and they once again saw daylight. Thus enlightened, the Pittsburgh Press blared, \u201cSlow Pokes Cause Jams in Tunnels.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTunnel driving tends to cause a recognizable psychological restraint on many drivers,\u201d said Klucher, a master of understatement.<\/p>\n

Declared one motorist, \u201cIt\u2019s just one of those quirks of human nature that we can\u2019t do anything about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or maybe drivers are just slowing down to admire those sparkling white tiles. If so, a little tobacco juice would solve the problem.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Traffic snarled at the tunnel entrances. So authorities raised the tunnel speed limit to 50 mph. The jams persisted.<\/p>\n

Look at the picturesThe trouble with those Pittsburgh tunnels<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[945],"tags":[1033,1049],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/tumblr_mz64hvMJRN1rr5swxo3_1280.jpg?fit=864%2C835&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1289,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/10\/18\/liberty-tubes-come-to-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":1074,"position":0},"title":"Liberty Tubes come to life","date":"October 18, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"The arrival of the age of the automobile nearly a century ago prompted local leaders to improve transportation to the growing South Hills.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/tumblr_muu89qQSjg1rr5swxo3_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C839&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6952,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2016\/09\/07\/a-short-history-of-the-liberty-bridge\/","url_meta":{"origin":1074,"position":1},"title":"A short history of the Liberty Bridge","date":"September 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"From the moment it opened to fireworks and a parade in 1928, the span has been a vital link for many motorists","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Web_LibertyBridge002.jpg?fit=1200%2C748&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2536,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2012\/09\/11\/apr-9-1954-demolition-of-the-wabash-building\/","url_meta":{"origin":1074,"position":2},"title":"Demolition of the Wabash Building","date":"September 11, 2012","format":"gallery","excerpt":"\u201cWith roof off, the workmen swarmed in and out of offices. 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