The Youngest Visitor to the Sideling Hill Tunnel

Hello. As a native of Pittsburgh and a civil engineer, I have been fascinated with the abandoned section of the Turnpike and the tunnels since finding out about them when I was in college in the early 1990’s. In August of 2006 I finally stopped at the old U.S. Route 30 overpass site and trekked up the hillside to take a peek at the old highway.

The pictures attached are from my October 2006 visit to the former Cove Hill Service Plaza and Sideling Hill Tunnel eastern portal.  My wife and I walked the mile from Cove Hill to the portal pushing our 1-month old son in his stroller. It was an eerily quiet hike, but the colors of the autumn leaves added a certain serenity.  We took a picture of me holding our son in the tunnel, so I think he may be the youngest visitor to Sideling Hill.  Hope you enjoy the pictures and I definitely plan on making more visits to the abandoned pike in the future.

Rob Tomcanin
Belcamp
, Maryland

    4/19/2007