Howard Johnson's restaurants. They were great. Good food fast in a nice family sit down atmosphere. My wife worked at the one in Lee as a teenager in the early eighties. She loved it. Awesome tips. She would bring home several hundred dollars a night...back then! "You rarely ever met the same people again, and they tipped well."
"for the turnpike driver, gone is the congestion, the bumper-to-bumper crawling..." i can't wait to make a new film with this audio and updated footage....
I remember hearing a story about the Westfield bridge part of the pike. The road was built before the bridge, and teenagers liked to drag race at night, playing chicken and seeing who could come closest and stopping before going over the several hundred-foot fall into the valley far below. Eventually, an unlucky daredevil did plunge to his death, soaring out over the unfinished drop-off. I heard the story from an older guy who was a teenager himself at the time. Swears it was true. Big legend back in the day, now forgotten, he says.
Yes, I don't understand how people can ridicule this video that was made in the 50's, early 60's. Everything they are saying was the truth back then. They simply thought it would be unheard of that there would be the amount of drivers and faster cars of today. I would have loved to have lived back then and what an exciting treat it must've been driving the Massachusetts Turnpike w/Howard Johnson restaurants at every service plaza, yum!
I used to travel between Massachusetts and Ohio on a semi-regular basis, and one thing I noticed was, on the trips I would see about 2 police cars until I got back to Mass. and then I would see one every couple of miles. Every Police officer doubles as a Tax Collector.
My Grandfather and his two Brothers, worked with crews like those shown in this video, to build the roads throughout Massachusetts from the 1930's through the 1970's. In fact, my Grandfather (Armando Giovanni Luigi Gallucci) laid the bricks that mark Boston's Freedom Trail, and re-laid the stone circle that memorialized the site of the Boston Massacre. I am very proud of my Grandfather and my Great Uncles for what they contributed in Massachusetts, they worked hard & loved the work - knew how very important all of it was for our nation. For the countless roads that connected our nation from east to west, north and south, would lead our great nation to freedom and prosperity for all!
@BOXING STONER I remember one of the companies my Grandfather was employed with, for many years, was called McCort Construction, he never worked for the city (office of public works) as a direct employee, but instead was a sub-contractor hired/contracted by the city (my great Uncles were also not opw employees ... I don't think anyway - (ha), now I'm really not sure). He also built runways and other roadways for Logan Airport, and was part of the the crew who installed the concrete "seawall", put at the end of a runway on part of the land that jutted-out like a peninsula, at the Airport's shoreline. A short time later, a plane rammed into that wall during landing, plane basically discentegrated, killed a number of people. It was a huge story, and considered a major disaster for Boston. I remember he was very upset about that, I think it was sometime in the early 70's - I'd have to look it up, I'm sure the internet has something, geesh ...I haven't thought about that incident in years! (yeah, just looked it up, it was 1973.)
@@marioncobaretti2280 Reagan technically was the “we can have our cake and eat it too” president, by the time Clinton took office it was already breakneck pace of all large companies putting profits over people, part of Reaganomics, shipping out good paying jobs with the savings only going to CEOs and shareholders while entire communities got decimated. Clinton’s legacy was destroying modern radio and TV singing in an act where big conglomerates could buy up all the little stations so wind up with little choices in news and music.
At around 09:00 they show a 65 year old ironworker. My son is a 26 year old iron worker. He's educated, well mannered and a hard worker. Working on cushy job like me wasn't his idea of work so he helps build our country. I'm so proud of my Iron Worker!
@@CookingWithMichaelD he makes over $100k without counting in per diem he gets when he travels to a job. Per diem is an additional around $75 a day. Not bad I think.
I also live in Western Mass. Indeed the film footage from this 60 year old construction of the Mass. Turnpike illustrates the substantial terrain obstacles encountered in much of the route across the state which also means serious problems and costs for construction of high speed rail. Few people traveling the Pike today look around to see the challenges of construction. This is not the flat lands of Kansas where preparation of road bed was probably far less costly. And there are not easy alternative routes across any parts of central and western Mass.
I moved to the mid-west from MA in 1963 as a kid. I remember Howard Johnson's restaurants and fried clams! The Pike will always hold a place in my heart. Except when I get to drive on it these days ;)
You're both a smart and lucky man! You saved yourself hundreds of thousands of dollars in extorted taxes by getting the hell out of here. Wish I could say the same ...
Of course they are the same bridges. This county spend billions on the interstate highway system. And then we let it rot because no president has been able to get an infrastructure bill through Congress. Not Democrats or Republicans. Those bridges are all going to start failing all over the country.
@@richardwest6014 Obama did except the "infrastructure" spending was nothing more than a handout to unions. Which was no doubt the radical "transformer's" intention in the first place.....
i was born in 57. I remember when lots of highways were built later in the 60s, like route 89 in New Hampshire. I used to travel that "route" before 89 was built.
it seems so long ago. I found it interesting they thought of 20 tons and 60mph. It is the reason for major repairs today. My grandpa was 31 when it completed, His middle name is russell, its a town mentioned in the video. My grandma spoke of western mass as if a very long journey.. I'll never forget that. she was driving before there was a highway, to go see my grandpa. ;)
Excellent documentary of a major highway which we now take totally for granted. I now have a MUCH greater appreciation for The Pike. Thanks, William!!!
Maybe thoughts of 'getting away', 'new places', 'adventure', etc. I grew up in New Jersey, and I remember being excited and fascinated with the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway since I was 4 years old. I remember taking the New Jersey Turnpike on the way to Disney World for the first time (back in '77), and taking the Parkway to Seaside Heights. The trucks (except on the Parkway), the cars, the speed, the factories, the Meadowlands, the toll booths, and the rest stops. It was, and most of it still is, awesome.
