The Boulevard of the Allies

The Entrance to the Boulevard of
 the Allies ramp at Grant Street.

The Boulevard of the Allies runs from Commonwealth Place, near Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh, all the way to Schenley Park.

The route takes motorists past the towering PPG complex in the heart of the city, along the scenic Bluff (Boyd's Hill), looking down at the Monongahela River and South Side, then through the heart of southern Oakland to the park entrance.


The Most Expensive Roadway in the World

Constructing the Boulevard of the Allies was a monumental task. The entire roadway was built in a succession of construction phases, over a ten-year period, beginning in 1920.

Second Avenue after widening in 1921.
Second Avenue from Grant to Ross Street after widening in 1921.

The first phase was the widening of Second Avenue from Liberty Avenue, near the Point, to Ross Street. The road was expanded to a width of seventy feet, and included the installation of an interconnected traffic signal system, one of the first of its kind in the country. This experimental system was installed and operational by November 13.

This initial roadwork was completed in August, 1921, leading to the start of Phase Two, which would extend the boulevard from Grant Street, along the Bluff, to Forbes Avenue in Oakland.

The low-level route proposed in 1919
for the Boulevard of the Allies.
The low-level route, proposed in 1919, for the Boulevard of the Allies. This route
was abandoned in favor of the high-level route along Bluff Street.

Two plans were presented for this section. The first was a low-level route, paralleling Second Avenue, that gradually rose along Boyd's Hill towards Oakland. The second proposal, or high-level route, became the accepted design.

This plan featured a steeper rise to the Bluff near Duquesne University and incorporated part of Bluff Street. This route included extensive excavating, the erection of large retaining walls and the construction of two lengthy steel and concrete viaducts.

Architectural plans for the intersection
at Grant Street and Viaduct #1.
Architectural plans for the intersection at Grant Street and Viaduct #1.

Excavation and shoring up of the cliffside along the Bluff began immediately. The walls were constructed and a path carved from Magee Street downward along the cliff to a point where the roadway would meet Viaduct #1, which rose in the opposite direction from Grant Street.

Atop the hill, Bluff Street was widened to four lanes, and buttressed by massive concrete walls along the length of the hillside.

Viaduct #1 rises to meet the roadway along the hillside.    Retaining walls along the Bluff.
Viaduct #1 rises to meet the roadway along the cliff. Several retaining walls were built.

Viaduct #2 carried the roadway over the Brady Street Bridge to a junction with Forbes Avenue near the old Children's Hospital at Ophelia Street. From there, the Boulevard extended along Forbes until it's temporary terminus at Craft Street.

Atop the Bluff looking west towards downtown.    Atop the Bluff looking east towards Oakland.
The Boulevard looking west (left) and east from atop the Bluff in September 1922.

This second phase of construction was completed in a little over a year. On October 2, 1922, the Boulevard of the Allies was opened to traffic. The expressway was officially dedicated on November 11, 1922.

At a cost of $1.6 million per mile, it was the most expensive road in the world at the time.


Monongahela Boulevard

Originally conceived in 1913 and named Monongahela Boulevard, the re-designation to Boulevard of the Allies was the idea of long-time city councilman Robert Garland, who envisioned a Grand Memorial Way, complete with statues commemorating the leading figures in the Great War, such as General Pershing, commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, and Marshal Foch of France.

The name Boulevard of the Allies was adopted, but the grand statuary never materialized. Large pillars topped with eagles, and finely carved artwork along the bases, located at the lower entrance to Viaduct #1, along Grant Street, were the extent of the ornamentation.

View looking east from Viaduct #2.
1930 view looking east from Viaduct #2 near Brady Street.


Boulevard of the Allies Extension

Planning for the extension of the boulevard further eastward began immediately. Traffic congestion at the crowded Forbes Avenue junction also posed a growing safety concern.

A bond issue in 1926 secured the financing to proceed with the next phase of construction. During Phase Three, a third viaduct was built over a realigned Forbes Avenue, allowing for free flow of traffic past that junction and on to the intersection of Craft and Emily streets.

Traffic Congestion at Forbes Avenue in 1926.
Traffic congestion at the junction with Forbes Avenue in 1926.

This completed section of the Boulevard of the Allies was dedicated on November 1, 1928. City officials proudly proclaimed, "Motorists can now make the entire trip from downtown to Schenley Park without traveling over any streets that include trolley tracks."

The new ramp leading to Forbes Avenue in 1928.    Viaduct #3 over Forbes Avenue in 2007.
The new ramp leading to Forbes Avenue in 1928 (left), and the original Viaduct #3 in 2007.

While this work progressed in the east, closer to town the Liberty Bridge intersection was taking shape, with off and on ramps connecting to the boulevard and some other modifications of Viaduct #1 to accommodate the lower approach ramp from Forbes Avenue.

