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Listed below are several projects that are currently being completed with the cooperation of regional and statewide planning commissions, local organizations and the Oakland community:

Pittsburgh Pedestrian Wayfinding Signage Project
View project microsite for more information

The City of Pittsburgh and its Wayfinding Advisory Committee has been working to establish new standards for pedestrian-oriented wayfinding signage with kiosks to be installed in Downtown, Oakland, and the North Side – areas selected for their high concentration of regional destinations. Though the focus of this current wayfinding work is on these neighborhoods alone, the strategy is designed with flexibility to expand the system City-wide.

While Pittsburgh has a long-standing driver-focused wayfinding system implemented in 1996, there is no pedestrian-oriented wayfinding signage within the city limits today. Wayfinding can help reduce confusion and create incentives for people to walk within and between neighborhoods, to explore as a resident or visitor, and to consider transit and other active modes. Thus, a wayfinding system must prioritize pedestrians, be grounded in best practice, and respond to the needs of different user groups. Successful wayfinding is achieved by providing the optimal amount of information at the right time, efficiently and clearly for all users.

The new system will feature three distinct sign types:
  • Kiosks (C-1): Located at activity hubs and near transit stops, parking garages and decision points, Kiosks provide orientation, map neighborhood amenities, and provide directions to closest attractions.
  • Pedestrian Directionals (B-1): Located along major pedestrian routes, these signs direct pedestrians and provide estimated walk times to destinations within walking distance, as well as the closest T-station where relevant.
  • Pedestrian Trailblazer Directionals (B-2): Located on local streets, these smaller directional signs help to further guide pedestrians toward their final destination.

Dating all the way back to 2013 when the first stakeholder meetings were held, the project has been through numerous phases to date and input was gathered from a large and diverse group of stakeholders every step of the way to establish a vision, raise funding, collect data on destinations across the project area, conduct field surveys, refine those destinations to determine what would be included in the new pedestrian wayfinding signage system, establish design standard standards, develop a strategy for implementation, draft sign messaging and initial schematic designs, and ultimately complete the design of kiosks and other signage that will be utilized as part of the wayfinding system with approval from the Art Commission.

The Wayfinding Advisory Committee (WAC) included representatives from the City's departments of City Planning and Mobility & Infrastructure, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP), Oakland Business Improvement District (OBID), Oakland Transportation Management Association (OTMA), Walk Ride Northside/North Side Cultural Collaborative (NSCC), Northside Chamber of Commerce, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), University of Pittsburgh, UPMC, and various institutions to help gain consensus.

Outlined in the April 25, 2022 presentation from the PDP, WAC raised over $700k for design and community engagement, and the project was awarded $1.4 million in TAP grant funding for fabrication and construction in 2017 (fully funded on TIP as of May 2021.) Check out the presentation from Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership linked above for more detailed look at signage design, locations, and more, as well as this May 2020 Pedestrian Wayfinding System report from ARUP for some additional history.

 

 

PRT University Line Bus Rapid Transit Project



Latest update January 16, 2025: After holding the first of three public meetings this evening (virtually), Pittsburgh Regional Transit invited the community to learn more about the next Phase II of the University Line Bus Rapid Transit project by attending two in-person meetings at Duquesne University (January 9) and University of Pittsburgh (January 14) where PRT provided an overview of the project—including construction timelines and improvements—as well as an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.

Phase II Highlights: The second phase of the University Line BRT project focuses on the Fifth and Forbes Avenue corridors in Uptown and Oakland, with construction slated to begin in late January 2025.

Overall construction is expected to be complete in 2027.

Key Features of Phase II include:

  • Six miles of dedicated bus-only lanes (three miles in each direction)
  • 18 new, enhanced transit stations with modern amenities including fare vending machines, real-time bus arrival displays, seating, lighting, security cameras, and emergency phones
  • Improved Infrastructure; with two miles of protected bike lanes, new sidewalks, accessible ramps, curbs, trees, and upgraded street lighting
  • Traffic signal modernization at 39 intersections which will be equipped with ADA-compliant curb ramps, pedestrian countdown signals, accessible push-button activators, and traffic signal priority for buses

Phase I Recap: Construction on Phase I began in September 2023 in downtown Pittsburgh and is expected to be complete in summer 2025. Transit riders and all community members can also stay informed about project updates by signing up to receive updates directly from PRT here.
 