Jason Meadows I’m obsessed with those highways now. When I get my license I’m gathering whatever money I need and traveling the full length of it. Might be a waste of money but I’ve only ever travelled between exit 10-13 and exit 13A-15W. I want to see the rest of the highway
My dad lost the house he had just finished building when the Pike came through. He had a well that produced 10 gallons/minute. It's buried under a hundred feet of stone and gravel now. They moved his house onto my grandparent's foundation from their old farmhouse. They also gave him a job that he ended up retiring from after 33 years of service.
@@richardjulian9263 33yrs is the highest degree a mason can achieve...it celebrates the number of yrs their greatest enemy lived here on earth...Our Lord lived to be 33yrs.
Not just this project, but the entire interstate system was a feat of every challenge you can come up with. The Pennsylvania Turnpike is even more impressive. This is what built America.
It will probably take longer to replace the short Turnpike bridge next to Boston University than the time it took them to build the whole Pike back in the day.
To be fair trying to work on a road while it's still in use is a lot harder than just building a whole new road without all that hassle and then opening it to the public. If they dared shut down the road for a month they could easily do it much faster, but where will traffic go during that month? These days you pretty much have to do four times as much work for the same end result.
@@SmittySmithsonite Yep, blame everything on the dems. It might surprise you that compared to all other states in the union, Mass rates very high in many categories. In education it consistently rates #1. Maybe you should move to Alabama or Mississippi, repubs control those states. It will be like heaven for you. aahahahahahaaaaahahaa
As a former equipment operator I marvel at the guys that build our roads. Seeing the long lost industry hits home. My family all lost jobs over the years. Mass was an amazing superpower before the politicians ruined it.
I loved the sign at the start of the first tunnel by South Station for the big dig (as best I remember it): "If Rome was built in a day, we'd have hired their contractors."
"The most courteous man behind the wheel, America's truck driver." Oh how the view of North American truck drivers has changed. Someone needs to find a way to bring Jimmy Hoffa back for us...
They lowered the speed to 55 in 1774 and changed all the speed limit signs, which cost us millions. Then when they were told to raise the limit back to 65, they said it cost too much. Many people said they would volunteer to change them, but they said we weren't allowed. Their biggest loss of money would be the speeding fines they got rich on.
This was great a good video. My Dad worked on the section between Auburn and Chicopee ,,probably was him on a dozer or scraper, hard to tell in that old footage !
Very nice to learn about and see the building of the Mass Pike. I see the name "Mass Pike" hadn't yet occured/ taken over when the narrator carefully termed it "The Massachusetts Turnpike."
I remember them building RT.495 through Franklin in the late 60's. When the people in our neighborhood didn't want to give away their new homes at "Fair Market Value" they cut the highway through a pond and right up to backyards of their houses causing flooding and a massive tree kill that can still be seen today,making the whole area a swamp for decades....
It is Jack Chase from channel 4, WBZ. He comes from a day when news anchors had class. Don Kent did the weather and for someone who licked his finger and then stuck it out the window to make a forecast he was not that bad.
Those were great times back then . I miss the old days when Howard Johnson's was around, even though it wasn't the best food, it was always comforting to know they had food.. especially my orange sherbert. LOL
We used to drive to Grandmas in Blanford right under that Westfield bridge every Sunday or so and stop at Burger Chef in Westfield on the way back home to Connecticut. We kids used to chant, Burger Chef, Burger Chef so our parents would stop, but they were going to anyway so Mom didn't have to cook supper. That Wesrtfield bridge is and was a long way up. My Dad said there was a park off of 20 near trhe Blanford side of the bridge, that had to be closed years ago due to Timber Rattlers biting people. Maybe it was a Dad story.
Charlie Rices Burger Chef. The home of Burger Chef...and Jeff! They had a big breakfast platter for 2.99 with 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, toast and hash browns that was all real food. The triple cheeseburger wrapped in wax paper. I ate at the south street, Pittsfield location a dozen times a week. It blew away any other fast food places. We had so many great choices back then, unlike today!
Yes, until women decided to be men, Unions drove industry to China, workers benefits drove manufacturing to taiwan and Indonesia, and everyone wants the government to pay for everything without raising taxes - Oh, Yes, until that blond (Fake) headed idiot got elected to office in 2016.
@@organbuilder272 What do you expect the women to do? Stay their and sit down and shut up? THEY ARE ALIVE TOO!!!! Too bad we could not have a conversation about this at the time things were EVOLVING. NOW THE CHANGE IS SET
How fascinating! My parents were married May 11, 1957 and stopped in Lee on their way to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon. They just missed the opening of the Turnpike. I wonder if they traveled it on the way back?
They should make a documentary like this for the expansion of 93 in NH between the MA state line and Manchester. The construction has been crazy impressive for years and finally almost done.
You are looking for NY Thruway since Massachusetts turnpike is connected to NY Thruway at West Stocksbridge where I-90 enters NYS from MA. Remember twin 53ft trailers run Weston I-95 interchange to Ripley NY on I-90 via Exit 21A.
Worcester...the section everyone always dreaded going through. Those dangerous narrow curves caused by shoehorning the pike through the ancient existing city. I realize it was an impossible task, and they did their best...but that section is holy hell to this day. Even worse at night.
