Pennsylvania Route 885
Encyclopedia
Pennsylvania Route 885 is a 14.1 mi (22.69 km) long north–south state highway in the U.S. State
of Pennsylvania
. It runs from Pennsylvania Route 837
in Clairton to Interstate 579
in Pittsburgh. The route is entirely within Allegheny County and serves as a connector between the City of Pittsburgh and its southern suburbs.
). From there, the route runs uphill heading southwest as Walnut Avenue before turning north at the west end of Clairton. Outside the vicinity, the route journeys northwest as Clairton Road while traversing a rural and mountainous region of Allegheny County
. Route 885 then travels towards the north while passing through the western regions of West Mifflin
. Shortly after becoming a four-lane undivided highway
, it bypasses the Century III Mall
to the east, the fourth largest shopping mall
in the Greater Pittsburgh area.
Route 885 briefly runs concurrent with Lebanon Church Road (Yellow Belt) before bearing north as Lebanon Road where it passes underneath a runway of Allegheny County Airport
. North of the airport, it journeys past elevations of up to 1,200 feet before turning northwest onto Mifflin Road. Route 885 then enters the city of Pittsburgh via the neighborhood of Hays
as Ashby Street where it meets Pennsylvania Route 837 at an interchange
. Shortly after, it crosses the Monongahela River
via the Glenwood Bridge
and enters the neighborhood of Hazelwood
.
In Hazelwood, Route 885 travels northwest as Second Avenue and Irvine Street. In the northern section of Hazelwood, the route turns onto Greenfield Avenue before running beneath the railroad tracks. From there, Route 885 again becomes Second Avenue and parallels the Monongahela River to the south and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail
to the north. Upon entering Oakland
, the academic and cultural center of Pittsburgh, the route turns north onto Bates Street and right away has an interchange with Interstate 376
(overlapped with US 22 and US 30). Route 885 follows Bates Street before bearing west onto the Boulevard of the Allies.
victory in World War I
. The route joins the Boulevard less than a mile west of Schenley Park
in Oakland. The route embarks across the Southern sectors of Oakland as a four-lane divided highway
. As the route journeys west, it meets Interstate 376 and Forbes Avenue at a partial interchange near Birmingham Bridge
. Route 885 then travels along a cliff, parallel to both Interstate 376 and the Monongahela River to the south and enters the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Bluff
, also known as Uptown. Route 885 also passes to the south of Mercy Hospital
and Duquesne University
before ending at a partial interchange with Interstate 579
and the Liberty Bridge
in Downtown Pittsburgh.
s and widenings of the existing Emily Street to a terminus at Wilmot Street and Forbes Avenue. One of the first interconnected traffic signal systems was installed a month later (November 13) on the Boulevard downtown as an experiment. Prior to completion, its cost was reported as $1.6 million per mile, the most expensive road in the world at the time. In 1924, the Boulevard became part of an alternate bypass route of the Lincoln Highway
, whose original route used Bigelow Boulevard into downtown; this left the Boulevard at Forbes Avenue
(its original terminus), following Beeler Street, Wilkins Avenue, and Dallas Avenue to the main route on Penn Avenue near East Liberty.
U.S. Route 22 and U.S. Route 30 were designated along the William Penn
and Lincoln Highways through Pittsburgh in 1926; the Boulevard of the Allies bypass alignment was chosen for both routes. The portion of the road east from Forbes Avenue to Bates Street, still known as Wilmot Street, became a part of Route 885 by 1940. With the completion of the Penn-Lincoln Parkway East in the late 1950s, US 22 and US 30 were moved off the Boulevard, and PA 885 was extended west a short distance to the interchange near the Birmingham Bridge
. The construction of I-579 in the early 1960s cut the path of westbound Boulevard traffic into downtown; eventually the PA 885 designation was continued west to this interchange.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It runs from Pennsylvania Route 837
Pennsylvania Route 837
Pennsylvania Route 837 is a state route located in western Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at Pennsylvania Route 88 in the Carroll Township hamlet of Wickerham Manor. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 19 and Pennsylvania Route 51 in downtown Pittsburgh at the junction of...
in Clairton to Interstate 579
Interstate 579
Interstate 579 is a north–south Interstate Highway entirely within Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At long, it is short but not the shortest signed Interstate, an honor which belongs to I-375 in Michigan...
in Pittsburgh. The route is entirely within Allegheny County and serves as a connector between the City of Pittsburgh and its southern suburbs.
