(March 1915 - June 1916)
The sequence of photos below shows the construction project as it proceeded in stages.
Creating A Modern Thoroughfare In The South Hills
West Liberty Avenue, which runs along Plummers Run Creek, was first laid out in 1839. The roadway extended from the Bell House Tavern at Warrington Avenue, present-day Saw Mill Run Boulevard, ran southward to the intersection with Potomac Avenue in Dormont. The roadway was eventually extended to Mount Lebanon and on to Washington, Pennsylvania.
Rail lines were installed in the early 1900s to service the growing communities of West Liberty Borough, mostly present-day Brookline and Beechview. The city line near the southern end of Pioneer Avenue was established in 1908 with the annexation of West Liberty Borough.
As the population in the South Hills communities began to boom, West Liberty Avenue was soon in need of drastic infrastructure improvements, including the modernization of the road surface and trolley line. The renovation process, which began with some sewer improvements in 1910, was an ongoing initiative which reached its zenith in 1915.
Bids for grading, paving and curbing West Liberty Avenue from Warrington Avenue to the city line went out on February 16, 1915. The project estimates were the excavation of 42,000 cubic yards; Portland Cement Grouted Blockstone Pavement, 32,800 square yards; Concrete Curbing, 17,500 linear feet; Concrete Sewer ranging from 10'0" x 5'6" to 4'3" circular, 8,017 linear feet; 36", 42" and 48" circular brick sewer, 301 linear feet; 6" to 36" Terra Cotta Pipe sewer, 16,580 linear feet.
The primary contractor was Booth and Flinn, who would later work on the Liberty Tunnels. Engineers encountered many challenges as the project evolved. Several residential homes and businesses were located along the construction route. Some had to be moved from the construction path and access had to be maintained.
Pittsburgh Railways streetcar service, which was the main mode of transportation for most residents, could not be disrupted. Pedestian traffic and horse-drawn wagon traffic also had to be able to navigate through the construction zone.
Building materials were transported by train to a staging area located at the northern end of Pioneer Avenue. These supplies were then hauled by wagon or small-guage rail car to the proper work location. Storm and sewer lines were trenched and installed along the length of the roadway from the city line to Warrington Avenue. Plummers Run Creek was channeled into underground culverts.
The roadway was widened from two lanes to four and completely paved in belgian block. Utility poles were relocated and new lighting installed. The entire stretch of the rail line was reconstructed. Sidewalks and other amenities completed the dramatic transformation.
When officially completed on November 24, 1915, the roadway's appearance been radically altered. What once resembled a rural main street was now a properly graded, seventy-foot wide modern urban thoroughfare, one that would lead to the largest building boom in the city of Pittsburgh. The total cost was $385,000, paid for from the proceeds of a bond issue.
West Liberty Avenue was now the major artery connecting the bustling city with the South Hills and beyond. It was ready for the advent of motorized transportation.Looking back, the laborers who built West Liberty Avenue did so with such skill that much of the roadway remained in use without change for nearly seventy years. The belgian block and trolley rails were left in place until 2011, forming the base of the asphalt roadway.
The West Liberty reconstruction project began on March 15, 1915, with the installation of modern storm and sewer lines. A trench was dug all the way from the Pittsburgh/Dormont border near Pioneer Avenue north to Warrington Avenue. The sewer was trenched in two sections, one moving north and the other south, until they met near Capital Avenue.
Tradesmen followed in the wake of the Marion steam shovels to construct the concrete and brick lined sewer, then add the upper reinforced concrete section. Many property owners ceded much of their front yards for these upgrades. Other buildings had to be moved. One home that stood in the path of the sewer was located along Warrington Avenue. It was placed on stilts and moved fifty feet to the right.
The photos below show the trenching of the sewer line that ran the length of West Liberty Avenue. Large Marion steam shovels dug the trench and skilled craftsmen built the line. The home at the corner of Warrington Avenue that stood in the construction path is shown on the blocks and later in it's new location next to the Green and Evans lumber yard.
The photos below show the progress of the installation of 10' by 6' sewer line at the northern end of West Liberty Avenue, near the intersection with Pioneer, and near Warrington Avenue. It was back-breaking work to build the monstrous concrete, brick-lined sewer.
By July of 1915, new sewer lines had been installed on the southern and northern end of West Liberty Avenue. New trolley lines were being put in place and the expanded roadway was being leveled and prepared for paving.
The new support for the West Side Belt railroad trestle was completed and soon the old steel support girders could be removed to facilitate the widening of the road.
Four months into the project, work was now beginning on the installation of the new utility lines in the center of the project zone, near Capital Avenue.
By August 1915, the southern portion of the West Liberty Avenue reconstruction was nearing completion. The project was not as far along near Capital Avenue and sections further north. Much work remained to be completed.
The month of August was also notable for a tragedy that occured on August 16, 1915. Laborer Clement Tratt, aged 30, was crushed to death in a sewer cave-in at Capital and West Liberty Avenue. Two other men were injured. Tratt left a widow and child in Italy.
By October 1915 much progress had been made from Capital Avenue north to Warrington Avenue. The upgraded trolley tracks were being laid along this section and the roadway being prepared for paving.
On November 24, 1915 the project was completed and the roadway officially opened to traffic. The appearance was a bit dirty, but that was normal. After the belgian block roadway was laid, it was covered in sand, dirt and ground aggregate.
This mixture was then packed down by the constant flow of vehicles and the weather. Eventually the mixture would either seep down between the bricks, with the excess washed away by the rain. Once between the bricks it formed a mortar-like quality that held the stones in place.
By June of 1916 seven months had passed since the completion of the West Liberty Avenue reconstruction project. The discomfort and disruption to the homeowners, merchants, travelers and transit riders had long passed, and life was back to normal.
This major improvement in both civic and transportation infrastructure had a major influence on the growth and development of the City of Pittsburgh and the suburban communities of the South Hills area. Commercial development along the main road increased dramatically, turning it from a majority residential street into a business mecca within but a few years.
Looking back and considering the poor condition of the roadway when the project began back in March 1915, West Liberty Avenue must have seemed like a modern marvel to the wide-eyed residents of Brookline, Beechview and the rest of the South Hills.
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