When I was a child, my parents often drove from our home in Bedford to Harrisburg. My dad was in the hotel business and had frequent business in the Capitol and at the Hotel Association office. My hobby at the time - and still today- was collecting license plates. As a child I was able to see and draw in a notebook plates from about everywhere in the US and Canada. These were guests in my parents' hotel. I had all states except Nevada. At the time Nevada was sparsely populated and few folks traveled east to PA. I had been looking for a Nevada plate to see and draw for months but without luck. One trip to Harrisburg changed things. We were passing the Cove Valley plaza shortly after exiting Rays Hill tunnel. Looking into the parking lot from the back seat of our car, I saw the distinctive blue and silver of a Nevada tag. I yelled out "THERE'S NEVADA". My dad then slowed the car and entered the plaza from the exit ramp - the wrong way and circled back to where the special car was parked. I got out, touched the plate and drew it. Completing my quest! I'll never forget it. Or seeing what remains of that special stop,

I remember this section of the PA turnpike. As a child I traveled it with my family on trips from New Jersey to Cleveland to visit my Grandmother. The tunnels were very exciting and a little scary. The sound of the cars reverberated, there was no sound like it and the overhead lights raced by us.

@darbytat2

5 жыл бұрын

@@MrPsWorldHistory Incredible video. Our family traveled from Uniontown, OH to New Jersey in the early to mid 1960's. I remember going through 2 tunnels that were very close to each other. I'm 99% sure it was these tunnels. Thanks for sharing, as always!

Thank you. Used to travel through Breezewood and on the PTP during the 1950's.

Within a half mile of the W portal of the Sideling Hill Tunnel, where you stopped filming, is the old Wells Valley CCC camp from the 1930s, later used for turnpike workers, conscientious objectors during WWII, then POWs. One good building remains, the rest is foundations.

I watch this nice video you did MR P world history, was a pleasure to see this history at this site where this Pennsylvania turnpike was before. Your explanation was very clear to listen to all the history abouth both tunnels. Was great to watch. Never heard about this abandoned place before. I am watching your video from Paramaribo in Suriname.....greetings from Marty

Yes, I am old enough to have gone through all the tunnels that existed on PAT. My family had relatives in NJ and we would travel to see them from western PA.

It is amazing how great the Abandoned turnpike looked when it was still "abandoned", but maintained by the PTC. Mother nature is reclaiming what was originally hers and vandals make what remains, gross to look at.

Thank you so much for the history lesson so much has been forgotten

Travel the pa turnpike quite a bit as a truck driver actually almost every day weekly just glad I'm not responsible for paying the never ending tolls that continue to get raised annually which is a joke a lot of interesting footage bought forth in this video and creepy at the same time can only imagine the amount of poison ivy and oak that's throughout the vegetation that has been growing since all of this was abandoned along with different types of snakes lurking around!

Ain’t no way I would walk thru that tunnel! I’m from Butler Pa .I know that no matter what part of Pa your from ..there is an Urban Legend ! I’m sure if you ask around town ,they may have one too !

I go here nearly annually with my dad. I always try to stop at 4:24 to get a picture with the ass graffiti, and we marked our initials and trip date on the first side room doorway at 10:35. on the right hand side of the tunnel there's a little drawing I did of Danny DeVito. there was an attempt to remove the graffiti on the tunnels so some of the more interesting or noticeable art is gone (including our initials) but it was quickly replaced with new tags, pictures, etc. They haven't taken away Danny DeVito yet though :)

Very nice video ty for sharing. I was surprised more of the metal and pipe weren't removed by people to scrap it for money. I'd be afraid of running into snakes or wild with all the forest around

I loved the video. It brought back memories. As a kid in the 50's, our parents would take us on the PA Turnpike from Bedford to Donegal to see family every year at Christmas. The highlight of the trip was going through the Laurel Hill and Allegheny Mt. Tunnels. It was always exciting for us young kids to see the tunnels in the distance then to travel through them, bright lights, loud noise and all. They were poorly designed however with 4 lanes of traffic suddenly narrowing to two lanes in the tunnels. There was such traffic congestion because of the turnpike narrowing and such frequent and severe accidents within the tunnels due to head-on collisions, that many of the tunnels had to be changed. A second tunnel was dug at the Blue Mountain Tunnel (and several others) so that each traffic direction had its own tunnel and other tunnels, such as the ones in your video and the Laurel Hill Tunnel near Somerset were abandoned and the turnpike re-routed through cuts in the mountains around them. Laurel Hill Tunnel is now used by Chip Ganassi Racing for race car testing.

What was it like to walk through those tunnels? I would like to walk through a tunnel someday because I am a tunnel nut.

All of this road, including the tunnels, was originally built for the South Pennsylvania Railroad in the late 1800s, which was never completed. It was later incorporated into the turnpike in the 1930s, and abandoned again in the 60s.

When u be going back to the tunnels again let me know

Looks like the ventilation turbines were driven by steam.

What year did this part of the road close

@scottdowney4865

10 ай бұрын

Around 1968

6:40 is wrong! That is Mountain Chapel Road not Oregon Road (Near Sideling Hill Tunnel)

I always thought that they should rehabilitate this portion of the Pennsylvania turnpike charge a fee to use this portion of the turnpike and allow the people of today to see how it was years ago when this highway was built. But in order to do that I know you would have to rehab the tunnels and upgrade the road But as long as you keep the speed slow and charge a fee to use this portion of the vintage highway I think that this would be a great idea and be a money maker for the PA Turnpike Authority. I know I Would pay a fee to use it, as it would be a blast from the past and a good way to recycle this highway with no tru ks allowed.

@evanstauffer4470

2 ай бұрын

The Commonwealth of PA recently sold the tunnels and abandoned portion of the roadway to a not-for-profit foundation that intends to maintain the facilities as a hike/bike trail. How the foundation intends to fund this effort has not been disclosed.

@evanstauffer4470

2 ай бұрын

I must correct my previous comment. See short video entitled "Funding Announced to Rehab Abandoned Turnpike". That section was actually sold in 2001; time flies.

are the underground gas tanks still there?

It’s a well known fact that Sasquatch inhabited that tunnel just recently. Too bad you didn’t address that in your video.

A politicians Greatest dream,waste the tax payers money pocket(kickbacks)then get the opposing side to shut down whole project

@evanstauffer4470

2 ай бұрын

What the heck are you talking about???

whats up top?

@evanstauffer4470

2 ай бұрын

Mostly woodland.

Breezwood to 30-26-36-220. SFC Loretto, Pa.