1:47 The world's safest truck driver....as he nearly rear-ends the other truck and changes lanes without signaling....Yuppp sure seams like America to me
@@TheAppadito my mom's family farm was also taken. My mom's family came over on the Mayflower and had farmed for centuries in the Pioneer Valley. My great grandparents had to let 200 farm workers go. They didn't get paid what the land was worth. The construction of the Mass Pike ruined my family's vocation - farming. This was in West Springfield MA. The Pike went through my great grandparent's farmhouse and outbuildings. My grandparent's had to move their farmhouse, only to be taken again in the 60s by the construction of I -91. Life changing. My grandmother lived in a little cape cod that was spared, next to the highway. My uncles could find the asparagus beds and the brooks with rainbow trout by crossing the highways in the 1970s.
I tend to favor the Taconic, though it might not be considered a highway (no trucks). I have had many a trip on both roads, often going from Milan to I-495. The seasons play a huge role in which is more 'senic'
Like freed slaves? Supposedly the whole "modern economy" is built on the backs of slaves some way shape or form. Yet THAT same demographic is villified on the news every night & politicians voted in to take away the few benifits they were getting. Obviously this road was built by white ppl & for white ppl to get from the burbs into town & take all the good jobs.
Its fascinating to see all these industries whose impacts last long after they either went out of business or shipped off to foreign lands in search of cheaper labor.... the monsanto and pittsfield GE plants dropped a bunch of toxic chemicals into our rivers, the somerville Ford company is now a boutique mall - how things change.
Wait, the Mass Pike had 3 lanes in each direction in some parts from the very beginning? I always assumed a third lane was added in some parts to relieve congestion.
Yes, that is where they got their name. The Buffalo Springfield Roller Co. There's a story behind it behind them using the name, but I can't remember it from 50 years ago.
My friends an I years ago used to joke about the difficulties of navigating around downtown Boston...We would say"Jesus christ if you aint careful what lane your in before you know it you're on the pike headed west when all you wanted to do was turn around"...lol..
And also look out for the fake ice age glaciers! Notice how it was 1,000,000yrs ago in the film , but now it's 'only' 40,000yrs ago. Must not have heard of Noah...smh
The Mass Pike is like any toll road,it will never be paid off,it has constant maintenance, hundreds of workers,and endless tree,fence,guard rail,snowplowing,crack sealing,pothole patching,ect! If you stopped paying for a well taking care of road,it will fall into disrepair quickly and be closed! NY Thruway is another example,the cost of the actual road my have been paid off years ago,but it needs a constant flow of tolls to keep it going and providing a quality road to travel for a set fee by distance of travel.
Millions maybe billions of dollars have been put into the general fund since the mass pike was built. That’s above the cost of maintaining the mass pike.
To the best of my knowledge, the Wyman-Gordon plant in Grafton is still operating, though it is a shadow of its former self. Otherwise, yes, pretty much all of those businesses are closed or moved and most of those buildings are gone.
I miss the old toll booths and question losing them. It has not gotten any cheaper going automated and frequent billing errors and having to keep up with the nuisance of an electronic pass stinks, plus they don't interconnect with other state highways. It was so much simpler and nicer to just stop, say hello to the friendly toll keeper and go on your way. They were good paying jobs and the whole system worked great for everyone. No one asked the public how we felt about it, of course. I don't know anyone who ever had a problem with those toll booths in operation.
@@atomicwedgie8176 There was a time when people were embarrassed of their ignorance yet you seem proud of and openly flaunt yours. My how times have changed!
Sad to think people are so uninformed now, they didn't know that. The difference is, back then it was real, practical . Now it's all just a p.c. motivated farce.
Who doesn't remember driving by the Monsanto plant! Even at night, you knew exactly where you were...by the smell. I always marveled anyone could actually put up with living, working anywhere within miles of that horrible smell. They should never have located those plants in such urban states. It smelled just like a can of paint...yikes! "Who the heck would choose to work there" always crossed my mind! Nuts!
I love these guys work like men. No shirts, no work boots. LOL OSHA would have a field day. I remember as late as the 80's early 90's we would work without shirts on construction sites or at least sleeveless T shirts. Now you have wear long sleeves & safety vests,
Those men running the pneumatic rock drills probably all came down with silicosis and/or other serious breathing issues. Made it tough for a guy to get a good drag on an unfiltered cigarette. What's OSHA? Sounds like a town in Wisconsin. Have you seen the safety clothing that they wear in Europe? Everything is hi-vis, covered with tons of light reflective material.
It's All about making people compliant.... they could care less about you being safe. Same thing now, with the stupid mask wearing and "social distancing"..... so that they can spot you with those little softball size 5G satellites that are going "up there" by the dozens every week via Elon Musk's Space X program.... 12,000 SAT's launched in 2020, with another 33,000 by the end of 2022!!
Now take the tolls out and it will be appreciated ! ! they took away jobs..bad enough.. they could at least left one booth with a real toll collector for the option of pay now and no fartin around later i live in the crappy state of ct. which wants to follow suit they say they need the money but we all know that soo many crooks will have their hands in the cookie jar that their wont even be any crumbs to fix the pot holes...Mr. Governor...take down the tolls ! ! !
@@philherbox4052 If you ever wanna get back at someone, cop a squat in reverse, and leave a steamer on the beach of the toilet. It's called a Crocodile on a sandbar..🐊
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Howard Johnson's restaurants. They were great. Good food fast in a nice family sit down atmosphere. My wife worked at the one in Lee as a teenager in the early eighties. She loved it. Awesome tips. She would bring home several hundred dollars a night...back then! "You rarely ever met the same people again, and they tipped well."
"for the turnpike driver, gone is the congestion, the bumper-to-bumper crawling..." i can't wait to make a new film with this audio and updated footage....
I know-it's like things have _changed_ in the past 70 years.
The world's safest amd most curious driver.... the truck driver..... !!!!! Thank you to all truckers past and present!!!
