I grew up in the Pittsburgh area and have family there. I visit most every year, usually coming through the FPT. On the other side of the tunnel you see nothing. Bunch of trees, hills, and strip malls. Then you pop out the tunnel and it's like you teleported directly to Pittsburgh. It's a really cool effect. I don't think it was planned this way. It just sorta happened. But it's really cool, and it's stunning for anyone new to the experience.
I'm in Pittsburgh right now and I can tell you when I was there for the first time and went thru the tunnel at night it has really wow effect. Very nice and kind of dramatic entrance to the city.
I’ve never been to Pittsburgh, but I’ve always heard that it’s better than Philadelphia, which is a city I’ve been to multiple times. Idk, I might go to Pittsburgh once the us canada border opens up.
@@HAA0603Overall Philly is better because there’s more things since the population is significantly much larger. But Pittsburgh definitely has cool stuff that’s worthy and worth the visit
I was a on-call hospice nurse and covered many counties in and around Pittsburgh. If there was a bridge, I crossed it. If there was a tunnel, I went through it. But coming out of the Fort Pitt Bridge inbound *ALWAYS* took my breath away, day or night. I am one proud 'yinzer'.
Born and raised in Pittsburgh (West Mifflin) and living in Houston since 1974. Every time I come home to visit, I never get tired of exiting the tunnel and seeing that view. It's awesome!
I loved visiting my grandparents every summer. We drove with 6 kids in the car from Oklahoma,and my dad woke us up before the tunnel. Such great memories
When I go away for any length of time and come home through the tunnel, I get this great sense of calmness that " I'm Home" feeling. My body relaxes from all the stress of traveling and It's a great feeling coming thru the the Fort Pitt Tunnel.
I always delight traveling through both the Squirrel Hill Tunnels and the Fort Pitt Tunnels as my dad was part of the (many) tile setters who set by hand all those wall and then ceiling tiles.
I'm a Pittsburgh uber Eats driver and I love every square mile of this city. Murray Forbes and shady are my favorite streets. I love downtown. I love the bridges. I work from mckeesport to fox chapel. I consider myself lucky to have a solid mental map of the tangled knots of streets that make up this place. Every drive is an adventure.
Squirrel Hill...I'm from Canonsburg and have quite the record addiction. Jerry's Records is my home on Saturday afternoons...so I see that scene every weekend coming through the tunnel.
Whatever happened to Queen Street? It was just off East Street, north of downtown? (Born Mt Washington lived on Lilia Street around the corner from Josephine's Pizza)
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL !! I would Love to have that experience.. I can see why the people who live there LOVE it and are So Very proud of it..I Could Fall In Love With Pittsburgh Also.
I’m from Ottawa, so we have a kinda boring aesthetic (the only way people in North America recognize us is the fact that we’re Canada’s capital and we also have the Ottawa Senators, please don’t remind me of Chris Kunitz’s 2ot goal in game 7 of the ecf, please). Is Pittsburgh the opposite of it? Seems like a cool place tbh.
I spent the first 13 years of my life in Pittsburgh. We lived up on the hills above the city in the Allentown section next to Mt. Washington. Never got tired of the complete view of the city from our home day or night. Especially at night. Always cheched out The Gulf Tower for the weather forecast. Have moved around the US some since then, now in Virginia. Hope to visit again someday.
The last time I was in Pittsburgh was as a 7-year-old boy in 1958. While that bridge was being built. Our DC 7 prop plane stopped on the way to California where I grew up and lived in until 2005. Now I'm 69 and live in New Zealand. I'd really like to go back and visit Pittsburgh. A gorgeous city.
Sir, You would be completely amazed by the transformations that it we have made since your last visit. Our medical community is now a worldwide hub. Our Universities are World Class. The city has become greener. We’d love for you to come back! Good health to you and your family .
My family lived in suburban Pittsburgh for 21 years. I always remembered the thrill of driving through the Fort Pitt Tunnel after a long family trip....it was so good to be "home!"
Oh I agree first time I took my wife there I was born in the burg live in fl now anyway I said as soon as we exit the tunnel it’s like your in another world she looked at me like pftttt as soon as we exited the tunnel her jaw dropped the reaction was priceless 🤣
Took my first road trip to Pittsburgh from Morgantown WV, and I gotta say as a civil Engineering major, it took everything thing i had to not gawp in amazement at what the end of the tunnel had in store. But I had to make those merges so I couldn’t stare too long.
I remember A Pittsburgh of the 60's into the late 80's. Where there was never A dark night. To that glowing humming sounds that gave America it's strength. And to the glory of the Fort PITT TUNNEL. Where life comes from. To the streets and roads that we all travel together upon. It's YUNZ AND YINZ That live in and around three rivers with the lights that MAKES PITTSBURGH SUCH A BEAUTIFUL CITY TO REMEMBER, FOREVER. AMEN.
Absolutely true! Another city with a dramatic entrance is Duluth, Minnesota from I-35. You gradually climb and finally you cross the lip and Duluth with all it's industry and the huge Lake Superior is spread our below as you make the long descent into the city.
Great video! Almost every time I came to Pittsburgh, whether to take in a Pirates game or some cultural event, I mostly stayed south, just so I could experience that Fort Pitt tunnel view driving in. It is a very under-appreciated city. The downtown is clean, the views from Mt Washington and the funicular are fabulous,, and Oakland, by Carnegie Mellon and Pitt is very nice, and so is Shadyside. I really enjoy Pittsburgh, and many of its ethnic communities and restaurants. I had relatives from Oil City & Jeannette, and never forget my great uncle taking me to old Forbes Field in 1961, the year after the WS title, to see Roberto Clemente. The Strip District is another hopping area, too.