Clairton to Oakland
Route 885 starts in the Wilson section of Clairton at the intersection with State Street (Pennsylvania Route 837Pennsylvania Route 837
Pennsylvania Route 837 is a state route located in western Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at Pennsylvania Route 88 in the Carroll Township hamlet of Wickerham Manor. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 19 and Pennsylvania Route 51 in downtown Pittsburgh at the junction of...
). From there, the route runs uphill heading southwest as Walnut Avenue before turning north at the west end of Clairton. Outside the vicinity, the route journeys northwest as Clairton Road while traversing a rural and mountainous region of Allegheny County
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
. Route 885 then travels towards the north while passing through the western regions of West Mifflin
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
West Mifflin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The population was 20,313 at the 2010 census....
. Shortly after becoming a four-lane undivided highway
Single carriageway
A single carriageway is a road with 1, 2 or more lanes arranged within a single carriageway with no central reservation to separate opposing flows of traffic. Two-lane road or two-lane highway are single carriageway with one lane for each direction...
, it bypasses the Century III Mall
Century III Mall
Century III Mall is a regional shopping mall located in the southern suburb of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. It is the fourth largest shopping mall in the Greater Pittsburgh area. Opened in 1979, and remodeled in 1997, the three-level mall contains of retail space and approximately 110 stores...
to the east, the fourth largest shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in the Greater Pittsburgh area.
Route 885 briefly runs concurrent with Lebanon Church Road (Yellow Belt) before bearing north as Lebanon Road where it passes underneath a runway of Allegheny County Airport
Allegheny County Airport
Allegheny County Airport is located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, four miles southeast of the city of Pittsburgh. It is the fifth busiest airport in Pennsylvania following Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Harrisburg...
. North of the airport, it journeys past elevations of up to 1,200 feet before turning northwest onto Mifflin Road. Route 885 then enters the city of Pittsburgh via the neighborhood of Hays
Hays (Pittsburgh)
Hays is a neighborhood in the 31st Ward of southeastern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is represented on by the representative of . It occupies ZIP codes 15227, 15207, and 15236. It is named after James H...
as Ashby Street where it meets Pennsylvania Route 837 at an interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
. Shortly after, it crosses the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
via the Glenwood Bridge
Glenwood Bridge
The Glenwood Bridge is a cantilever bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which carries Pennsylvania Route 885 over the Monongahela River. It started construction on June 3, 1958 and was completed in 1966 to replace an old decayed unsafe iron bridge built in 1894 which carried Pittsburgh Railways...
and enters the neighborhood of Hazelwood
Hazelwood (Pittsburgh)
Hazelwood is a neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is represented on by Douglas Shields. It is bordered by Greenfield and Oakland on the north, Squirrel Hill and Glen Hazel on the east, and the Monongahela River on the south and west...
.
In Hazelwood, Route 885 travels northwest as Second Avenue and Irvine Street. In the northern section of Hazelwood, the route turns onto Greenfield Avenue before running beneath the railroad tracks. From there, Route 885 again becomes Second Avenue and parallels the Monongahela River to the south and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail
Three Rivers Heritage Trail
The Three Rivers Heritage Trail is an urban rail-trail paralleling the riverbanks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for about , often on both sides of the rivers, and offering a spectacular view of the city. The trail is promoted and maintained in part by the Friends of the Riverfront...
to the north. Upon entering Oakland
Oakland (Pittsburgh)
Oakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland...
, the academic and cultural center of Pittsburgh, the route turns north onto Bates Street and right away has an interchange with Interstate 376
Interstate 376
Interstate 376 is a major auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, located entirely within the Allegheny Plateau. It runs from I-80 near Sharon south and east to a junction with the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Monroeville, after having crossed the Turnpike...
(overlapped with US 22 and US 30). Route 885 follows Bates Street before bearing west onto the Boulevard of the Allies.
