Bigelow Boulevard is one of the heaviest traveled roads in Pittsburgh, connecting the city with the eastern communites and the University of Pittsburgh. Opened on July 1, 1900, the "rapid transit" road to the east was conceived in 1891 by Edward Bigelow. It took three years to cut the roadway out of the side of Bedford Hill.

By 1936, the heavily traveled road surface had deteriorated to such a point that motorists refered to it as "no man's land." Reconstruction of the span soon followed, and in 1939 the roadway had been rebuilt. A concrete surface was laid, new lighting installed and beautification of the surrounding land was completed. Bigelow Boulevard is still a scenic roadway, and still a heavily traveled passage to the east.