Very enjoyable! Pittsburgh is my home town. I remember the era before the two new bridges were built across the tip of the Point. Traffic was a nightmare, especially if you wanted to turn left coming from the south hills enroute to the north side. I also remember standing on Mount Washington and watching the demolition of the old Fort Pitt Bridge over the Mon. It was dropped into the river and then cut up and hauled off on barges.
I was at the point that day as a friend worked for the demolition company and on Sunday morning we were there with a keg of beer on a wagon and we saluted the demise of the historical structure. Long time ago my friend thanks for jogging that memory.
I remember when me and my ex-wife had brought friends up from the Tidewater area of Virginia for a visit back home. The awe and amazement they had from seeing the downtown area from exiting the Fort Pitt Tunnel was very memorable. That view experienced by first timers seeing it makes Pittsburgh what it is... a diamond in the rough.
what a meticulous work this video is, thank you! can't wait to experience the aura of the Pittsburghean skyline myself when I visit your historic city!
Beautiful intro. from a group of highly educated professionals for this special city. I saw Philadelphia in 2015 and I cannot wait for a chance to visit Pittsburgh after watching all these YT clips. 🕊️✌️
Yinz ! Lol did a fantastic job with this video & I've watched it several times and will continue to watch it and share it !!! I live eight miles outside Downtown Pittsburgh & work as a truck driver in and around or beautiful city , I drive threw the tunnels and across the bridge almost daily and our one of a kind city entrance views are spectacular !!! I proposed to my wife just above the tunnels on Mount Washington and my family has been apart of keeping the area alive & thriving with members of my family working on the tunnels , the bridges , the streets and all the electric that lights it all up & we have done so with great pride !!!! We truly believe our city & our views are second to none & we have literally helped build the world as we know it ! We are the city of Steel and the Black & Gold & we live here with great pride !!! 412 Baby !!!!
I first visited Pittsburgh in 1958 to spend time with my college roommate. I now realize the tunnel and bridge were not there. Later years brought me back to Pittsburgh to stay in a hotel and commuting to the hospital at Pitt and everything you said about the tunnel is spot on. I haven't been back since the 90's but I wonder about the traffic east bound in the morning.
I left Pittsburgh for LA in 74 and came back in 76. I left Pittsburgh for Toronto Ca. in 1999 thru 2001 and from there went back to LA until 2003 when I came back again. I left the last time for Boca Raton Fl. in 2010 and came back in 2013. Every time I came back the place had improved for me. I'm not leaving again.
A grew up about 40 miles south of Pittsburgh in uniontown pa we would always head down to Pittsburgh on the weekends and pass through the fort pitt tunnel and we would always joke that it was a portal to oz or Narnia like when you enter you cant see the skyline then halfway through you see the light then boom your thrust into the beating heart of Pittsburgh and for a kid growing up in a small podunk town it was like entering a glorious kingdom filled with life lol
During childhood east of Pittsburgh I can recall the night sky glowing orange when the blast furnace was cracked open. After living 5 other cities I now live a few minutes from the point. I love Pittsburgh and I'm here for good.
When I was a child growing up in Pittsburgh the running joke was there working on the fort Pitt Tunnel again and it would narrow down from our many lanes where is the to the Trafficway jam for miles I came up with the phrase “ our Lady of perpetual construction “ the patron saint of the tunnel. I don’t know if it’s changed since I left Pittsburgh in 1970 but it always seemed to be that way when we would go from Pittsburgh to somewhere else and come back through the tunnel.
@Ray Lat I know ,I know, but it was a lot of fun and the tour guide made it interesting . I still go to Pittsburgh every couple of years . The geography and architecture is awesome.
The view after going through the tunnel at night was much better 20 years ago than it is today. That was when Penndot put those bright yellow 'Exit Only' signs under the road signs. It, really, overwhelmed the view and took away from the visual experience. I will never forget it. I could never understand why people that run the city didn't put up a fuss. I was going to write a letter to the mayor (I believe it was Caliguiri, then), but, I didn't. Should have.
I tell people that Pittsburgh has the second most beautiful downtown in the country. They always ask, "What's the first?" San Fransisco from across the bay I tell them.
November 3, 1967, I will never forget. I emerged from the Ft Pitt Tunnel to a brightly lit downtown. Years later I tried to repeat the experience, but the lights were mostly off. A local told me I arrived on Light-Up Night. Not true. In the days before 1973, lights were left on much more. This was before the energy crisis. This video is good. But a real Pittsburgh experience, to me, was before 1973.
The view of Pittsburgh at night, arriving from the Ft Pitt Tunnel should have been done on Light Up Night. Even then it will never match again the first view I got on November 3, 1967, before the energy crisis, when all the lights were on.
When I was born my name was Joseph Michael bontempo. I was named for Joseph. My mother, sadly, was too young to raise me in 65. My name has been change, but it never changes who I am. I am most proud of this name that I once wore. Joseph was my great uncle. I am very proud of who and what I am.
I'm a Pgh native. I live in NC now. I always tell people if they are going there to try to come in that way. My line for when you come out of the tunnel and see the city is: Whoa! Who put THAT there??!!