You're welcome!
I love vintage films in Massachusetts
I live in MA, and the first sentence of "fast, comfortable, safe driving" had me laughing
Freakin @$$#0les cutting in & out of traffic minus turn signals & slamming on brakes. Definitely totally different today.
Toll roads are an absolute revenue gold mine for tax hungry states.
I commuted on that road for years and now I avoid it like its my family. Lots of stop and go these days.
It was a simpler time, when American Pride measured greater than acknowledgement of American Reality.
Understandable, but back in the day it was totally true.
I remember hearing a story about the Westfield bridge part of the pike. The road was built before the bridge, and teenagers liked to drag race at night, playing chicken and seeing who could come closest and stopping before going over the several hundred-foot fall into the valley far below. Eventually, an unlucky daredevil did plunge to his death, soaring out over the unfinished drop-off. I heard the story from an older guy who was a teenager himself at the time. Swears it was true. Big legend back in the day, now forgotten, he says.
Those old cars were works of art with many color choices.
Even back then, people knew those cars were special.
I remember my dad taking my mom and I on it in his '53 Buick Special on opening day in '57. The pike was so beautiful and futuristic!
Yes, I don't understand how people can ridicule this video that was made in the 50's, early 60's. Everything they are saying was the truth back then. They simply thought it would be unheard of that there would be the amount of drivers and faster cars of today. I would have loved to have lived back then and what an exciting treat it must've been driving the Massachusetts Turnpike w/Howard Johnson restaurants at every service plaza, yum!
Back then, they looked to the future, and meant to grasp it.
ÉÁQUI NO BŔÁSIL ELES OLHA PRA CÁŔTEIRA UM DOS ÓÚTROß😢😊
If this road was built today with modern equipment, it would take 100 years.
True.. Canada as well; BUT leave it to the Dutch!
th-cam.com/video/btOE0rcKDC0/w-d-xo.html
And it would be crap. Like RI roads.
Well hell yes, gotta have those 30 min breaks every hour 🤦🏼♂️. Of course these were men who were happy to have a job back then.
Yeah. With that logic, it would have taken the Romans 5 minutes?
@H. Nguyen The Big Dig involved just moving utilities during much of the in the early 80s.
This was the first and last day that motorists enjoyed driving the Mass Pike.
Yeah but it sure beats Rt. 9
I used to travel between Massachusetts and Ohio on a semi-regular basis, and one thing I noticed was, on the trips I would see about 2 police cars until I got back to Mass. and then I would see one every couple of miles. Every Police officer doubles as a Tax Collector.
Also the first and last day they did not collect tolls
I lived in Mass. for many years and enjoyed the Mass Pike. It was the other drivers that made my drive bad.
@@gerardvye9015 ion
My Grandfather and his two Brothers, worked with crews like those shown in this video, to build the roads throughout Massachusetts from the 1930's through the 1970's.
In fact, my Grandfather (Armando Giovanni Luigi Gallucci) laid the bricks that mark Boston's Freedom Trail, and re-laid the stone circle that memorialized the site of the Boston Massacre.
I am very proud of my Grandfather and my Great Uncles for what they contributed in Massachusetts, they worked hard & loved the work - knew how very important all of it was for our nation.
For the countless roads that connected our nation from east to west, north and south, would lead our great nation to freedom and prosperity for all!
Globalist Juice 👍
@BOXING STONER I remember one of the companies my Grandfather was employed with, for many years, was called McCort Construction, he never worked for the city (office of public works) as a direct employee, but instead was a sub-contractor hired/contracted by the city (my great Uncles were also not opw employees ... I don't think anyway - (ha), now I'm really not sure). He also built runways and other roadways for Logan Airport, and was part of the the crew who installed the concrete "seawall", put at the end of a runway on part of the land that jutted-out like a peninsula, at the Airport's shoreline. A short time later, a plane rammed into that wall during landing, plane basically discentegrated, killed a number of people. It was a huge story, and considered a major disaster for Boston. I remember he was very upset about that, I think it was sometime in the early 70's - I'd have to look it up, I'm sure the internet has something, geesh ...I haven't thought about that incident in years! (yeah, just looked it up, it was 1973.)
37:35 onwards: Can't help be impressed by the optimistic, forward-looking narrative of this film - reflecting the feeling of the post-war years! 🏭👍
Look at all of the factories that opened up on the mass pike. Now look at how many of them are long gone today.
Yeah... they've all been replaced by Welfare offices!
Most of those factories predate the pike
You can thank wallstreet for selling America to China
clinton took all that to china
@@marioncobaretti2280 Reagan technically was the “we can have our cake and eat it too” president, by the time Clinton took office it was already breakneck pace of all large companies putting profits over people, part of Reaganomics, shipping out good paying jobs with the savings only going to CEOs and shareholders while entire communities got decimated. Clinton’s legacy was destroying modern radio and TV singing in an act where big conglomerates could buy up all the little stations so wind up with little choices in news and music.
At around 09:00 they show a 65 year old ironworker. My son is a 26 year old iron worker. He's educated, well mannered and a hard worker. Working on cushy job like me wasn't his idea of work so he helps build our country. I'm so proud of my Iron Worker!
I heard they get paid pretty well those guys. They're always in really good shape
@@CookingWithMichaelD he makes over $100k without counting in per diem he gets when he travels to a job. Per diem is an additional around $75 a day. Not bad I think.
I also live in Western Mass. Indeed the film footage from this 60 year old construction of the Mass. Turnpike illustrates the substantial terrain obstacles encountered in much of the route across the state which also means serious problems and costs for construction of high speed rail. Few people traveling the Pike today look around to see the challenges of construction. This is not the flat lands of Kansas where preparation of road bed was probably far less costly.
