Thousands of vehicles and pedestrians use the Stowe Tunnel every year including myself
Its a handy short cut from Broadway Ave to Island Ave. in Stowe Twp and saves having to drive all the way around. or climbing over the hill it passes thru. which at one time had an Incline its so steep.
Opened in 1909
Its a rather plain tunnel without all the ornamentation like others in area .approx. 495 Feet long its the Oldest Penn Dot owned tunnel in the region..
Thou its plain its a work horse Commuters use daily .
But like all tunnels they do require maintenance and after many years in service by early 30s the tunnel fell into such disrepair it had to be closed and after much complaining by towns folk . Crews where sent to clear all the spalling concrete and debris so it could be reopened and that's when the Accident happened while trying to clear all of the spalled concrete lining when it all let loose
Which killed 5 and left 1 individual William Peay who was trapped up to his waist in Debris on November 30 1940
It was a horrifying scene as townsfolk responded and emergency workers worked together to help dig him and his deceased coworkers out .
https://www.unionprogress.com/2023/03/30/the-tragic-and-troubled-history-of-stowes-tunnel/
A police Car would be sent to Pittsburgh's Hill District where all 6 men boarded to give them the dreaded news.
A new set of workers would eventually set about fixing the tunnel and its been worked on several times over the years . But thankfully without a tragedy occurring.