I haven’t been down to the city in forever and making my first trip down at the end of the month. I’m going to miss seeing the twinkle of the taillights on the ceiling of the tunnel.
5:08 - I take some issue with the thought that "there weren't trolleys as there were in the past". Pittsburgh's extensive trolley network was mostly intact and in service until 1960. Supposedly there was even some talk of putting car tracks on the Fort Pitt bridge during planning, but that idea was quickly dismissed. The West End routes were lost when the Point Bridge closed, and the North Side routes followed in fairly short order. The first time I went through the tunnel in 1975, I thought our school bus was driving into a building against a hillside. And I have never tired of that spectacular view exiting the tunnel inbound. The New York Times said Pittsburgh is the only city with an entrance.
I believe I saw a Led Zeppelin music video where they came through the Ft. Pitt Tunnel and Bridge at night to see the point lit up with the fountain spoutin high. Sort of trippy, forgot what hit they played for the video.
I went to Epiphany Catholic School for first grade back in the 1950's, walked home with my cousins up Fifth Avenue to Van Braam St. Pittsburgh will always be home, although I've been away for 58 years.
I'm treated to the view twice a day. I drive from Washington Pa, to Swissvale, then back, each morning. Then again each afternoon. So I get the Squirrel Hill tunnels too. I agree that it is like nothing else, coming out of that tunnel with it's orange glow, into the light, and BAM! There it is, a beautiful skyline. Very striking at night. I streamed it on a discord stream once. I got "Wow!", "That's cool." and even a "Holy shit that's awesome!" when the city presented itself that way. Note: It was after midnight, Little to no traffic, The phone was mounted, bluetoothed, and I was not watching or interacting with it while driving! Who has seen the meme about the outbound side of the Bridge? "Left lanes need to exit right. Right lanes need to exit left. Here's 300 feet. Make it happen!" I just wish that drivers would stop mashing the brakes before entering this and every other tunnel. Even when there's no obstruction, no merging traffic, no twit getting crunched from twittereing on her cellphone.. no reason to slam on the brakes, yet every dang time.. I have to mash on mine to stop from ass-ending someone who is mashing their brakes because of the driver in front of them, because of the next driver .... on & on... because of some cretin who felt the need to come to a crawl to go into a tunnel. Now regarding Squirrel Hill tunnel going toward Edgewood/Swissvale: Does it seem to "suck" you in? It's like every time I go through, just as I enter the tunnel, I get a obvious burst of acceleration. It's kind of fun. Years ago, I drove my Fiero (a tiny car, for those who don't know) into that tunnel. Two semis ahead of me, side-by-side. A third one about 100 feet behind me. As soon as my car went in, and the truck behind me came in, I damn near got sucked up under the truck in front of me. I still feel this effect in my company vehicle, and even my big Dodge conversion van. A "Land-yacht" of a vehicle.
"Left lanes need to exit right. Right lanes need to exit left. Here's 300 feet. Make it happen!" That's a perfect description of the traffic coming out of the tunnel. If you're going to northside 28 you need to go far left and then far right just like that. It's even worse. Same thing coming toward the tunnel, in reverse.
I just visited your city in 2019. Its modern , alive like Chicago and as clean. Unlike half a dozen others I've visited. I know the population isn't as congested as ours , but I don't believe they're aren't huge traffic jams on those highways
I Love My City So Much. Born Here Die Here. Prince Charles Quoted He has never seen such a Wonderment 1980's. We are truly Blessed to have such a Great City. I signed my name on the dotted line for Her. She is my Majesty
I've heard tell the locals who were living in Pittsburgh South of the tunnel when it was built thought it would cave in and refuse to travel to the North Side and locals living North of the tunnel when it was built refuse to use the tunnel for travelling to the South side.
Cincinnati is a better city GO BENGALS WHO DEY!!! lol joking had to, I do live in Cincinnati now and this is my home but a cool fact is, my family were Germans that lived in Irwin PA and down in Pittsburgh in the early early early days of the city, 1760s and 1770s, my family were Rangers in that area and helped defend against native attacks. They migrated west over the years to present day Cincinnati but I think its cool because as much as the sports teams hate each other the cities to me seem very similar with the German background and just having the hometown feel, when i go to visit you all I don't feel like Im away from home which is odd. Really cool documentary about the tunnel!
I see the Cincinnati Bungles took the lamp AGAIN, an let Kansas city into the Super Bowl 2023. Cincinnati should have won but a cheep hit on the Quarterback going out of bounds
Still an amazing aesthetic and engineering masterpiece...that I wish was 6 lanes vs 4, and even back in the 50s, that was an oversight. The exits to Rt. 837/Carson St. should only be one lane.
@@RPlavo that’s what I’m alluding to, 3 lanes outbound, with only the far right lane for Carson St. As it is, that takes up 2 of the four lanes, necessitating all that scrambling to get over. Same for inbound.
Nothing like seeing the view of the city revealed at the tunnel opening live. Unfortunately, the producers of this video used really old footage from when video cameras were incapable of capturing the essence of the beauty you see when experiencing the reveal live.
Pittsburgh is going to be a large city again, because of water. We have three rivers, and not need to ration water. We are at the foot hills of the Allegheny Mountains. The Allegheny River gets water from as far as New York State. The Monongahela River gets water as far South into West Virginia. The Monongahela River is one of the few Rivers that flow North. Water is what going to repopulate Pittsburgh and the Rust Belt.