The fourth phase of construction saw the widening of Emily and Wilmot streets through to the Wilmot Street Bridge, which carried motorists over Panther Hollow into the park. This final section of the Boulevard of the Allies was dedicated on September 19, 1930.

The Wilmot Street Bridge.
The Wilmot Street Bridge over Panther Hollow, shown in 1913.


The Lincoln Highway

The roadway itself did not end there. Once in Schenley Park, the street name changes to Panther Hollow Road, which continues through to Squirrel Hill. The Boulevard of the Allies was soon one of the heaviest traveled arteries in Pittsburgh. From 1926 until the completion of the Penn-Lincoln Parkway in the late-1950s, the Boulevard of the Allies was incorporated into US Route 22/US Route 30, and part of the national Lincoln Highway.


Improvements and Enhancements to the Grand Boulevard

Since the boulevard was completed in 1930, it has undergone a few significant changes. In 1931, the Horace Street Ramp was constructed near the Try Street Terminal downtown as a connection to the Liberty Tunnels or Forbes Avenue. The 1930s also saw the installation of crash-proof rails were installed along the Bluff and viaducts to prevent the growing number of accidents involving vehicles tumbling over the hillside.

The two-lane Wilmot Street Bridge, built in 1907, was replaced, in 1940, by the four-lane Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge.

Original Wilmot Street Bridge in 1914.    Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge in 2008.
The original Wilmot Street Bridge and the replacement Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge.

In 1954, work began on the connecting ramps from the Boulevard of the Allies to the new Penn-Lincoln Parkway. These ramps would be located at the Brady Street Bridge. The interchange was completed and open to traffic in September 1956.

An aerial view of the Parkway interchange - 1955.   
An aerial view and a ground level view of the interchange construction in 1955.

An aerial view of the Parkway interchange - 1955.
Another aerial view of the interchange construction in 1955.

Parkway interchange construction in 1955.    Parkway interchange construction in 1955.
Two views of the interchange construction looking towards downtown Pittsburgh in 1955.

The Horace Street Ramp was removed in 1959, replaced with new on and off ramps connecting the Liberty Bridge and Crosstown Boulevard.

Finally, in 2007, work began on a new interchange at Forbes Avenue. Viaduct #3 was replaced and an updated ramp design facilitated traffic flow between the Boulevard, Forbes and Fifth Avenues. This final enhancement to Pittsburgh's Grand Memorial Way was completed in May 2009.

The reconstructed Viaduct #3 over Forbes Avenue.    Aerial view of the Fifth/Forbes Avenue interchange.
The reconstructed Viaduct #3 over Forbes Avenue (left) and an aerial view of the reconfigured interchange.


Re-Dedicated to the Ideals of Peace

The Boulevard of the Allies was rededicated on June 29, 2008 as part of the celebration of Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary.

In a grand ceremony, attended by ambassadors and other dignitaries from eleven of the thirty Allied nations from World War I, over 1,500 people gathered along the Boulevard to honor freedom, and celebrate the ideals of peace and the people who helped end the Great War of 1914-1918.

Boulevard of the Allies Rededication - 2008    Boulevard of the Allies Rededication - 2008.
Rededication of the Boulevard of the Allies on June 29, 2008.


Today, the Boulevard of the Allies remains one of the heaviest
traveled and scenic roadways in the City of Pittsburgh.

Boulevard of the Allies during rush hour
in downtown Pittsburgh - 1930.    Boulevard of the Allies during rush hour
in downtown Pittsburgh - 1930.
The Boulevard of the Allies, looking towards Smithfield Street (left),
and at Grant Street (right), during rush hour traffic in 1930.

Car accidents like this one, in 1930, prompted the
installation of crash-proof rails along the roadway.
Accidents like this, in 1930, led to the installation of crash-proof railings along the Boulevard.

Boulevard of the Allies near the crest of
the bluff looking towards oakland in 1950.
The Boulevard of the Allies near the crest of the Bluff looking in the direction of Oakland in 1950.

Rush hour traffic on the Boulevard of
the Allies near Smithfield Street - 1949.    Looking towards downtown from the
Liberty Bridge intersection - 1949.
Rush hour traffic near Smithfield Street (left), and on Viaduct #1 looking towards downtown, in 1949.

Boulevard of the Allies near the crest of
the bluff looking towards oakland in 1970.
A trolley crosses the Boulevard of the Allies at Grant Street in the early-1970s. This image provides
a good view of the ornamental pillars at the lower end of Viaduct #1.

Spectacular View    Spectacular View
Spectacular present-day views from the Boulevard of the Allies looking west towards downtown (left)
and looking down at the Monongahela River and the South Side from the Bluff.

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