 

Boulevard of the Allies Ramp Betterment Project

Five ramps and bridges connecting the Boulevard of the Allies to I-376 Parkway East and other major arteries in Pittsburgh is slated to move forward as early as January 2022.

 

Charles Anderson Bridge Rehabilitation Project

Currently in design phase as of January 2022, the multi-year Charles Andersen Bridge project is a rehabilitation project as opposed to a complete implosion and reconstruction due to the historical district, train tracks, and Junction Hollow Trail below. Though the schedule is still being developed, it is expected to be at least a 3-year project occuring simultaneously with other large-scale projects nearby like the Bates Street Widening Project.

 

UPMC Presbyterian Tower on Fifth Ave

People traveling in the area of the new O'Hara Wellness Center can expect to see new fencing installed at the top of DeSoto St. in January & March of next year, with new pedestrian pathways through Peterson Events Center and along O'Hara Street. No road closures are anticipated anticipated for the O'Hara Recreation & Wellness Center project through June 2022.

The proposed new Bed Tower building being constructed at UPMC Presbyterian hospital along Fifth Avenue & DeSoto Street will create new traffic restrictions in the area, however. Slated to begin in July 2022 and continue through May 2026, a single-lane closure will be in place on DeSoto Street resulting in one-way traffic from Fifth Avenue only, and a single-lane closure on the north side (hospital side) of Fifth Avenue throughout the project.

During preliminary meetings, the project team has demonstrated that three lanes of traffic will be maintained on Fifth Avenue through the work zone and the contraflow bus lane will not be impacted. Pedestrians can expect to be restricted on the north side of Fifth Avenue and directed to cross at Lothrop or DeSoto to continue along Fifth Avenue.

For transit riders, the heavily utilized Atwood Station will remain open (with minor staging impacts given its proximity to new construction fencing to be installed at the Fifth & DeSoto site, requiring pedestrians to cross Fifth Avenue at McKee Pl/Darragh St to access bus service from Atwood Station.

 

Armstrong Tunnel Rehabilitation Project

Currently in planning phase, the Allegheny County project is expected to begin in late 2022/early 2023 with the full closure of outbound travel lanes for a period of one year (restricting tunnel access completely between Forbes and Second Ave) followed by full closure of inbound travel lanes for the following year. Project scope includes lighting, air circulation, safety, stormwater mitigation, and more.

This project is expected to occur simultaneously to the Boulevard of the Allies Ramp Betterment Project and may occur at the same time as the Bates Street Widening Project depending on studies conducted there, so significant traffic impacts should be expected for commuters utilizing Grant Street ramp to the Boulevard of the Allies, Second Avenue near the 10th Street Bridge, or Forbes Avenue near Duquesne University campus.

 

Bates Street Widening Project

As of January 2022, this project is in early design phases as teams from Southwestern Pennaylvania Commission and PennDOT undergo planning efforts in coordination with the completion of other projects in the area like the Hazelwood Green project along Second Avenue which is slated for completion in November 2022.

The Bates Street project has a $2 million budget for preliminary design and engineering after studying the Bates St. and I-376 Parkway East interchange to address the widening of Bates in conjunction with the improvements to the Parkway East interchange as well as other multimodal access points along Bates including the Frazier Street Steps connecting pedestrians to South Oakland, Eliza Furnace Trail access, Hodge Street access for local residents, and more, as changes to the parkway exit ramp and developments at the top of Bates Street are predicted to carry an increased vehicle volume in the future.

As the planning phase continues, no construction schedule has been set, though is expected to begin in mid- to late-2023. Other project considerations include the magnitude of a retaining wall on the east side of Bates, impacts on community parklets, environmental impacts, stormwater management, and more. To advance and be eligible for federal funding, a comprehensive environmental study will be conducted which can typically take 2-3 years to complete, and will ultimately determine the design, scope, and timeline of the project overall while also looking at noise impacts given the proximity to residential areas nearby, transit impacts along Second Avenue, and any potential infrastructure impacts given the proximity to an electric utility substation in the area. As of January 2022, no such study has been started as the project is still in its early planning phase.

 
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