The original BLOCK HOUSE from Fort Pitt is still on site in POINT STATE PARK. Its that little Square building beside the ramps that connect the two bridges at the point. On the point side of the ramps..
The Liberty Tunnels, up river use to have pedestrian side walks threw them. We used to walk threw them and go fishing in the rivers daaanhtaawn , when we were kids. We lived in the south hills. The took them out, and widened the traffic lanes.
A very poor traffic flow design where cars merge on the bridge from 4 lanes into two, westbound into the tunnel and likewise traffic at the exit, it has similar merging and weaving. This tunnel is over 70 years old. A new tunnel is needed to handle the current traffic flow, or a new highway is needed to divert traffic from the eastern suburb to the western airport area.
Yes definitely. The traffic to/from the tunnels is horrible. So poorly designed. But man that view! When I use the tunnels from the north side 28 I need to instantly go the whole way into the right lane and then instantly the whole way into the left lane just to make the turns. Coming from the tunnels I need to go instantly to the far left, and then instantly to the far right. When traffic is backed up, it gets really hard finding a spot to merge. This backs traffic up even more, and you get a massive gridlock. This gridlock is sometimes bad enough to back up traffic the whole way through the Fort Pitt Tunnels and up the hill back toward the airport. The bridges to/from the Point are the main culprits. They need to be fixed.
@@gieb6428 Use it lots and lots, while other people are trying to steer right into you. I consider myself an expert driver but this stretch is often quite challenging. It stands out. Not for the faint of heart.
well i learned something new ,never ever knew that pittsburgh had a tunnel ,well yall take care of the tunnel ,and why your renovating it put a flashing red light on top of the bridge lol
They have other tunnels in Pittsburgh. If you ever watch the movie Flashdance, they had a scene right by the Squirrel Hill Tunnel. That's another famous one (locally). www.google.com/maps/@40.4259115,-79.9114262,3a,75y,274.31h,103.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKuEYuPtug6PhA8GRmqnIiQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
St Louis is called the gateway to the west only because the first bridge built over the Mississippi river was constructed by Andrew Carnegie with Carnegie steel, All From Pittsburgh.
I grew up in the Pittsburgh area and have family there. I visit most every year, usually coming through the FPT.
On the other side of the tunnel you see nothing. Bunch of trees, hills, and strip malls. Then you pop out the tunnel and it's like you teleported directly to Pittsburgh.
It's a really cool effect. I don't think it was planned this way. It just sorta happened. But it's really cool, and it's stunning for anyone new to the experience.
That entrance into the city of Pittsburgh coming out of the Fort Pitt Tunnel is undoubtedly the greatest first view of a city in America
I'm in Pittsburgh right now and I can tell you when I was there for the first time and went thru the tunnel at night it has really wow effect. Very nice and kind of dramatic entrance to the city.
Every time I drive through the tunnel!
I’ve never been to Pittsburgh, but I’ve always heard that it’s better than Philadelphia, which is a city I’ve been to multiple times. Idk, I might go to Pittsburgh once the us canada border opens up.
@@HAA0603 Philadelphia is in New York.
@John Broward nope pittsburgh is 200% cleaner
@@HAA0603Overall Philly is better because there’s more things since the population is significantly much larger. But Pittsburgh definitely has cool stuff that’s worthy and worth the visit
I was a on-call hospice nurse and covered many counties in and around Pittsburgh. If there was a bridge, I crossed it. If there was a tunnel, I went through it. But coming out of the Fort Pitt Bridge inbound *ALWAYS* took my breath away, day or night. I am one proud 'yinzer'.
Born and raised in Pittsburgh (West Mifflin) and living in Houston since 1974. Every time I come home to visit, I never get tired of exiting the tunnel and seeing that view. It's awesome!
I loved visiting my grandparents every summer. We drove with 6 kids in the car from Oklahoma,and my dad woke us up before the tunnel. Such great memories
Great Dad
Any time I take someone to Pittsburgh, I always take them through the tunnel. Never fails to impress.
When I go away for any length of time and come home through the tunnel, I get this great sense of calmness that " I'm Home" feeling. My body relaxes from all the stress of traveling and It's a great feeling coming thru the the Fort Pitt Tunnel.
I remember when there was no Fort Pitt tunnel. I also remember when they first opened it. It was amazing.
We had the Liberty Tunnel
I always delight traveling through both the Squirrel Hill Tunnels and the Fort Pitt Tunnels as my dad was part of the (many) tile setters who set by hand all those wall and then ceiling tiles.
I'm a Pittsburgh uber Eats driver and I love every square mile of this city. Murray Forbes and shady are my favorite streets. I love downtown. I love the bridges. I work from mckeesport to fox chapel. I consider myself lucky to have a solid mental map of the tangled knots of streets that make up this place. Every drive is an adventure.
Squirrel Hill...I'm from Canonsburg and have quite the record addiction. Jerry's Records is my home on Saturday afternoons...so I see that scene every weekend coming through the tunnel.
Whatever happened to Queen Street? It was just off East Street, north of downtown? (Born Mt Washington lived on Lilia Street around the corner from Josephine's Pizza)
Lived in The Burgh for a few years loved it Great people great food great place to live
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL !! I would Love to have that experience.. I can see why the people who live there LOVE it and are So Very proud of it..I Could Fall In Love With Pittsburgh Also.
