Gribblenation

It's often overlooked in Pittsburgh, but for about a decade, there was a road-building renaissance in the region from about 1985 to 1992.  The construction of long-delayed freeways and the closing of some missing links in the highway network occurred during this span.  With the completion of the North Shore and East Street Valley Expressways, Interstate 279 was finished.  Crosstown Boulevard and the Veterans Bridge completed Interstate 579.  The PA 65 Freeway connected the North Shore to Ohio River Boulevard. Finally, in the western outreaches of Allegheny County, another new freeway, known as the Southern Expressway, was completed quickly - just over two years - opened in time for the opening of Greater Pittsburgh International Airport's new midfield terminal.   The Southern Expressway is a seven-and-a-half-mile new freeway that connected the Airport Parkway near Montour Run Road to the Beaver Valley Expressway near Flaugherty Run Road.  While providi...

The roads around Pittsburgh International Airport have a lot of history and intrigue.  The growth of the airport and resulting land acquisitions have changed the routing of many roads in Western Allegheny County.  As the airport grew and traffic around the airport increased, the need for new highways would also change the landscape.  Of course, the fact that this is Pittsburgh means there were also plans for roads that never came to be.  Two of these never built highway plans, the Beaver Valley Expressway (BVE) extension and the full-speed connection to the Southern Expressway at Flaugherty Run Road have traces - specifically ghost ramps - of highways that never came to be. Beaver Valley Expressway Extension: Pavement stubs for a never-built extension of the Beaver Valley Expressway that would have bypassed the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport terminal.  (Adam Prince - October 1998) For nearly three decades, this unused piece of roadway along t...

For just over four decades, the former main terminal of Greater Pittsburgh International Airport was the city's gateway to the world.  Located nearly 20 miles west of Downtown Pittsburgh, the Joseph Hoover-designed terminal would see millions of travelers pass through its doors.  Known best for the terrazzo compass in the main lobby, the terminal had many other distinguishing features.  The well-landscaped entrance led up to the curved stepped design of the terminal. Each level of the terminal would extend out further than the other allowing for numerous observation decks.  The most popular observation deck, the "Horizon Room", was located on the fourth floor. The former Greater Pittsburgh Airport Terminal - October 1998 From when it opened in the Summer of 1952 until its closing on September 30, 1992, the terminal would grow from a small regional airport to the main hub for USAir.  The terminal would see numerous expansions and renovations over its 4...