Penn Avenue

[NewBurgh]

This probably comes as no surprise to anybody on this forum, but I tend not to drive much so I didn't realize how ridiculous the quality of Penn Avenue is (or maybe I noticed before but forgot how bad it was). Either way, I felt like I was getting a full-body massage as my car bounced across Penn Ave yesterday.

I don't really want to start a discussion on the quality of Pgh roads because we all know they're not in the greatest shape.

But this seemed to be particularly embarrassing. Wasn't something passed in City Council funding a complete rehab of Penn and its lighting and sidewalks? Anyone know anything about this, and if restoration will start soon or not? It's such a major city artery, and with the Children's Home, the new Children's Hospital, and all of the new East End development soon to come, it's going to be traveled by tons of people from outside of the city. It would be nice to make a different first impression.

[TheGerbil]

I agree.

I wonder if they are waiting for the consruction to finish before they fix up the road?

[jmac]

The September edition of the Bloomfield-Garfield Association newsletter, The Bulletin, has a front-page article on the Penn Avenue reconstruction project. It describes some of the reasons for the delays in this project, which include the illness and death of Bob O'Connor and changes to the scope of the project.

After almost seven years of meetings and more meetings between community leaders and public officials, plans to revitalize a 2-mile stretch of Penn Avenue from Friendship to Lawrenceville are finally close to implementation. On August 9, the Central Office of PennDOT sent the City a letter of approval for a "revised scope of services" for what is officially known as the Penn Avenue Corridor Phasing Plan.

[tooluther]

There was talk last year about two options. One would be a complete resurfacing.

The other would use the money to improve key intersections and then use the rest of the funds for streetscape improvements etc.

I don't see how the two are directly related, but whatever. I hate driving that stretch, I swear I hit every single light along the way.

[PITTown]

I remember the plans for a new T station at the Convention Center. This, I believe has been shelved due to the enormous cost of our big dig under the river.

I would love to see a reinstalled trolley system in Pittsburgh but, at key points, such as Downtown and Butler Steet in Lawrenceville, it would go underground to avoid congested areas. Continue the surface trollies from the South Hills. My thought, from the Convention Center Station it would become a street car line that would run along Smallman through the Strip. I would love to see it continue to Lawrenceville where it would go back underground serving the Butler Street Corridor through Lawrenceville as a subway. It could reemerge and travel along the river. Park & Rides at the Zoo, Penn Hills etc. Using the best of both systems, even using historic cars. It would be great for tourists. It could continue to Oakmont and be the Allegheny River line that is so needed.