Really makes me proud to be from Pittsburgh!
Tyler McCandless it is an amazing city.
Me too, Sir.
I’m from Ottawa, so we have a kinda boring aesthetic (the only way people in North America recognize us is the fact that we’re Canada’s capital and we also have the Ottawa Senators, please don’t remind me of Chris Kunitz’s 2ot goal in game 7 of the ecf, please). Is Pittsburgh the opposite of it? Seems like a cool place tbh.
I spent the first 13 years of my life in Pittsburgh. We lived up on the hills above the city in the Allentown section next to Mt. Washington. Never got tired of the complete view of the city from our home day or night. Especially at night. Always cheched out The Gulf Tower for the weather forecast. Have moved around the US some since then, now in Virginia. Hope to visit again someday.
The last time I was in Pittsburgh was as a 7-year-old boy in 1958. While that bridge was being built. Our DC 7 prop plane stopped on the way to California where I grew up and lived in until 2005. Now I'm 69 and live in New Zealand. I'd really like to go back and visit Pittsburgh. A gorgeous city.
Pittsburgh's really changing in the last few years everyone's moving here
Come on back home !!! And stay awhile. Enjoy the BURGH. With the rest of us YINZERS 🇺🇸 😊👍
@@daveschidlmeier6425 Awesome!
Sir, You would be completely amazed by the transformations that it we have made since your last visit.
Our medical community is now a worldwide hub.
Our Universities are World Class.
The city has become greener.
We’d love for you to come back!
Good health to you and your family .
@@markdagostino9666 Am seriously thinking about it.
My family lived in suburban Pittsburgh for 21 years. I always remembered the thrill of driving through the Fort Pitt Tunnel after a long family trip....it was so good to be "home!"
Its like you have entered another world coming out of the tunnel and seeing Pittsburgh. Just amazing =)
Oh I agree first time I took my wife there I was born in the burg live in fl now anyway I said as soon as we exit the tunnel it’s like your in another world she looked at me like pftttt as soon as we exited the tunnel her jaw dropped the reaction was priceless 🤣
Took my first road trip to Pittsburgh from Morgantown WV, and I gotta say as a civil Engineering major, it took everything thing i had to not gawp in amazement at what the end of the tunnel had in store. But I had to make those merges so I couldn’t stare too long.
I know just what you mean. It's like beautiful cleavage, you can only glance, because if you look too long you could get hurt.
How about all the different bridge designs (Industrial Engineer)
I remember A Pittsburgh of the 60's into the late 80's. Where there was never A dark night. To that glowing humming sounds that gave America it's strength.
And to the glory of the Fort PITT TUNNEL.
Where life comes from. To the streets and roads that we all travel together upon.
It's YUNZ AND YINZ That live in and around three rivers with the lights that MAKES PITTSBURGH SUCH A BEAUTIFUL CITY TO REMEMBER, FOREVER. AMEN.
Absolutely true! Another city with a dramatic entrance is Duluth, Minnesota from I-35. You gradually climb and finally you cross the lip and Duluth with all it's industry and the huge Lake Superior is spread our below as you make the long descent into the city.
Great video! Almost every time I came to Pittsburgh, whether to take in a Pirates game or some cultural event, I mostly stayed south, just so I could experience that Fort Pitt tunnel view driving in. It is a very under-appreciated city. The downtown is clean, the views from Mt Washington and the funicular are fabulous,, and Oakland, by Carnegie Mellon and Pitt is very nice, and so is Shadyside. I really enjoy Pittsburgh, and many of its ethnic communities and restaurants. I had relatives from Oil City & Jeannette, and never forget my great uncle taking me to old Forbes Field in 1961, the year after the WS title, to see Roberto Clemente. The Strip District is another hopping area, too.
Very enjoyable! Pittsburgh is my home town. I remember the era before the two new bridges were built across the tip of the Point. Traffic was a nightmare, especially if you wanted to turn left coming from the south hills enroute to the north side. I also remember standing on Mount Washington and watching the demolition of the old Fort Pitt Bridge over the Mon. It was dropped into the river and then cut up and hauled off on barges.
I was at the point that day as a friend worked for the demolition company and on Sunday morning we were there with a keg of beer on a wagon and we saluted the demise of the historical structure. Long time ago my friend thanks for jogging that memory.
Pittsburgh is such an amazing city!
Its nice to hear and see Jim Krenn, (formerly of WDVE) again .
...pretty place and spectacular views of the city as you pop out of tunnel onto the bridge ...looks nicer than alot of US cities ...👍😎
I remember when me and my ex-wife had brought friends up from the Tidewater area of Virginia for a visit back home. The awe and amazement they had from seeing the downtown area from exiting the Fort Pitt Tunnel was very memorable. That view experienced by first timers seeing it makes Pittsburgh what it is... a diamond in the rough.
what a meticulous work this video is, thank you! can't wait to experience the aura of the Pittsburghean skyline myself when I visit your historic city!
Beautiful intro. from a group of highly educated professionals for this special city. I saw Philadelphia in 2015 and I cannot wait for a chance to visit Pittsburgh after watching all these YT clips. 🕊️✌️
One of my favorite places in the world
This Vantage Point into Pittsburgh is the most Beautiful Thing on the Planet.