And there are not easy alternative routes across any parts of central and western Mass.
I moved to the mid-west from MA in 1963 as a kid. I remember Howard Johnson's restaurants and fried clams! The Pike will always hold a place in my heart. Except when I get to drive on it these days ;)
You're both a smart and lucky man! You saved yourself hundreds of thousands of dollars in extorted taxes by getting the hell out of here. Wish I could say the same ...
I too moved from mass to Florida in 1974 boy do I miss the fried clams and I remember H J’ s
Ive never seen the Mass Pike this deserted. Usually everyone is sitting there bumper-to-bumper.
theres one point in between exit 2 and 3 where no ones around. 30 mile between the 2 exits
This is the 1950's. One car per family and they're weren't a lot of women drivers in those days either.
A lot of it is only 2 lanes.
Crazy how those bridges still look the same as they did then (and probably are the same ones too)
Of course they are the same bridges. This county spend billions on the interstate highway system. And then we let it rot because no president has been able to get an infrastructure bill through Congress. Not Democrats or Republicans. Those bridges are all going to start failing all over the country.
@@richardwest6014 Obama did except the "infrastructure" spending was nothing more than a handout to unions. Which was no doubt the radical "transformer's" intention in the first place.....
They are the same bridges. Only super super super super rusted out. Heck. Have you even seen the guardrails??? Rust city.
@@TheCloakedTiger honestly what isn’t rusted out here. All the road salt 🙄
@@richardwest6014 why is it congress fault that the bridges were built like junk
i was born in 57. I remember when lots of highways were built later in the 60s, like route 89 in New Hampshire. I used to travel that "route" before 89 was built.
it seems so long ago. I found it interesting they thought of 20 tons and 60mph. It is the reason for major repairs today. My grandpa was 31 when it completed, His middle name is russell, its a town mentioned in the video. My grandma spoke of western mass as if a very long journey.. I'll never forget that. she was driving before there was a highway, to go see my grandpa. ;)
Boy back in the day we never heard of cabs for the heavy equipment!!!!!
Excellent documentary of a major highway which we now take totally for granted. I now have a MUCH greater appreciation for The Pike. Thanks, William!!!
Without those highways. It will be so difficult to travel by car dealing with local traffic lights especially in the city.
not sure why learning about highways grabs my curiosity so much
Maybe thoughts of 'getting away', 'new places', 'adventure', etc. I grew up in New Jersey, and I remember being excited and fascinated with the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway since I was 4 years old. I remember taking the New Jersey Turnpike on the way to Disney World for the first time (back in '77), and taking the Parkway to Seaside Heights. The trucks (except on the Parkway), the cars, the speed, the factories, the Meadowlands, the toll booths, and the rest stops. It was, and most of it still is, awesome.
99tjpro me too!!
Jason Meadows I’m obsessed with those highways now. When I get my license I’m gathering whatever money I need and traveling the full length of it. Might be a waste of money but I’ve only ever travelled between exit 10-13 and exit 13A-15W. I want to see the rest of the highway
My dad lost the house he had just finished building when the Pike came through. He had a well that produced 10 gallons/minute. It's buried under a hundred feet of stone and gravel now. They moved his house onto my grandparent's foundation from their old farmhouse. They also gave him a job that he ended up retiring from after 33 years of service.
33yrs? He was a freemason?
@@atomicwedgie8176 No he was not.
@@richardjulian9263 Why do so many people retire, not at 32 or 34yrs, but 33? hmmm
@@atomicwedgie8176 No idea that 33 years is a thing? I'm hoping to get out at 36 years.
@@richardjulian9263 33yrs is the highest degree a mason can achieve...it celebrates the number of yrs their greatest enemy lived here on earth...Our Lord lived to be 33yrs.
Not just this project, but the entire interstate system was a feat of every challenge you can come up with. The Pennsylvania Turnpike is even more impressive. This is what built America.
It will probably take longer to replace the short Turnpike bridge next to Boston University than the time it took them to build the whole Pike back in the day.
To be fair trying to work on a road while it's still in use is a lot harder than just building a whole new road without all that hassle and then opening it to the public. If they dared shut down the road for a month they could easily do it much faster, but where will traffic go during that month? These days you pretty much have to do four times as much work for the same end result.
Now what the country needs is a high-speed rail system going 400 MPH coast to coast and border to border.
Bumper to bumper is back!!
They built the Mass Pike in year and a half? That's amazing.
I thought the same. The amount of infrastructure built in the '50s and '60s is impressive.
Be there in a minute.
the last real generation from wwII did all this good . when men were real men , not lbgtq weirdos.
Back before red tape, and total democrat control of Beacon Hill. Things got done! And all this with zero tax revenue on Sundays in those days.
@@SmittySmithsonite Yep, blame everything on the dems. It might surprise you that compared to all other states in the union, Mass rates very high in many categories. In education it consistently rates #1. Maybe you should move to Alabama or Mississippi, repubs control those states. It will be like heaven for you. aahahahahahaaaaahahaa
As a former equipment operator I marvel at the guys that build our roads. Seeing the long lost industry hits home. My family all lost jobs over the years. Mass was an amazing superpower before the politicians ruined it.
When these big shovels rent for over $500 a day time is of the essence. I'd like t see them rent that equipment today for $500 :-)
Nixon did a job to Mass for being the ONLY state that didn't vote for him.
ted kennedy was the father of corruption in mass
Was it the politicians, or was it just globalization and the inevitable march of time?
@@marioncobaretti2280 Ted Kennedy may have been corrupt as any other pol, but the father of corruption? Don't think so.