Boulevard of the Allies
The northernmost segment of Route 885 is designated as the Boulevard of the Allies in dedication of the AlliesAllies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
victory in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The route joins the Boulevard less than a mile west of Schenley Park
Schenley Park
Schenley Park is a large municipal park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, between the neighborhoods of Oakland, Greenfield, and Squirrel Hill. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district...
in Oakland. The route embarks across the Southern sectors of Oakland as a four-lane divided highway
Divided Highway
Divided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...
. As the route journeys west, it meets Interstate 376 and Forbes Avenue at a partial interchange near Birmingham Bridge
Birmingham Bridge
The Birmingham Bridge is a tied arch bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which crosses over the Monongahela River. The bridge connects East Carson Street on the South Side with Fifth and Forbes Avenues going to Uptown, Oakland, and the Hill District.-History:The Birmingham Bridge was built in 1976...
. Route 885 then travels along a cliff, parallel to both Interstate 376 and the Monongahela River to the south and enters the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Bluff
Bluff (Pittsburgh)
The Bluff or Uptown is a neighborhood in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the southeast of the city's Central Business District. It is bordered in the north by the Hill District and just a short trip across the Monongahela River is the city's South Side, which is home to a flourishing...
, also known as Uptown. Route 885 also passes to the south of Mercy Hospital
UPMC Mercy
UPMC Mercy is a main hospital facility of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and is located in the Uptown section of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, adjacent to downtown Pittsburgh and a few blocks from the Mellon Arena...
and Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
before ending at a partial interchange with Interstate 579
Interstate 579
Interstate 579 is a north–south Interstate Highway entirely within Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At long, it is short but not the shortest signed Interstate, an honor which belongs to I-375 in Michigan...
and the Liberty Bridge
Liberty Bridge (Pittsburgh)
The Liberty Bridge, completed in 1928, connects downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the Liberty Tunnels and the South Hills neighborhoods beyond...
in Downtown Pittsburgh.
History
Planning began in the early 1920s for the Boulevard of the Allies, extending east from Second Avenue and Grant Street to Oakland. The first part of the Boulevard of the Allies was dedicated on August 8, 1921, and the entire highway opened to traffic on October 2, 1923, including several viaductViaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
s and widenings of the existing Emily Street to a terminus at Wilmot Street and Forbes Avenue. One of the first interconnected traffic signal systems was installed a month later (November 13) on the Boulevard downtown as an experiment. Prior to completion, its cost was reported as $1.6 million per mile, the most expensive road in the world at the time. In 1924, the Boulevard became part of an alternate bypass route of the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
, whose original route used Bigelow Boulevard into downtown; this left the Boulevard at Forbes Avenue
Forbes Avenue
Forbes Avenue is one of the longest streets in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It has a length of about ten miles and is named for General John Forbes , whose expedition recaptured Fort Duquesne and who renamed the place Pittsburgh in 1758.The westernmost terminus of Forbes Avenue lies at...
(its original terminus), following Beeler Street, Wilkins Avenue, and Dallas Avenue to the main route on Penn Avenue near East Liberty.
U.S. Route 22 and U.S. Route 30 were designated along the William Penn
William Penn Highway
The William Penn Highway was an auto trail in the United States, generally running from Pittsburgh east to New York City. It served as the eastern end of the Pikes Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway. The William Penn Highway Association of Pennsylvania was organized March 27, 1916 to promote a road...
and Lincoln Highways through Pittsburgh in 1926; the Boulevard of the Allies bypass alignment was chosen for both routes. The portion of the road east from Forbes Avenue to Bates Street, still known as Wilmot Street, became a part of Route 885 by 1940. With the completion of the Penn-Lincoln Parkway East in the late 1950s, US 22 and US 30 were moved off the Boulevard, and PA 885 was extended west a short distance to the interchange near the Birmingham Bridge
Birmingham Bridge
The Birmingham Bridge is a tied arch bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which crosses over the Monongahela River. The bridge connects East Carson Street on the South Side with Fifth and Forbes Avenues going to Uptown, Oakland, and the Hill District.-History:The Birmingham Bridge was built in 1976...
. The construction of I-579 in the early 1960s cut the path of westbound Boulevard traffic into downtown; eventually the PA 885 designation was continued west to this interchange.