Every time the host says 'downtown' he overemphasizes the 'o' sounds like he's trying not to instinctively say daaahntaaahn
Yinz ! Lol did a fantastic job with this video & I've watched it several times and will continue to watch it and share it !!! I live eight miles outside Downtown Pittsburgh & work as a truck driver in and around or beautiful city , I drive threw the tunnels and across the bridge almost daily and our one of a kind city entrance views are spectacular !!! I proposed to my wife just above the tunnels on Mount Washington and my family has been apart of keeping the area alive & thriving with members of my family working on the tunnels , the bridges , the streets and all the electric that lights it all up & we have done so with great pride !!!! We truly believe our city & our views are second to none & we have literally helped build the world as we know it ! We are the city of Steel and the Black & Gold & we live here with great pride !!! 412 Baby !!!!
Thank you for this video! I moved from Pittsburgh to Louisville at the age of 14 in 1974...oh how I miss her.
For the best view of Pittsburgh grab a seat on the upper level behind home plate at PNC Park. Best in baseball.
I first visited Pittsburgh in 1958 to spend time with my college roommate. I now realize the tunnel and bridge were not there. Later years brought me back to Pittsburgh to stay in a hotel and commuting to the hospital at Pitt and everything you said about the tunnel is spot on. I haven't been back since the 90's but I wonder about the traffic east bound in the morning.
I left Pittsburgh for LA in 74 and came back in 76. I left Pittsburgh for Toronto Ca. in 1999 thru 2001 and from there went back to LA until 2003 when I came back again. I left the last time for Boca Raton Fl. in 2010 and came back in 2013. Every time I came back the place had improved for me. I'm not leaving again.
Love the video! Great job telling the history of our most famous tunnel!
I'm stuck on, it only taking 120 people building that tunnel. Unbelievable
I moved away from the Pittsburgh area in the mid-70s, and now live near NYC, but I've always considered myself a Pittsburgher.
I tell anyone who wonders, I'm part of the Pittsburgh diaspora.
Very well done. Thanks
A grew up about 40 miles south of Pittsburgh in uniontown pa we would always head down to Pittsburgh on the weekends and pass through the fort pitt tunnel and we would always joke that it was a portal to oz or Narnia like when you enter you cant see the skyline then halfway through you see the light then boom your thrust into the beating heart of Pittsburgh and for a kid growing up in a small podunk town it was like entering a glorious kingdom filled with life lol
That's a very good description of the experience. It's like popping into Oz or Narnia. Rather magical.
During childhood east of Pittsburgh I can recall the night sky glowing orange when the blast furnace was cracked open. After living 5 other cities I now live a few minutes from the point. I love Pittsburgh and I'm here for good.
The red glow was usually the cooling slag piles. Not necessarily associated with blast furnaces.
@@GilmerJohn It was the furnace. I lived in Swisshelm Park
I’ve lived all over this nation... but, there’s NO PLACE LIKE PITTSBURGH!
When I was a child growing up in Pittsburgh the running joke was there working on the fort Pitt Tunnel again and it would narrow down from our many lanes where is the to the Trafficway jam for miles I came up with the phrase “ our Lady of perpetual construction “ the patron saint of the tunnel. I don’t know if it’s changed since I left Pittsburgh in 1970 but it always seemed to be that way when we would go from Pittsburgh to somewhere else and come back through the tunnel.
I live near Buffalo,ny ,but love Pittsburgh .I go there for concerts and vacation,there’s sooo much to do.try the Segway tour.
@Ray Lat I know ,I know, but it was a lot of fun and the tour guide made it interesting . I still go to Pittsburgh every couple of years . The geography and architecture is awesome.
And now I am homesick. ❤
The view after going through the tunnel at night was much better 20 years ago than it is today. That was when Penndot put those bright yellow 'Exit Only' signs under the road signs. It, really, overwhelmed the view and took away from the visual experience. I will never forget it.
I could never understand why people that run the city didn't put up a fuss. I was going to write a letter to the mayor (I believe it was Caliguiri, then), but, I didn't. Should have.
MAJESTIC!!!!!
Awesome video!!!
Very nice view of the city. It reminds me of driving through the Yerba buena in San Francisco coming into the city and crossing the bay bridge
I tell people that Pittsburgh has the second most beautiful downtown in the country. They always ask, "What's the first?" San Fransisco from across the bay I tell them.
November 3, 1967, I will never forget. I emerged from the Ft Pitt Tunnel to a brightly lit downtown. Years later I tried to repeat the experience, but the lights were mostly off.
A local told me I arrived on Light-Up Night. Not true. In the days before 1973, lights were left on much more. This was before the energy crisis. This video is good. But a real Pittsburgh experience, to me, was before 1973.
"If you're from Pittsburgh, Being from Pittsburgh is what DEFINES you." - Regular Car Reviews 12/22/2014 👍😜👍
wow that's probably right, as someone from pittsburgh
The view of Pittsburgh at night, arriving from the Ft Pitt Tunnel should have been done on Light Up Night. Even then it will never match again the first view I got on November 3, 1967, before the energy crisis, when all the lights were on.
Very Interesting!
Born and raised in “The Burgh”...probably die here....Once a Pittsburgher always a Pittsburgher
Haven't lived there since I was 13. 71 now , but so true . Always a Pittsburgher.
Whatever happened to Queen Street? It was just off East Street, north of downtown?
When I was born my name was Joseph Michael bontempo. I was named for Joseph. My mother, sadly, was too young to raise me in 65. My name has been change, but it never changes who I am. I am most proud of this name that I once wore. Joseph was my great uncle. I am very proud of who and what I am.
