In 1942, the United States was redirecting its steel, machinery, labor, and federal resources toward World War II. Some plans were put on hold, such as extending the Pennsylvania Turnpike, but constructing Loyalhanna Dam remained a priority.
The project was already authorized and underway before the United States entered the war. As Pittsburgh factories downstream worked around the clock producing steel and other materiel, the dam went into operation as part of the region’s growing flood-mitigation system.