CONSTRUCTION OF THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM MD77994

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This documentary, produced by the Portland Cement Association, describes the construction and utility of The Pennsylvania Turnpike, completed October, 1940, was a landmark construction project completed in that served as the grandfather of the interstate highway system. The planning process began in the 1920s as automobiles rose in popularity. After the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s and President Franklin Roosevelt’s establishment of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in order to employ the homeless, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission was established to create the highway.

The Turnpike was the longest uninterrupted road in America at the time it was completed and contained several mountain tunnels, a feat thought unattainable at the time. The Turnpike laid the groundwork for the Interstate Highway System by proving that large-scale construction projects supported by the government could be effectively implemented and useful to the public at large

0:21 shows a nice areal shot of the Turnpike with cars running down it. Band music plays in the background, and the narrator discusses the importance of the highway.

0:47 gives a list of the names of the members of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, including Chairman Walter A. Jones, Frank Bebout, Charles, T. Carpenter, Thomas J. Evans, Lamont Hughes, and others. Chairman Jones was born in Pittsburgh, and proved to be integral to the project by using his political heft to interest President Roosevelt in the Turnpike.

1:45 provides more areal shots of the highway as well as some shots from the perspective of a car on the road. The narrator describes the industrial purpose of the highway.

2:15 gives a map of the project and shows the ways in which the highway saves manufacturers time.

3:36 describes the tunneling process for the highway and the features of the tunnels. There are several shots of the tunnels from the inside, from above, and from the distance, all showing the paths of traffic through and out of the tunnels.

4:49 shows a side-hill cut made to allow traffic to pass. Several shots from above and of the hillside.

5:35 describes the logistic of creating the Turnpike, showing the process of removing rocks and describe the kinds of equipment used to speed the project along. There are several clips of machinery including side-forms, pneumatic hammers, earth tampers, mixers, etc.

9:10 describes how rock for paving was attained, sorted, and recycled for use in the road. Lots of footage of pavers and visuals specific to the machinery being described. Describes dual-drum mixers and transverse finishing machines and the process of creating concrete.

15:00 describes placing and sealing joints in the road and texturing the road with burlap to prevent skidding. Plenty of relevant visuals.

17:13 describes the process of testing the concrete on the street in order to ensure quality.

18:24 discusses the finished project, showing the safety precautions taken and the potential uses for the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

19:15 shows ways to enter the Turnpike and discusses rigid frame intersection design for overpasses, also mentioning applications for national defense. Video footage of the Turnpike is paired with verbal locations.

21:07 describes the contributions and economic timeline of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission while showing more videos of the Turnpike.

21:50 gives the physical timeline of construction with a visual animation of the progress.


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