I'm a Pgh native. I live in NC now. I always tell people if they are going there to try to come in that way. My line for when you come out of the tunnel and see the city is: Whoa! Who put THAT there??!!
I went to Pittsburgh & drove up & down & around in circle all day...
You should have picked up a Hich Hiker
@@gieb6428 I tried... She wanted to much money...
I haven’t been down to the city in forever and making my first trip down at the end of the month. I’m going to miss seeing the twinkle of the taillights on the ceiling of the tunnel.
simpiy beautiful city im from washington pa go steelers
5:08 - I take some issue with the thought that "there weren't trolleys as there were in the past". Pittsburgh's extensive trolley network was mostly intact and in service until 1960. Supposedly there was even some talk of putting car tracks on the Fort Pitt bridge during planning, but that idea was quickly dismissed. The West End routes were lost when the Point Bridge closed, and the North Side routes followed in fairly short order.
The first time I went through the tunnel in 1975, I thought our school bus was driving into a building against a hillside.
And I have never tired of that spectacular view exiting the tunnel inbound. The New York Times said Pittsburgh is the only city with an entrance.
Yup I’m homesick 🥺
I believe I saw a Led Zeppelin music video where they came through the Ft. Pitt Tunnel and Bridge at night to see the point lit up with the fountain spoutin high. Sort of trippy, forgot what hit they played for the video.
It was Bron-yr-aur , it was the movie the song remains the same
I went to Epiphany Catholic School for first grade back in the 1950's, walked home with my cousins up Fifth Avenue to Van Braam St. Pittsburgh will always be home, although I've been away for 58 years.
The tunnels were designed so you could see if you can hold your breath all the way through.
I'm treated to the view twice a day. I drive from Washington Pa, to Swissvale, then back, each morning. Then again each afternoon. So I get the Squirrel Hill tunnels too. I agree that it is like nothing else, coming out of that tunnel with it's orange glow, into the light, and BAM! There it is, a beautiful skyline. Very striking at night. I streamed it on a discord stream once. I got "Wow!", "That's cool." and even a "Holy shit that's awesome!" when the city presented itself that way.
Note: It was after midnight, Little to no traffic, The phone was mounted, bluetoothed, and I was not watching or interacting with it while driving!
Who has seen the meme about the outbound side of the Bridge?
"Left lanes need to exit right. Right lanes need to exit left. Here's 300 feet. Make it happen!"
I just wish that drivers would stop mashing the brakes before entering this and every other tunnel. Even when there's no obstruction, no merging traffic, no twit getting crunched from twittereing on her cellphone.. no reason to slam on the brakes, yet every dang time.. I have to mash on mine to stop from ass-ending someone who is mashing their brakes because of the driver in front of them, because of the next driver .... on & on... because of some cretin who felt the need to come to a crawl to go into a tunnel.
Now regarding Squirrel Hill tunnel going toward Edgewood/Swissvale: Does it seem to "suck" you in? It's like every time I go through, just as I enter the tunnel, I get a obvious burst of acceleration. It's kind of fun. Years ago, I drove my Fiero (a tiny car, for those who don't know) into that tunnel. Two semis ahead of me, side-by-side. A third one about 100 feet behind me. As soon as my car went in, and the truck behind me came in, I damn near got sucked up under the truck in front of me. I still feel this effect in my company vehicle, and even my big Dodge conversion van. A "Land-yacht" of a vehicle.
Hey! It ain't so much they're mashing the brakes going in,
it's because somebody at the tunnel exit slowed down to savor the view!
"Left lanes need to exit right. Right lanes need to exit left. Here's 300 feet. Make it happen!"
That's a perfect description of the traffic coming out of the tunnel.
If you're going to northside 28 you need to go far left and then far right just like that. It's even worse. Same thing coming toward the tunnel, in reverse.
That’s my dear friend Mark Clement on his bike at the 10:05 mark. RIP
Hi Mark
If it looks nice it's hell to get around
I just visited your city in 2019. Its modern , alive like Chicago and as clean. Unlike half a dozen others I've visited. I know the population isn't as congested as ours , but I don't believe they're aren't huge traffic jams on those highways
I Love My City So Much. Born Here Die Here. Prince Charles Quoted He has never seen such a Wonderment 1980's. We are truly Blessed to have such a Great City. I signed my name on the dotted line for Her. She is my Majesty
Interesting.
I've heard tell the locals who were living in Pittsburgh South of the tunnel when it was built thought it would cave in and refuse to travel to the North Side and locals living North of the tunnel when it was built refuse to use the tunnel for travelling to the South side.
I love it Pittsburgh...It's kida nice.\^^
"Hell with the lid off", 😂!!!
The band Bon Jovi immortalized the Pittsburgh skyline after coming through the FPT in their Wanted Dead or Alive music video.
How did they work on those tunnels
At 12:20, Paul Goldberger is wrong. In Mexico there is a tunnel that comes out in the entrance of a large town . GUANAJUATO
Nobody cares tho bro 🚫🇲🇽🚫
I expected these comments to be much more negative. These tunnels create a traffic jam that turns into a 4 lane merge zone.
Yes, and traffic crossing each other on both decks, a nightmare!
