Once again, your humble webmaster travels north of the Mason - Dixon line, as...
Day 3
The final day of the National meet started with lunch at the Red Star Tavern at Station Square in Pittsburgh. We then hopped aboard the Keystone Belle for a river cruise along the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers. All of us were treated to the landmarks along the shores, as well as, a view of Pittsburgh's many bridges that many don't get to see.
   | Massive stone piers are all that remain of the former Wabash Railroad bridge. The former railroad tunnel now serves as a HOV roadway for area commuters. |
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    | The Fort Duquesne bridge. |
 | This stone pier is all that remains of the former Manchester Bridge. |
    | The first of the "three sisters", the 6th Street bridge. |
  | The second of the "three sisters", the 7th Street bridge. |
  | The last of the "three sisters", the 9th Street bridge. |
  | The massive Fort Wayne Railroad bridge. |
      | The 16th Street bridge. |
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      | The 31st Street bridge, in the process of a massive reconstruction project. |
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       | The 40th Street bridge, better known as the Washington Crossing Bridge. |
     | The 62nd Street bridge. |
        | Lock and Dam #2. |
          | The Highland Park bridge. |
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Back on land, we journeyed along US 30 and met future PA Turnpike 576 north of Imperial. We departed our vehicles, and trekked along the highway on foot.
    | A look at the interchange from US 30. |
 | A contractor's stamp on the concrete roadway. |
 | A look at the eastbound travel lanes. |
 | A ground level shot of the westbound travel lanes. |
 | A "Batman" sHelvetica,Arial,sans-serif;hot of a reduced speed sign. |
   | Up close and personal with a big green sign. |
 | A Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission stamp on one of the bridge railings. |
  | A look down upon US 30 from the PA Turnpike 576 overpass. |
 | The westbound toll barrier. |
 | A 45 MPH speed limit sign with Mickey Mouse ears. |
 | A look westbound featuring Jeff Kitsko and CC Slater. |
  | Up close and personal with another big green sign. |
 | The entry ramp from the US 30 interchange merges with the main travel lanes. Again, moochers Jeff Kitsko and CC Slater get in the middle of the snapshot. |
 | A PA Turnpike 576 trailblazer awaits it's shield. |
 | This expressway ENDS! in 1500 feet. |
 | Roadway reflector. |
 | Approaching the END! of the new expressway. |
 | The only traffic we encountered along the unopened highway was a Pennsylvania State Trooper, who told us we weren't allowed on the turnpike. We agreed to return to our cars at the interchange. |
 | A look of the END! from the eastbound lanes. |
 | The eastbound interchange with US 30. |
 | One of the BGSs promoting the interchange with PA 60, looking from the eastbound lanes. |
 | As CC Slater put it, "It's a gore sign with dingleberries." |
 | Jeff Kitsko checks out what will be an overhead sign gantry. |
    | The eastbound toll barrier. Notice that the overhead lane lights are on. Green lights are lit for tool lanes that won't open to traffic for several more months. |
  | US 30 shields at the bottom of the eastbound exit ramp. |
After leaving PA Turnpike 576, we headed for the final event of the meet, PNC Bank Stadium, where we watch the Pittsburgh Pirates take on the future Saint Louis Cardinals. Despite later coming back to eventually winning the 2006 World Series, we watched and saw the Pirates take them 3-2.
After the game, we all shook hands, said our good-byes, and thanked Jeff Kitsko for putting on a fantastic meet.
For More Information on Pittsburgh Area highways:
Pittsburgh Highways @ the Pennsylvania Highways website
Bridges
and Tunnels of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, PA
All Photos Taken August 10-12, 2006 by Corey Dukes
