Brookline Boulevard, in 1956, from the intersection with Breining Street looking east.

In 1956, the lower portion of Brookline Boulevard, from Edgebrook Avenue towards East Brookline, was a two-lane roadway, with one lane going in each direction, seperated by the trolley right-of-way.

The automobile lanes were narrow, and the steel poles that supported the trolley wires were set along the edges of the right-of-way. This made for a tight squeeze for vehicles and became the scene of many traffic wrecks.

Another view of the trolley tracks from near Breining Street looking east.

The local citizenry and community organizations had been trying for years to get the steel poles removed from the side of the street and placed on the sidewalks away from traffic, citing the dangers of the narrow roadway and the increasing number of vehicular accidents, and several deaths.

A petition was circulated and presented to Pittsburgh Mayor David L. Lawrence. The city soon had the steel poles removed.

Brookline Boulevard from near Whited Street looking east towards Edgebrook Avenue.

This section of the boulevard remained that way (two lanes seperated by trolley tracks) until 1967, when the tracks were removed and the roadway paved and expanded to four lanes through to Breining Street.

The lower part of Brookline Boulevard, along the 1400 block.