This October 1927 cover story is a comprehensive account of the planning and construction of roads and highways by the Allegheny County Public Works Department in Pennsylvania, and praised the department’s technical and financial setup for road improvement as “remarkable.”
The topography of the county was difficult, with rugged hills separated by the main valleys of three major rivers, as well as numerous streams. This lack of level ground made the layout and construction of the road quite difficult.
Creating a new system of radial and beltways to serve Pittsburgh and its suburbs was a challenge, as existing roads, designed before the advent of the automobile, often followed meandering routes that left planners with few options.
The department’s engineers lamented that they “must go wherever they can between cliffs and gorges,” noting that “it is a common assertion that there is not a mile of tangent highway in Allegheny County.”
The article stated that the new locations “must be sought along side hills broken by many ravines.”
In most cases, the only possible route changes required extensive work to flatten slopes and curves.