Ken’s Steak House at 3:49. I just stopped there for the first time this past July. Still going strong decades later.
Caught that as well. Amazing still the same!
Too bad we didn't have the same motivated workers, planners and politicians from this era for the "Big Dig"....
I loved the sign at the start of the first tunnel by South Station for the big dig (as best I remember it): "If Rome was built in a day, we'd have hired their contractors."
Don't get stopped on the Pike by a friggin Statey!
While they blow past you at at least 100 mph!
Ikr
@@mochs62512 or stalk you and hog the left lanes. Plus, hide on the side of the grass and road.
@@maroon9273 yep!
"The most courteous man behind the wheel, America's truck driver." Oh how the view of North American truck drivers has changed. Someone needs to find a way to bring Jimmy Hoffa back for us...
Maybe by seance.
Jordan Ray, yes, you can blame deregulation. Reg-u-lay-shins bad. You-nins bad.
They lowered the speed to 55 in 1774 and changed all the speed limit signs, which cost us millions. Then when they were told to raise the limit back to 65, they said it cost too much. Many people said they would volunteer to change them, but they said we weren't allowed. Their biggest loss of money would be the speeding fines they got rich on.
1774 ?
Because of the Revolution....
This was great a good video. My Dad worked on the section between Auburn and Chicopee ,,probably was him on a dozer or scraper, hard to tell in that old footage !
Thanks for posting. I like seeing documentaries like this, especially of my home State.
Very nice to learn about and see the building of the Mass Pike. I see the name "Mass Pike" hadn't yet occured/ taken over when the narrator carefully termed it "The Massachusetts Turnpike."
Carl Cushman Hybels 37:28- MASS PIKE
And people from Maine hadn't come up with the phrase "Masshole" yet, either!
That was fun to watch
Amazing how fast work used to able to be completed
Thanks for posting
“Towns were bypassed,” and they subsequently became ghost towns.
I remember them building RT.495 through Franklin in the late 60's. When the people in our neighborhood didn't want to give away their new homes at "Fair Market Value" they cut the highway through a pond and right up to backyards of their houses causing flooding and a massive tree kill that can still be seen today,making the whole area a swamp for decades....
You mean near Beaver Pond?
@@captainobvious9233
Whoa.....Actually not that far up the Highway near Rt.140 at Conlyn Avenue. There's a BJ's or something there now.
All announcers now should talk like this guy did.
That's Jack Chase. He was WBZ-TV's weatherman for many, many years.
@@wacoflyer He was the anchor of the news, Don Kent was the weatherman
I think it's Max Headroom.
This guy actually voiced every 1950s documentary film.
It is Jack Chase from channel 4, WBZ. He comes from a day when news anchors had class. Don Kent did the weather and for someone who licked his finger and then stuck it out the window to make a forecast he was not that bad.
Those were great times back then . I miss the old days when Howard Johnson's was around, even though it wasn't the best food, it was always comforting to know they had food.. especially my orange sherbert. LOL
We used to drive to Grandmas in Blanford right under that Westfield bridge every Sunday or so and stop at Burger Chef in Westfield on the way back home to Connecticut. We kids used to chant, Burger Chef, Burger Chef so our parents would stop, but they were going to anyway so Mom didn't have to cook supper. That Wesrtfield bridge is and was a long way up.
My Dad said there was a park off of 20 near trhe Blanford side of the bridge, that had to be closed years ago due to Timber Rattlers biting people.
Maybe it was a Dad story.
Wheres gram live?
@@chrislagasse3722 Now? West of moon, East of Sun.
Charlie Rices Burger Chef. The home of Burger Chef...and Jeff! They had a big breakfast platter for 2.99 with 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, toast and hash browns that was all real food. The triple cheeseburger wrapped in wax paper. I ate at the south street, Pittsfield location a dozen times a week. It blew away any other fast food places. We had so many great choices back then, unlike today!
Tekoa mountain area is known for having rattle snakes !
Couldn't imagine driving on RT 9 in the 50s, must have been a death trap.
Jack Chase worked at Boston's WBZ-TV for many years, so I wonder if perhaps this was originally a program produced and aired by that station.
Wow,I remember that name... decades ago...
Yup..Jack Chase. "And make it a good day"
I would say that this was produced by the Turnpike Authority,and Jack hired out his impressive pipes...wonder if he was wearing his rug?
......and don't forget WBZ's "Juicy, Brucy Bradly"... the DJ playing the Hits of the 50s & early/mid 60s radio. : )
We were once a great nation.
ok boomer
Yes, until women decided to be men, Unions drove industry to China, workers benefits drove manufacturing to taiwan and Indonesia, and everyone wants the government to pay for everything without raising taxes - Oh, Yes, until that blond (Fake) headed idiot got elected to office in 2016.
@@organbuilder272 What do you expect the women to do? Stay their and sit down and shut up? THEY ARE ALIVE TOO!!!! Too bad we could not have a conversation about this at the time things were EVOLVING. NOW THE CHANGE IS SET
@@organbuilder272 It was Wall Street and investment bankers that drove industry overseas, not Unions.
I am not an american but I will say it's a great nation gotta love U S A👍😀✌️
How fascinating! My parents were married May 11, 1957 and stopped in Lee on their way to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon. They just missed the opening of the Turnpike. I wonder if they traveled it on the way back?
The trees were no good for firewood ! What a load of BS. LOL !
Amazing. Thanks!!
It's a great road. I take it all the time between 84 and 290/495 on the way from NYC to NH. I wish NY state built roads engineered like this!
They should make a documentary like this for the expansion of 93 in NH between the MA state line and Manchester. The construction has been crazy impressive for years and finally almost done.
