US 40 Brownsville: Abandoned US 40 Freeway

The National Road: Brownsville
Abandoned US 40 Freeway

In the late 1960's, the Pennsylvania Division of Highways built a short freeway climbing the hill leaving Market Street to SR 4028 about one mile further east. At the interchange with SR 4028 which heads towards Grindstone, the freeway terminates forcing US 40 traffic onto a ramp and back onto the old National Road. Where the freeway was supposed to continue to, I really am not sure. The state built the overpass that carries SR 4028 over the cleared land, and grading for the eastern half of the diamond interchange was done. This 'stub' of US 40 has sat empty since 1968.

The US 40 Freeway Stub. Brownsville is at the bottom of the mile long hill. (Brian Reynolds)

The original plan for the freeway was to be a part of the Mon Valley Expressway, either as the direct highway or one of the various connectors to it. The Mon Valley Expressway has gone through several variations since the earliest proposals in the 1950's. Various short stretches of mainline and connectors were built from the mid 60s to mid 70s. The project died in the late 70's when funding became unavailable.

Looking east at the cleared, but unused Route 40 Freeway. (Mike Austing)

The stub end has sat vacant for nearly 35 years, but the days of it sitting idle are soon to end. With the commitment to building the Mon-Fayette Expressway, the modern equivalent of the old Mon Valley Expressway, the roadway will be completedas a connector for US 40 and Brownsville to the new highway, which will be built to the south. Go here for some great aerial diagrams of the future toll road. US 40 will continue on this new connector, called the Redstone Connector, until reaching the old highway near Allison.

Attendees of the Summer 2002 SWPA Roadgeek Meeting looking out from the SR 4028 Overpass. i'm on the far right in the hat! (Bee Family)