PennDOT plans Squirrel Hill Tunnel Project (Pittsburgh, Duquesne: professionals, airport, move to)

[BrianTH]

This would have been for the Squirrel Hill Tunnel. I'm not sure how they would have done it, but I think it involved decks for a good distance in either direction (I guess the whole deck would be reversible).

[bboy36win]

On a related note, why is the backup at the tunnel noticeably worse on Wed and Thu mornings (Churchill or worse) than on Friday mornings (Wilkinsburg)?

[BrianTH]

My guess has always been that some people take Fridays off, and others go in a bit earlier so they can get out a bit earlier (outbound seems to back up earlier on Fridays than any other day), and it adds up to less people at peak inbound.

[ferrarisnowday]

I can't find anything about it now, but I had seen a show on television talking about how they original plans called for three tunnels, with the middle one switching directions in-bound to outbound and vice versa depending on the time of day. But they couldn't justify it because, when would there ever be that much traffic?!

[fleetiebelle]

But they couldn't justify it because, when would there ever be that much traffic?!

Kind of on topic, but I'd read that that's one of the issues with LA traffic--back when the interstates were being built, it was a small city and two lanes were sufficient. Then after WWII it boomed and many of the roads couldn't be widened enough.

[bbrian12]

maybe after the construction pendot will finally find the tunnel monster and get rid of it so people wont slam on the brakes b4 they go into the tunnel

[bbrian12]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

Slowing down for the inbound SH tunnel just doesn't make any sense. At least for the other tunnels and outbound SH there's merging or other issues that make the backup at least make sense. Inbound SH has none of that, besides people who should know better being chicken.

if you slam on the brakes right b4 you get in the tunnel it will scare off the tunnel monster

[youngabe]

HA HA, bbrian12, SO true. I always say that if rush hour is good, someone made a sacrifice to the monster and it's happy! Ha Ha Ha!

Let's just talk about the Parkway East in general. Mondays are usually pretty good outbound, Tuesday and Wednesday are tolerable. Thursday is typically awful and Fridays there is usually light traffic, or it's jammed clear before Oakland. Then, you're always at a crawl AFTER the tunnel to past Edgewood/Swissvale and nowadays, we get MORE traffic from Wilkinsburg to Business 22. The whole road is a constant string of congestion...and commonly at other times other than rush hour. Lately, it's been backing up inbound from Churchill or even PENN HILLS at 5 - 530 p.m.

I wonder what LONG-term solutions could be done for Pittsburgh's older highways in general. Something I'll live to see hopefully...and I'm in my 20s. Ha Ha...that's my ONLY major complaint about Western PA in general, the highway infrastructure is horrible...but once again, it was one of the first!

[BrianTH]

The best idea I have seen--and I use this term generously--for adding highway capacity would be double-decking the East Busway, so you can use part of it as a toll highway.

But really, you need to focus on getting cars off the road at peak times. A combination of a congestion toll and upgraded rapid public transit (the congestion toll could even help pay for the transit) is likely the best route.

[grimacista]

Put in a rollercoaster lift-hill chain in the road before the tunnel and have a part of it that attaches to the bottom of a car and pulls the car through at 60 mph. Problem solved.