My did. It's called the new York thruth way
You are looking for NY Thruway since Massachusetts turnpike is connected to NY Thruway at West Stocksbridge where I-90 enters NYS from MA. Remember twin 53ft trailers run Weston I-95 interchange to Ripley NY on I-90 via Exit 21A.
Amazing footage! Thanks
Great video!
I live in worcester, and this video is cool af, ima show my parents lmao
Worcester...the section everyone always dreaded going through. Those dangerous narrow curves caused by shoehorning the pike through the ancient existing city. I realize it was an impossible task, and they did their best...but that section is holy hell to this day. Even worse at night.
Credit for acknowledging problems... human, weather, and geological.
Big Toms son Tommy saved Callahan Auto Parts
Dcdanger
Big Tom?
@@bradwyrick4738 Your right it was Big Tom... Thx
Great movie!
YES!
Lmfao!!!!!!!
1:47 The world's safest truck driver....as he nearly rear-ends the other truck and changes lanes without signaling....Yuppp sure seams like America to me
people of Massachusetts, travel west via this route please. You’ve congested southern Maine enough and we need a break
Just remove the bridge over the Pisataqua river. If you are lucky, they will all sail right on out into the river.
We built through worthless lands such as this... (Queue gorgeous farmland with hills)
Exactly what I was thinking. We just took out this family's worthless farm
My mom's farm was one of those --- now the off ramp for Westfield
@@TheAppadito Exit 4?
@@jonstefanik9400 3
@@TheAppadito my mom's family farm was also taken. My mom's family came over on the Mayflower and had farmed for centuries in the Pioneer Valley. My great grandparents had to let 200 farm workers go. They didn't get paid what the land was worth. The construction of the Mass Pike ruined my family's vocation - farming. This was in West Springfield MA. The Pike went through my great grandparent's farmhouse and outbuildings. My grandparent's had to move their farmhouse, only to be taken again in the 60s by the construction of I -91. Life changing. My grandmother lived in a little cape cod that was spared, next to the highway. My uncles could find the asparagus beds and the brooks with rainbow trout by crossing the highways in the 1970s.
Once Eisenhower saw the Autobahn in Germany...he new America needed the same thing. The Pike was just one of those projects.
37:39 The Carling (Black Label) brewery was a landmark next to Rt. 9 for decades. Nice to see it mentioned here.
Man how times have changed...
Looks like 495 when it was first opened. Now it can become a parking lot. I remember route 9 as a baby. Thanks.
This is probably one of the most scenic highways in the US, especially once you get out to Western Mass
I guess you've never been west of the east coast... huh?
@@Romans--bo7br he said one of. Which is true. There are many scenic roads in this country. I've seen a good portion of them all.
I tend to favor the Taconic, though it might not be considered a highway (no trucks). I have had many a trip on both roads, often going from Milan to I-495. The seasons play a huge role in which is more 'senic'
Least scenic highway in Mass.
0:48 I hate it when they say a certain person built a road like this, what about all the real labourers?
Like freed slaves? Supposedly the whole "modern economy" is built on the backs of slaves some way shape or form. Yet THAT same demographic is villified on the news every night & politicians voted in to take away the few benifits they were getting. Obviously this road was built by white ppl & for white ppl to get from the burbs into town & take all the good jobs.
@@williscurry6557 wtf 😳. Why is everything about race ?
Its fascinating to see all these industries whose impacts last long after they either went out of business or shipped off to foreign lands in search of cheaper labor.... the monsanto and pittsfield GE plants dropped a bunch of toxic chemicals into our rivers, the somerville Ford company is now a boutique mall - how things change.
Fascinating
I was born a year later.. Times have sure changed.
Wait, the Mass Pike had 3 lanes in each direction in some parts from the very beginning? I always assumed a third lane was added in some parts to relieve congestion.
I noticed that one roller at 34:05 had the name Buffalo Springfield on it. I wonder if that's where the rock music group got its name?
Yes, that is where they got their name. The Buffalo Springfield Roller Co.
There's a story behind it behind them using the name, but I can't remember it from 50 years ago.
Yes it was his first time out
The Buffalo Springfield Roller Co. Truly The Cleanest Best Pleasure!
My friends an I years ago used to joke about the difficulties of navigating around downtown Boston...We would say"Jesus christ if you aint careful what lane your in before you know it you're on the pike headed west when all you wanted to do was turn around"...lol..
not only does the traffic suck but so do the drivers
"The horn blows. How about the driver?"
Men died, but more importantly we lost money to accidents and vandalism.
And also look out for the fake ice age glaciers! Notice how it was 1,000,000yrs ago in the film , but now it's 'only' 40,000yrs ago. Must not have heard of Noah...smh
Vandals gave no phuck about the equipment, the turnpike, the state or anybody else for that matter.
Why bring religion into this?
Atomicwedgie81 ok boomer
I wonder how many of these men are still alive today...
My grandfather told me you could drive on it at night before it was paved, as fast as you wanted, not that he should've. 495 too.
I couldn't imagine the LIE as dirt, although now it's close to the same!!
Ppl go down it in the winter in snow mobiles be for the plows come lol
A friend of mine has done that many times I'm told. It's real easy to get on and off behind the Westborough rest area.
Matthew Fogarty he means 495 in mass not 495 in Long Island there’s a 495 in most states where I-95 goes
A 6" by 3 foot stick of dynamite would be fun to have at a party.
"Hold my beer. . . ."
Just make sure there's no lightning in the immediate forecast.
3 lanes on each side.....except where there are 2......
3 lanes East, then on the other side of the divider, the opposite 3 lanes heading West.