2:00 I didn't realize Jordan Peterson fought in the French and Indian War lol! I need to see this place.
awakeningspirit20 dude that sounds just like him lol. Good catch
Cincinnati is a better city GO BENGALS WHO DEY!!! lol joking had to, I do live in Cincinnati now and this is my home but a cool fact is, my family were Germans that lived in Irwin PA and down in Pittsburgh in the early early early days of the city, 1760s and 1770s, my family were Rangers in that area and helped defend against native attacks. They migrated west over the years to present day Cincinnati but I think its cool because as much as the sports teams hate each other the cities to me seem very similar with the German background and just having the hometown feel, when i go to visit you all I don't feel like Im away from home which is odd. Really cool documentary about the tunnel!
Vault Boy rangers you say...perhaps Sam Brady’s Rangers?
I see the Cincinnati Bungles took the lamp AGAIN, an let Kansas city into the Super Bowl 2023. Cincinnati should have won but a cheep hit on the Quarterback going out of bounds
What about tar n chips on roads
Still an amazing aesthetic and engineering masterpiece...that I wish was 6 lanes vs 4, and even back in the 50s, that was an oversight. The exits to Rt. 837/Carson St. should only be one lane.
What about the traffic patterns on the bridge decks? Enter right trying to go left meeting motorists entering left trying to go right
@@RPlavo that’s what I’m alluding to, 3 lanes outbound, with only the far right lane for Carson St. As it is, that takes up 2 of the four lanes, necessitating all that scrambling to get over. Same for inbound.
Great, but can we deal with the traffic
Nothing like seeing the view of the city revealed at the tunnel opening live. Unfortunately, the producers of this video used really old footage from when video cameras were incapable of capturing the essence of the beauty you see when experiencing the reveal live.
From Moon twp. Pa
daaahntaaahn
Pittsburgh is going to be a large city again, because of water. We have three rivers, and not need to ration water.
We are at the foot hills of the Allegheny Mountains.
The Allegheny River gets water from as far as New York State. The Monongahela River gets water as far South into West Virginia.
The Monongahela River is one of the few Rivers that flow North.
Water is what going to repopulate Pittsburgh and the Rust Belt.
Hello, why tunnel had a name Fort Pitt?
Because it was built on a fort that's what the point was there used to be ramparts there for years. The Fort is still there sort of
The original BLOCK HOUSE from Fort Pitt is still on site in POINT STATE PARK. Its that little Square building beside the ramps that connect the two bridges at the point. On the point side of the ramps..
How many remember the suicide jumper that did the swan dive from the top of the bridge?
Thanks for remembering me.
@@gieb6428 are you from Pittsburgh?
Most American cities have a skyline. Pittsburgh has an entrance.
We should make one side for bikes only
What is going on at 4:03 with people walking the Lanes on the bridges? wow!
Cheap/free parking is across bridge when downtown is full. Bike walk skate etc
@@quinnsawyer2750 so it was like, a walking Lane?
Yes. Not through the tunnel just on the bridge people lanes
Believe it or not in the '80s the city was so dead you probably could have rode a bicycle through the tunnel depending on the time of day.
The Liberty Tunnels, up river use to have pedestrian side walks threw them. We used to walk threw them and go fishing in the rivers daaanhtaawn , when we were kids. We lived in the south hills. The took them out, and widened the traffic lanes.
From the movies: th-cam.com/video/kMalrBgdRvI/w-d-xo.html
I don’t know anything about this Bridge, Tunnel nor Pittsburgh.
I'd like to know who got paid off to build a ceiling inside of a tunnel.
A very poor traffic flow design where cars merge on the bridge from 4 lanes into two, westbound into the tunnel and likewise traffic at the exit, it has similar merging and weaving. This tunnel is over 70 years old. A new tunnel is needed to handle the current traffic flow, or a new highway is needed to divert traffic from the eastern suburb to the western airport area.
Yes definitely. The traffic to/from the tunnels is horrible. So poorly designed. But man that view!
When I use the tunnels from the north side 28 I need to instantly go the whole way into the right lane and then instantly the whole way into the left lane just to make the turns.
Coming from the tunnels I need to go instantly to the far left, and then instantly to the far right.
When traffic is backed up, it gets really hard finding a spot to merge. This backs traffic up even more, and you get a massive gridlock.
This gridlock is sometimes bad enough to back up traffic the whole way through the Fort Pitt Tunnels and up the hill back toward the airport.
The bridges to/from the Point are the main culprits. They need to be fixed.
@@protorhinocerator142 Use your steering wheel
@@gieb6428 Use it lots and lots, while other people are trying to steer right into you.
I consider myself an expert driver but this stretch is often quite challenging. It stands out. Not for the faint of heart.
well i learned something new ,never ever knew that pittsburgh had a tunnel ,well yall take care of the tunnel ,and why your renovating it put a flashing red light on top of the bridge lol
They have other tunnels in Pittsburgh.
If you ever watch the movie Flashdance, they had a scene right by the Squirrel Hill Tunnel. That's another famous one (locally).
www.google.com/maps/@40.4259115,-79.9114262,3a,75y,274.31h,103.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKuEYuPtug6PhA8GRmqnIiQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
There are Four tunnels through Mt Washington, all within a quarter mile of the Fort Pitt Tunnel.
Someone once told me, "Pittsburgh is the armpit to the West."
No, the West is the armpit of Pittsburgh.
St Louis is called the gateway to the west only because the first bridge built over the Mississippi river was constructed by Andrew Carnegie with Carnegie steel, All From Pittsburgh.
I actually called his boss Tom and got no where.....