December 27, 2004 opening of the Wabash Tunnel ended over 70 years of proposals
and speculation for the use of the over 100 year old facility. The
tunnel, which is now a reversible roadway that handles HOV traffic during
rush hours, has seen many failed plans that include mass transit, converted
and new bridges, and other forms of moving vehicular traffic.
The former Wabash line and properties were purchased by the Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railroad in 1917. However, disasters would still wreak havoc on the new owners. In November 1925, a landslide would block the tunnel's north portal and cause major damage to the trestle that connected the tunnel to the bridge. The auto era would see the end of passenger service to the line in 1931. Freight service would continue until 1946, when a series of fires would damage and destroy the downtown terminal and many parts of the railyard. The bridge would be demolished two years later with much of the steel sent upriver to be used in construction of the Dravosburg Bridge. The demolition left an unused 3,350 foot tunnel and two stone bridge piers that sit to this day on both shores of the Monongahela.
1930's Urban Highway Plans:
The plan would be blocked by a grand jury in November 1931 by a grand jury that ruled the plan, specifically the bridge and tunnel, as inadequate for vehicular traffic, that the County misrepresented the project's true cost, and that the commissioners did not get approval from the planning commission. (1) The suit that resulted in the termination of the $3 million purchase was filed by Newton and Emma Hopkins. They argued that the 21 foot wide tunnel would be a "...hazard in the event an automobile should stall or be wrecked." (4) This would be a similar concern and reason why the tunnel only carries one lane today. The County's 1931 proposal would have aprons built onto the bridge so it could handle four lanes of traffic; however, no plans were made to twin the tunnel. (4)
The 1931 failure would not stop additional attempts for the urban highway during the decade. Urged again in 1932 by downtown businessmen, the County in 1933 hired Ole Singsted to study the 1931 plan. The $5,000 study by Singsted endorsed the plan with a suggestion to build a second tunnel to add two more lanes. (1) The County tried again, via the New Deal Administration, for the $3 million in 1934, but the request was turned down. (1) 1936 saw the last attempt to convert the bridge to a highway; however it never came to pass.
A Solution to a Traffic Nightmare?:
Consensus was made that the new Wabash Bridge and Tunnel would be an HOV facility. In 1994, the Port Authority began a $3.2 million conversion of the tunnel from Skybus to auto usage. (5) For the next ten years, debate, revisions, postponements, and cutbacks would change the ultimate outcome. For the rest of the 1990's, arguments over costs, design of ramps, and concerns voiced by downtown businessmen would ultimately scrap plans for a new bridge. Meanwhile, the complete rehabilitation of the Ft. Pitt Bridge and Tunnel would be delayed and ultimately completed in 2003. The West Busway which also became part of the Wabash Project was built and completed in 2000. It was a scaled back version as acquisition costs to connect the Busway at the Corliss Tunnel and the Wabash became too high. Finally in 2003, construction began to connect the refurbished tunnel to Carson Street. The tunnel opened for business on December 27, 2004.
#1: The Wabash Tunnel South Portal. (Jeff Kitsko; December 2004)
Page Created: January 16, 2005
Last Updated: January 16, 2005
(C) 2005 Adam Prince