@@AdamBorseti Except where it is 2
I think the narrator was Jack Chase, a news anchor at WBZ TV. He was at WBZ 28 or so years.
Politicians with shovels still kill me to this day.......hope no one was hurt........smfh
The need shovels to shovel all the sh*t they dish out every day.
@@tommytruth7595.... if that's the case, they need an earth mover!!
What's the reverend doing there? Gonna pass the plate? Lol.
They sure know how to shovel the b.s, like crazy, though!
15:14 mountain blasting on the Westfield River
The Mass Pike is like any toll road,it will never be paid off,it has constant maintenance, hundreds of workers,and endless tree,fence,guard rail,snowplowing,crack sealing,pothole patching,ect! If you stopped paying for a well taking care of road,it will fall into disrepair quickly and be closed! NY Thruway is another example,the cost of the actual road my have been paid off years ago,but it needs a constant flow of tolls to keep it going and providing a quality road to travel for a set fee by distance of travel.
And both are not great roads
Millions maybe billions of dollars have been put into the general fund since the mass pike was built. That’s above the cost of maintaining the mass pike.
Some people take this for granite.
John P granted
@@warpedbeyondhelp you didnt get the pun. You must have sand between ur ears
LOL
@@warpedbeyondhelp - Must be a New Hampshire joke - The Granite State.
Those industries touted here are for the most part gone
All of them but Monsanto are, to my knowledge
My thought exactly. A real shame.
To the best of my knowledge, the Wyman-Gordon plant in Grafton is still operating, though it is a shadow of its former self. Otherwise, yes, pretty much all of those businesses are closed or moved and most of those buildings are gone.
The Massachusetts Turnpike Is Bumper To Bumper Today...
I guess the Massachusetts Turnpike isn’t really that much faster than it’s predecessor US Route 20.
And..... They are still working on it...!!!!
Impressive.
I miss the old toll booths and question losing them. It has not gotten any cheaper going automated and frequent billing errors and having to keep up with the nuisance of an electronic pass stinks, plus they don't interconnect with other state highways. It was so much simpler and nicer to just stop, say hello to the friendly toll keeper and go on your way. They were good paying jobs and the whole system worked great for everyone. No one asked the public how we felt about it, of course. I don't know anyone who ever had a problem with those toll booths in operation.
Springfield is still a miserable trip 🤣
Damn right it is
🚨Dad joke alert🚨 ⬆️⬆️
It’s not there trip that’s miserable it’s just the destination at this point
I live in MA and drive on it maybe a handful of times a year. I go out of my way to avoid it, if I can.
Interesting to hear there were conservationists in the mid 1950s.
Had to get everyone indoctrinated for the coming global warming hoax. Oh, wait...we got snow 2 days ago in Iowa...I meant to say climate change!
@@atomicwedgie8176 there's a difference between weather and climate....
@@atomicwedgie8176 There was a time when people were embarrassed of their ignorance yet you seem proud of and openly flaunt yours. My how times have changed!
Sad to think people are so uninformed now, they didn't know that. The difference is, back then it was real, practical . Now it's all just a p.c. motivated farce.
Row and row of shiny new cars. I will take 5 of each of them.
Thank you very much for saving and contributing this.
Would you mind if I saved and used a copy?
Enjoy! Of course you may copy.
Thank you very much!
Why ask? Just take it.
Who doesn't remember driving by the Monsanto plant! Even at night, you knew exactly where you were...by the smell. I always marveled anyone could actually put up with living, working anywhere within miles of that horrible smell. They should never have located those plants in such urban states. It smelled just like a can of paint...yikes! "Who the heck would choose to work there" always crossed my mind! Nuts!
I've driven The Pike countless times, and have a new appreciation for it. Pause the video at 34:07. Name look familiar?
I love these guys work like men. No shirts, no work boots. LOL OSHA would have a field day. I remember as late as the 80's early 90's we would work without shirts on construction sites or at least sleeveless T shirts. Now you have wear long sleeves & safety vests,
You like looking at shirtless men, Donald?
I'm thinking a dust mask might have been a plus for some of those guys.
I like shirtless firemen too!
Those men running the pneumatic rock drills probably all came down with silicosis and/or other serious breathing issues. Made it tough for a guy to get a good drag on an unfiltered cigarette. What's OSHA? Sounds like a town in Wisconsin. Have you seen the safety clothing that they wear in Europe? Everything is hi-vis, covered with tons of light reflective material.
It's All about making people compliant.... they could care less about you being safe. Same thing now, with the stupid mask wearing and "social distancing"..... so that they can spot you with those little softball size 5G satellites that are going "up there" by the dozens every week via Elon Musk's Space X program.... 12,000 SAT's launched in 2020, with another 33,000 by the end of 2022!!
Now take the tolls out and it will be appreciated ! ! they took away jobs..bad enough.. they could at least left one booth with a real toll collector for the option of pay now and no fartin around later i live in the crappy state of ct. which wants to follow suit they say they need the money but we all know that soo many crooks will have their hands in the cookie jar that their wont even be any crumbs to fix the pot holes...Mr. Governor...take down the tolls ! ! !
2.29 billion in today's dollars. Amazing the scope of this project.
My dad and 3 uncle's worked on it.
Does anyone else ever piss on the side of the toilet so it makes less noise????
Less splash too
I pee on the side of the bowl to knock down the occasional turd.
The shower works well for me. And im not talking about going when I'm in the shower.
@@philherbox4052
If you ever wanna get back at someone, cop a squat in reverse, and leave a steamer on the beach of the toilet. It's called a Crocodile on a sandbar..🐊
@@johncholmes643 Thats funny!!
Wow.